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DragonSword: Awakening is a single-player open-world action RPG developed and published by Hound13. It is the buy-to-play Western release of the Korean free-to-play game DragonSword, reworked to strip out the gacha and live-service systems that defined the Korean version.
At a Glance
Field | Detail |
|---|---|
Release window | July 2026 |
Demo | Free playable demo, open June 5, 2026 (ahead of the June 2026 Steam Next Fest) |
Platform | PC via Steam (Steam Deck support via Proton in preparation) |
Developer / Publisher | Hound13 (self-published) |
Business model | |
Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
Audio | Full audio in Korean, with interface and subtitle support across eleven languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Thai, and Brazilian Portuguese |
Setting
The game is set on the Continent of Orbis, a radiant, warmly coloured fantasy world built in Unreal Engine 5. Players explore meadows, watchtowers and their secret cellars, treasure-filled deep seas, and hidden caves and dungeons. Sixty years before the game, a Dragon brought the continent to the brink of destruction and six Heroes of Old drove it back; now a Dragon has reawakened, and a new cast is called on to take up the title of the Dragon Sword.
Core Gameplay
Nineteen playable Heroes, each with their own distinct Status Ailment kit.
A combo system built around stacking Status Ailments, extending with Active Skills, and finishing with Signal Skills through the Switching Signals tag-team mechanic.
Collectible Familiars that double as mounts, including dragon riding inspired by the freedom-of-movement design of The Legend of Zelda.
Opt-in Co-Op: up to 2 players for Subjugation content, up to 3 for Raids, host-based with invite codes and no regional restrictions.
Cooking and in-world activities as supporting systems alongside combat.
Launch Content
The package sold at launch contains all of World 1, which is 8 main-story chapters plus additional Hero quests, and a new Eastern region added specifically for the Steam release. World 2, set on the floating islands, is confirmed as a post-launch expansion.
Steam Next Fest Demo
A free playable demo is scheduled for the June 2026 edition of Steam Next Fest. Hound13 opened the demo early on June 5, 2026, ahead of the Steam Next Fest window; it stays playable until June 24 (02:00 KST) and is then deactivated. The demo is the cleanest pre-launch sampler of the combat loop, the Switching Signals tag system, and the open-world feel of the Continent of Orbis before the full release in July 2026. See Demo and Steam Next Fest for the full breakdown.
Per publisher statement, in-game text is localised using AI translation into the supported non-Korean written languages, while generative AI is not used to produce in-game content or assets.
Not F2P, Not Gacha
See Buy-to-Play Model for how the Western release differs from the Korean original. The short version is that all nineteen Heroes and every piece of meaningful equipment are obtainable through the story and in-game activities. Character costumes and Familiars are the only post-launch paid categories, alongside later expansion packs.