Game of the Week – The Blood of Dawnwalker is the ultimate vampire RP…

• The Blood of Dawnwalker's 30-day time limit is not as punishing as it sounds, making it the perfect weekend play for a more languid RPG experience or something to dip into all week.

Even after learning of its high-stakes time limit, The Blood of Dawnwalker has been one of my most-wanted RPGs of 2026. Developer Rebel Wolves has more than delivered upon its promise to "push the genre forward" by making time itself a currency, and instead of letting myself get side-tracked at every turn, I've found that the extra pressure has kept me focused on main and character quests instead.

I spent all of last weekend playing the new game and managed to beat it on Day 10, so there's no reason you can't do the same! That said, don't be fooled by thinking you need to race through The Blood of Dawnwalker due to the 30-day time limit: I went about things pretty languidly and spent a lot of in-game hours leveling up, yet still finished with a third of the allotted time remaining.

Why play it today?

• The Blood of Dawnwalker has some of the coolest lore and most inventive storytelling devices I've seen since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

I'm a (blood)sucker for a decent RPG story, and The Blood of Dawnwalker is a masterclass in narrative design. The open-world sandbox means you decide how much of Vale Sangora's lore you want to dig into, from haunted places to pixies and beyond, but I love how key characters quests unfold to teach us more about not only the world he lives in, but Coen's past itself.

From uncovering what happened to his late little brother to father Pieter's past as a roving merc-soldier, Rebel Wolves does a beautiful job of setting Coen up as a saga-spanning hero to rival The Witcher 3's Geralt by slowly peppering these tales through the open world. It's just one reason why I recommend approaching The Blood of Dawnwalker unafraid of the 30-day limit. I promise you'll have plenty of time to dig into Coen's backstory and rescue his parents from Brencis' clutches. This level of storytelling demands it!

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Time commitment:

The best thing about The Blood of Dawnwalker is that it really is up to you how you approach its time restriction. You could use it as an opportunity to get laser-focused on the main story and some important NPC missions and finish it in 25-35 hours. This would have you ending the game with around 15 to ten days spare out of the 30-day timer.

You could also squeeze a bit more out of the open world's various side quests at the same time and still finish up in time to save Coen's family a day or two before the timer runs out (perhaps taking you around 28-35 hours).

You could even go full completionist. Bin off the timer altogether and deliberately fail to confront Brencis at all in those initial 30 days, and Coen's goal to becomes to avenge rather than rescue his family, scrapping the 30-day countdown. I don't recommend doing that, really. It might give you free rein to do as much side content as you like, but the timer its pretty forgiving and you really can get a lot more done in it than you might think.

Play The Blood of Dawnwalker if you love...

Skip The Blood of Dawnwalker if you want:

One thing to know:

I have run into a few crashes and performance issues while playing The Blood of Dawnwalker on my Xbox Series S, and the same has been reported by PC players. Thankfully, Rebel Wolves has already released a second update patch since the RPG's September 3 release date, this time targeting game stability and some amusing bugs (chatty corpses, giant torches... You get the gist).

Dawnwalker definitely feels much smoother to play now for many, though PC and Series S owners might need to have a little more patience. Performance seems to vary at the moment (I'm still getting a few crashes on here and there), and the latest patch has made some loading screens a bit slower over the past day for me.

So, could you stand to wait out another patch? Sure. Game crashes suck and it's frustrating if an autosave fails to kick in just beforehand. But if you have a PS5 handy, I'd say it's a perfect time to rip that bandaid off and get stuck into Coen's adventure now.

A moment you'll remember:

Exploring a creepy fog-enshrouded convent with herbalist-witch Anca, who returns to her Sisters to find their plague-ridden reanimated corpses still roaming the grounds. It's a thrilling taste of terror to really knuckle down on the gloomier side of Vale Sangora's often picturesque setting (if you ignore the blood farms, distilleries, and more), and is the first longer dungeon-style mission that requires a more hefty timesink. Very worth it though, especially if your goal is to woo Anca.

The final verdict:

Even with its performance issues, some repetitive enemy types, and a few teething problems (pun intended), The Blood of Dawnwalker is an incredibly worthwhile game to play this weekend. The impressive scope of it is truly astounding, especially when you factor in the lower budget the ex-CD Projekt Red devs at Rebel Wolves are working with compared to a traditional triple-A studio. With gorgeous voice acting, inventive mission design, and a super varied combat system, the result is a pacy thrill ride that's not afraid to let you do things differently. In our The Blood of Dawnwalker review, despite some misgivings, we did praise that "hands-off exploration is mostly respected" in its RPG open world.

So, where can you play it?

The Blood of Dawnwalker is out now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.

How to get started with The Blood of Dawnwalker:

Getting to grips with The Blood of Dawnwalker's directional parries, three combat systems, and twisty RPG framework can be confusing, so here are some handy guides to get your adventure in Vale Sangora off to a good start:

If you're saying "fangs, but no fangs" to Dawnwalker, check out our best RPGs round-up to find the right fit for your weekend

Avengers: Endgame Encore is almost upon us... but what is it? And do you really have to go see it before Avengers: Doomsday?

Below, you'll find a mini guide that explains what the re-release is, how it leads into Avengers: Doomsday, and if it's required viewing before the newest Avengers movie hits theaters on December 18.

For more, dive into the Marvel timeline and our guide on the best way to watch The Odyssey in theatres.

What is Avengers: Endgame Encore?

Avengers: Endgame Encore is the theatrical re-release of Avengers: Endgame, which acts as a refresher for audiences prior to the December release of Avengers: Doomsday. It comes with four minutes of bonus footage, a new post-credits scene, and an exclusive sneak peek at Avengers: Doomsday (in certain select showings). The re-release is also color-graded and has a confirmed runtime of 185 minutes.

It'll be shown in IMAX and Infinity Vision, the latter of which is the Disney and Marvel certification for screens of a certain size (45 feet wide or more) with Dolby 7.1 surround sound and requisite brightness.

Do I need to see Avengers: Endgame Encore if I've already seen Avengers: Endgame?

In short? Yes. The Russo brothers have said that Encore is "required viewing," as the re-release acts as a narrative bridge between Endgame and Doomsday.

"It's gonna connect the story of the two movies," Russo told Fandango. "There's a natural progression from Endgame into Doomsday, which is also inclusive of all the other stories that have been playing out. I think it's required viewing for following the story in Doomsday."

I, for one, haven't seen Endgame since it was in theaters in 2019, so I personally need the refresher. You might need it, too!

How will it set up Avengers: Doomsday?

We don't know exactly how it'll set up Avengers: Doomsday, other than what the Russos have said about the re-release bridging the narrative gap between the two films. We can assume that the brand-new post-credits scene will lead directly into Doomsday, and that the exclusive look at Doomsday will give us more info on what's to come (since we still don't know much about it... I mean, how the heck did Steve Rogers come back from the past?)

Avengers: Endgame Encore hits theaters on September 25. For more, head on over to our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order and all the new Disney movies on the way.

If you've been sitting there feeling sorry for yourself that you missed out on the Zelda 40th Anniversary Switch 2 Pro controller, you'll be happy to know Hori has an Ocarina of Time pad of its own on the horizon.

Hori Japan has unveiled on its official X (Twitter) page that a new official Ocarina of Time remake controller and a batch of Switch 2 accessories inspired by the upcoming game are now available to pre-order in Japan. As a Horipad Turbo, the controller will be missing some of the premium features of Nintendo's first-party pad, like its NFC-reading tech, but the wireless accessory is still a pretty sight to behold. Particularly for Zelda fans who love spying the Hylian crest (and a tiny silhouette of Link and Epona) on all their Ninty peripherals.

As the new 8,980 yen (approx $58.48) controller is a Horipad Turbo device, you'll have TMR sticks at your disposal if you pre-order this pad, along with some mappable back buttons like all existing versions of this wireless accessory. While that's all well and good, the battery is a bit lackluster, especially when compared to the Switch 2 Pro Controller's 40-hours. Instead, Hori states you can manage 10 hours of playtime per charge, which I imagine will be pretty easy to achieve once the Ocarina of Time Remake releases later this year.

However, as is always the case with these officially licensed accessories, the importance is less on specs and more on design, and this is a great-looking Zelda peripheral. The white and gold colorway looks as prestigious as the Princess herself, and I love that the faceplate seems to feature a marbling effect. The small Link and Epona sihoulette, however, is my favorite detail, and it can also be spotted on the back of the Game Card Case. Unlike the controller, this case can be imported for $11.59 via Amazon Japan and includes space for what appears to be up to three physical games.

The Link and Epona motifs don't stop there, as they're also a fixture of all three cases, which make up the rest of this set. It's found on the exterior of the $29.16 (via Amazon) Slim Hard Pouch, alongside a faded version of the map of Hyrule.

The leather-like texture of the case lends itself to this map imagery, as it makes the entire accessory look like a worn-out item from Link's massive arsenal of weapons, rather than a simple Switch 2 case. The interior lining looks just as spectacular, as seen in the photos available on the official Hori online store, it features a Link-tunic green colored fabric that I adore.

There's no clear sign whether this lining is found on the matching $32.43 (Amazon) Shoulder Pouch or the $35.67 (Amazon) All-in-One Storage bag, but one can only hope. Talking of which, there's no sign any of these accessories will officially make their way to the US or UK Amazon storefronts either, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If you're okay with importing, you can expect them to launch on November 30, 2026, a little after the game.

With the hype of the Ocarina of Time Remake growing by the day, I suspect this won't be the only collection of accessories in store for Zelda and Switch 2 fans.

• View all Hori Nintendo Switch 2 accessories at Amazon

Obsessed with Ocarina of Time? Check out Hasbro's new electronic Master Sword and the new Lego Link and Epona set and the best Legend of Zelda merch while you're here.