DragonSword: Awakening Review — Worth It in 2026?

Short answer: yes, for most action-RPG fans. DragonSword: Awakening holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam with roughly 90% positive reviews, sold over 200,000 copies in its first week, and players consistently describe it as a gacha-free Genshin alternative that respects your time. It has real rough edges — the story is incomplete and optimization can dip — but at $29.99 the vast majority of players feel they get far more than their money's worth. ## The Short Verdict DragonSword: Awakening is a buy-to-play anime open-world action RPG from Hound13, the studio behind Dragon Nest. It was originally designed as a free-to-play gacha game, but the team stripped out all microtransactions before the global release in July 2026. What shipped is a premium package: 19 playable heroes, 5 factions, and an Unreal Engine 5 open world, all earned through gameplay rather than paid pulls. If you like the Genshin / WuWa combat loop but hate the daily chores and the gacha, this game was essentially built for you. ## What Players Love: Combat & No-Gacha The combat is the star. Reviewers compare it to Devil May Cry: three-hero tag-team swapping, status-effect combos, and a high skill ceiling that rewards timing over spending. One of the most-shared review lines calls it "everything I wanted Genshin Impact to be." The absence of a stamina system means you can grind as long as you want, and the only microtransactions left are optional cosmetics and mounts. Players on Reddit echo the same sentiment. A top review from r/ShouldIbuythisgame calls it "really fun and vibrant, lots to do and find," praising the combat and "cool endgame raids and bosses," while noting it's "very well worth the $30." Another player sums up the value: if you like the Genshin loop but not the gacha, this is an easy recommend — the game is clearly built on a lower budget than Genshin, "a little scuffed around the edges, with the devs making up for it by pricing at $30." ## The Story: Charming But Incomplete The campaign takes roughly 25 hours and most players enjoy it. One detailed review describes the story as "a lot of fun," "really badass," and "stays funny almost throughout," with a charming cast of heroes. The catch: the story ends on a cliffhanger and is officially only "part 1." The developers have stated they plan to continue it, but how it will be distributed — free update or paid DLC — had not been finalized at launch. If an incomplete story is a dealbreaker for you, keep that in mind. ## A Grind That Respects Your Time Where DragonSword stands out is how it treats the player's time. There's no energy system, no daily-login chores, and no pressure to spend. Everything from characters to equipment is unlocked through story and exploration. The trade-off is that the grind itself is still present — you'll stop periodically to level characters, upgrade skills, and farm dungeons. Most players find this acceptable because it's a grind you choose, not one the game forces on you. ## Steam Reception & Sales The numbers back up the praise. The game reached "Very Positive" on Steam (about 90% positive across thousands of reviews), and passed 200,000 copies sold in its first week — strong for a buy-to-play title. Early reviews started around 85% before climbing to 90%, and Korean-language reviews reached "Overwhelmingly Positive" with over 95% approval. ## The Downsides It's not perfect. Multiple reviews mention crashes to desktop and some performance dips in certain areas — Unreal Engine 5 is a mixed bag even on capable hardware. The game's budget is visibly smaller than the gacha giants it's compared to, so NPC density, polish, and optimization feel a step below. The incomplete story is the biggest structural criticism. None of these stop players from putting in dozens of hours, but they're worth knowing before you buy. ## Who Should Buy It Buy DragonSword: Awakening if you enjoy action combat, anime art style, and open-world exploration but are tired of gacha mechanics. It's also a good pick if you want a complete (mostly) single-player RPG at a fixed price rather than an endless live-service commitment. Skip it if an unfinished story bothers you, if you need maximum polish and optimization, or if you were hoping for a free-to-play game — this one is $29.99. For the exact editions and pricing, see our [Price guide](/price/). To know which heroes are strongest right now, check the [Tier List](/tier-list/).