The Blood of Dawnwalker devs say rival The Witcher RPG could take over 100 hours to complete

If you're a fan of The Witcher - or, by extension, any fantasy RPG from Elden Ring to Skyrim - your attention is demanded by The Blood of Dawnwalker.

Made by Rebel Wolves, a studio created by former CD Projekt RED employees (basically, the old The Witcher developers), The Blood of Dawnwalker is already being tipped as a Game of the Year nominee that could rival Grand Theft Auto.

Yes, the expectations are that high.

Set to arrive in September, players will take control of a slick, sword-handy protagonist, Coen, whose story is all about saving his family. Oh, and he's a vampire.

It's giving big Skyrim: Dawnguard vibes, but on a gargantuan scale with an open-world map that promises mass exploration.

But while the natural comparisons to inspiring titles are plentiful, The Blood of Dawnwalker stands on its own two feet and will soon be the bar that others strive to hit.

"The Blood of Dawnwalker is most certainly more than just ‘The Witcher with vampires’, a tagline many have adopted online," we wrote after being invited to preview the game.

"In a year that already promises to bring us GTA VI, Fable, and Resident Evil Requiem, it’s a testament to the game’s ambition that it’s just usurped them all to become my most hotly anticipated title of 2026. Rebel Wolves hasn’t just used its AAA experience to adapt the modern RPG formula; it’s seemingly created something altogether unique that’ll surely make a mark if it sticks the landing upon release."

Read More: 5 gameplay quirks that set RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker apart from The Witcher 3

With anticipation reaching a boiling point, the developers have now revealed that the full release could take more than 100 hours to complete, marking one of the longest games ever.

Rebel Wolves claim The Blood of Dawnwalker is so much bigger than they intended

Speaking in an interview with GameReactor, Rebel Wolves director (and former The Witcher 3 lead), Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, revealed that the upcoming RPG has spilt far over their intended playtime.

"It’s funny, because when we started working, we planned it for 40 hours," he said

"Right now, the average is around 50 hours, but that depends on what difficulty level you’re playing, how picky you are, how much you explore, how much you upgrade your gear, and so on."

For deep explorers on harder difficulties, who refuse to simply speedrun through the quests, there's a solid chance that we could be going for '100 plus' hours - especially if you are a true completionist.

And, it's worth noting that this is just for one playthrough. There are multiple game-defining routes to take that lead to different endings. A second run could be vastly different, leaving even more time to add to your total gameplay.

"Hell, I just want to take my time and explore EVERYTHING!! Make it like a mystery to see what secrets the world holds and understand the lore. I just want to take time and appreciate everything," one excited player said on X.

Another added, "This is perfect. PERFECT! I know I'm going to put more than 100 hours in on my first run."

With Grand Theft Auto waiting in November, jumping on The Blood of Dawnwalker early looks to be your best bet, and it could be up there on the GOTY podium if it 'sticks the landing'.