The Blood of Dawnwalker is coming to PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X with gorgeous visuals, dark fantasy combat and a whole lot of vampire chaos, but there is one major catch for players who care about performance: there is no 60 FPS mode at launch.

Rebel Wolves dropped official console footage on August 21, 2026, through its Dawnwalker YouTube channel, and the video finally gives players a clear look at how the upcoming action RPG will run on current-generation hardware. The footage, titled “The Blood of Dawnwalker — Console Footage,” showcases gameplay from PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X ahead of the game’s September launch.

The console options are pretty straightforward. Players get a Quality mode targeting 30 FPS at Dynamic 4K and a Balanced mode targeting 40 FPS at Dynamic 4K. That setup applies to both PS5 and Xbox Series X, while PS5 Pro gets the same frame-rate and resolution targets with an extra boost to visual quality. For anyone hoping the PS5 Pro would unlock a buttery-smooth 60 FPS experience, though, the footage brings some disappointing news.

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So, What Exactly Do PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X Offer?

Rebel Wolves’ official footage confirms that Xbox Series X will launch with two graphical modes. Quality mode targets 30 FPS at Dynamic 4K, while Balanced mode targets 40 FPS at Dynamic 4K. The base PS5 gets the same two options, meaning players can prioritize visual presentation or step up to the higher 40 FPS target without moving away from Dynamic 4K.

The PS5 Pro follows the same basic setup. Quality mode targets 30 FPS at Dynamic 4K, while Balanced mode targets 40 FPS at Dynamic 4K. The difference comes from visual quality, with Rebel Wolves stating that the PS5 Pro delivers “enhanced visual quality” across both modes. The more powerful console therefore gets a visual upgrade, but not the 60 FPS performance mode many players might have expected.

That makes the launch situation pretty clear: PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X do not have a dedicated 60 FPS console mode announced at launch. Players looking for the smoothest available console option will instead be choosing the 40 FPS Balanced setting.

The official footage shows PS5 Pro and base PS5 gameplay running in Quality mode before moving over to Xbox Series X footage. The Xbox Series X presentation confirms the same 30 FPS Quality and 40 FPS Balanced targets. Rebel Wolves did not provide performance specifications or gameplay footage for Xbox Series S as part of the announcement, so its console performance remains unconfirmed.

The absence of 60 FPS is especially interesting because The Blood of Dawnwalker is an action RPG built around combat that places a major emphasis on responsiveness. The game features directional swordplay, abilities, magic and witchcraft, making frame rate a pretty important part of how the experience feels in motion. A 60 FPS option would normally be the obvious choice for players willing to sacrifice some visual fidelity for smoother gameplay, but that option simply isn’t available at launch based on the information currently provided.

The PS5 Pro situation stands out even more. Sony’s upgraded console offers additional graphical performance compared with the base PS5, yet The Blood of Dawnwalker still targets 30 FPS in Quality mode and 40 FPS in Balanced mode. The Pro’s advantage comes through enhanced visuals rather than a higher frame-rate target.

Push Square has likewise reported that PS5 and PS5 Pro offer Dynamic 4K at 30 FPS in Quality mode and Dynamic 4K at 40 FPS in Balanced mode. Pure Xbox reported the same 30 FPS and 40 FPS choices for Xbox Series X and highlighted the lack of a 60 FPS option as a surprising part of the announcement. Neither report changes the official specifications shown by Rebel Wolves, but both underline why the performance decision has caught players’ attention.

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The 40 FPS Mode Is the Middle Ground

The 40 FPS Balanced mode is arguably the most interesting option here because it sits between the traditional 30 FPS Quality experience and the 60 FPS performance modes players have become accustomed to on current-generation consoles.

At 40 FPS, The Blood of Dawnwalker is still targeting Dynamic 4K while offering more frames than the 30 FPS Quality setting. There is one important catch, though: players need a display capable of 120Hz output to properly take advantage of the 40 FPS mode.

The reason is simple. A 40 FPS target divides neatly into a 120Hz refresh rate, allowing each frame to be displayed for three refresh cycles. That gives the 40 FPS setting a more consistent presentation on a compatible display than simply treating it like an ordinary 30 FPS mode.

So the choice isn’t quite the usual “pretty 30 FPS versus smooth 60 FPS” console debate. Instead, The Blood of Dawnwalker asks players to choose between higher visual quality at 30 FPS and a Balanced presentation targeting 40 FPS.

That could make the Balanced mode the sweet spot for players with 120Hz televisions or monitors. At the same time, anyone without a compatible display won’t be able to take full advantage of what the 40 FPS target is designed to offer.

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Dynamic 4K Is Doing Some Heavy Lifting

Both console modes use Dynamic 4K resolution rather than locking the game to native 4K at all times. Dynamic resolution scaling allows the game to adjust its internal rendering resolution according to the workload, helping it stay closer to its targeted frame rate when scenes become more demanding.

And judging from the official footage, The Blood of Dawnwalker is definitely aiming for a visually rich presentation. The showcase puts plenty of attention on lighting, shadows and ambient occlusion, with torchlight and nighttime environments getting particularly strong visual emphasis.

Combat also gets a substantial look in the footage. Players can see the game’s directional swordplay alongside other abilities, giving a better idea of how Coen’s supernatural combat systems will translate to consoles.

That visual ambition helps explain why the performance targets are becoming such a talking point. The game is being built in Unreal Engine 5, and Rebel Wolves is clearly pushing atmosphere and environmental detail as major parts of its dark fantasy world.

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Why Players Are Talking About the Missing 60 FPS Mode

60 FPS has become an increasingly familiar option on current-generation consoles, especially in action-heavy games where responsive controls and smoother motion can make a noticeable difference. That makes the lack of a 60 FPS setting in The Blood of Dawnwalker more noticeable than it might be in a slower-paced experience.

The reaction is also tied to the hardware involved. Xbox Series X and PS5 Pro are among the most powerful current-generation console options, yet neither receives a 60 FPS mode at launch. Even the PS5 Pro’s enhanced hardware is being used to improve visual quality rather than push the game toward 60 frames per second.

Pure Xbox described the lack of 60 FPS on Xbox Series X as surprising, while also noting that the console footage does not reveal how Xbox Series S will perform. Push Square similarly pointed out that both PS5 and PS5 Pro lack a 60 FPS option despite having multiple graphical modes.

There is another important detail here: Rebel Wolves has not confirmed that a 60 FPS console mode will arrive after launch. As of August 21, 2026, there is no official announcement promising a future performance update that would add one.

That means players should treat the current lineup as the confirmed launch configuration rather than assuming a 60 FPS patch is on the way.

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PC Players Get More Freedom

The story is different on PC, where players aren’t locked into the same two console targets. The PC version supports higher frame rates, with performance depending on the player’s hardware and chosen settings.

Players can also use hardware- and software-based upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS, depending on their hardware and configuration. That gives PC players significantly more flexibility when deciding how to balance image quality and frame rate.

Console players, meanwhile, have the two options Rebel Wolves has confirmed: 30 FPS Quality or 40 FPS Balanced. A future update could potentially change that, but there is currently no official confirmation of a 60 FPS console mode.

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What Is The Blood of Dawnwalker?

The Blood of Dawnwalker is a single-player open-world dark fantasy action RPG developed by Rebel Wolves, the studio founded by former The Witcher 3 developers and led by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz.

Built with Unreal Engine 5, the game takes players to 14th-century Europe, specifically the fictional region of Vale Sangora. The protagonist is Coen, a half-human, half-vampire character known as a “Dawnwalker.”

Coen’s supernatural identity isn’t just part of the story. It is deeply connected to the gameplay, with his available abilities and possibilities changing depending on whether players are operating during the day or at night.

During the day, players can use directional combat alongside magic and witchcraft. When night arrives, Coen can lean much harder into his vampiric abilities, creating a gameplay rhythm built around the contrast between his human and supernatural sides.

The game also puts considerable weight on player choices and their consequences. The campaign is expected to take roughly 50 hours, although the exact experience can vary depending on how players approach the game and its systems.

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The Blood of Dawnwalker Release Date and Confirmed Console Modes

The Blood of Dawnwalker is scheduled to launch on September 3, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

At launch, the confirmed console targets are:

Platform	Mode	Resolution	Frame Rate
PS5	Quality	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 30 FPS
PS5	Balanced	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 40 FPS
PS5 Pro	Quality	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 30 FPS + enhanced visual quality
PS5 Pro	Balanced	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 40 FPS + enhanced visual quality
Xbox Series X	Quality	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 30 FPS
Xbox Series X	Balanced	Dynamic 4K	Targeting 40 FPS
Xbox Series S	—	—	Performance details not confirmed

The key takeaway for console players is simple: there is currently no announced 60 FPS mode for PS5, PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X. Players who want the highest frame-rate target available on console will need to use Balanced mode, with the 40 FPS target offering its best experience on a compatible 120Hz display.

Players who consider 60 FPS essential for an action game will therefore have two choices at launch: accept the 40 FPS Balanced target on a compatible display or move to PC, where higher frame rates and technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS provide more flexibility.

One final detail matters here. The frame rates listed by Rebel Wolves are targets, not guarantees of a permanently locked frame rate. Actual performance can vary depending on gameplay situations, scenes and final retail conditions. Xbox Series S performance was not provided in the August 21 announcement, and Rebel Wolves has not officially confirmed a future 60 FPS console mode.

For now, The Blood of Dawnwalker is betting on atmosphere, visual detail and a 40 FPS middle ground rather than chasing 60 FPS on consoles.

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Disclaimer

The performance targets above are based on the specifications shown in Rebel Wolves’ official console footage and reporting that examined the footage. Target frame rates are not guarantees of a permanently locked frame rate and actual performance can vary depending on gameplay situations, scenes and final retail conditions. Xbox Series S performance details were not provided in the announcement. Rebel Wolves has not officially confirmed a future 60 FPS console mode as of August 21, 2026.

Sources

• Official console footage — Dawnwalker 
• Pure Xbox
• IGN
• GamingBolt

Image Credit:

• Featured Image: Rebel Wolves