Overview

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

The game unlocks worldwide at a single moment rather than in regional waves: July 23, 2026 at 07:00 KST, which lands on July 22 at 15:00 Pacific and 18:00 Eastern. There is no pre-purchase, because this is Hound13's first Steam release and the storefront restricts the feature for a first-time publisher, so sales open at that unlock. Interest built steadily through the pre-launch campaign, with the Steam wishlist count passing 100,000 in mid-May, 200,000 on June 23, 300,000 on July 10, and 400,000 on July 21.

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.

The main story runs roughly 10 to 15 hours on a focused playthrough, and around 20 hours to clear all eight chapters, with Hero quests, regional bond quests, and open-world activities adding substantially more. The game is sold as a Standard Edition ($29.99) and a Deluxe Edition ($49.99) that adds a digital artbook, the soundtrack, and the Brave Baby Dragon familiar. A separate Abyssal Direwolf familiar is free for all players from launch through August 31, 2026.

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 July 7 (02:00 KST), after Hound13 extended the original June 24 end date when the demo was named one of Steam Next Fest's Most Played titles. 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 on July 23, 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.