Monster Hunter Wilds is without question my most-anticipated game of 2025, and I’m sure that’s true for many. But if you’re craving a behemoth-battling fix in the meantime, let me recommend Dauntless. It’s a slightly more arcadey take on the formula, but one that fundamentally gets what makes it tick – and is perhaps a more approachable first taste if you’re completely new to the genre. As developer Phoenix Labs unveils its game-changing Dauntless Awakening update, it also confirms that you’ll be able to play the free game on Steam for the first time ever.
Few games have attempted to emulate the mighty Monster Hunter, but Dauntless achieves it very well, and manages to carve out its own space in the genre while doing so. Crucially, Phoenix Labs clearly understands the essence that makes the Capcom series some of the best RPGs of all time. Like those games, Dauntless boasts a selection of very distinctive weapon types, each with a compact but versatile moveset, and tasks you with using them to bring down all manner of magnificent beasties in grandiose battles, either alone or in co-op.
Combat in Dauntless is satisfying and learning to fight each of the monsters is rewarding in much the same way as the Monster Hunter series. More than anything, it captures those individual moments of brilliance that make you feel like the best player ever – catching a soaring predator with a thrown axe, for example, or using a blast from your rocket hammer to propel yourself out of the path of a charging beast while knocking it, stunned, to the ground. Dauntless is already a game I’d heartily recommend, but the new update is a fantastic time for new players to jump in – or to come back if it’s been a while.
Dauntless Awakening marks the game’s debut on Steam, but perhaps more importantly it kickstarts a whole new era for the free PC game. It has been designed with plenty of help from community feedback and testing, and introduces a total of 18 new weapons, seven of which are earned through early-game quests, allowing you to get a taste without having to make it all the way to the endgame. Each of them offer unique special abilities, with several of these transferred across from popular bonuses in the old Lantern item slot, which has been retired as a gameplay feature and now just acts as a cosmetic customization.
New behemoth Karkonos is the headline creature making its first appearance in Awakening. It’s an Umbral-aligned creature with particularly unpredictable movement, so it should prove a real challenge. Defeat it and you’ll be able to create its unique armor set, which brings the total available to 33, giving you ample room to come up with all manner of creative ways to kit yourself out for battle. Several other creatures have also had redesigns and upgrades, too, so keep your eye out while you’re on the hunt.
The quest structure has been reset for all, although existing players will still keep all their old items and other progress, and should consider this new-look adventure more of an introduction to everything that’s changed. The cells that slot into your gear have been reworked as well to become a more supportive part of your loadout. This means you’ll have to re-equip them to your gear, although you’ll also be paid out a number of additional random cells to replace any in your collection that have been removed from the game.
Dauntless Awakening launches Thursday December 5, alongside the game’s release on Steam. You can play for free, with full crossplay and cross-progression support across all platforms. Simply download it to get started – note that you’ll need an Epic Games account even when on Steam, which Phoenix Labs explains is required in order to ensure accounts and friend lists work across all versions of the game.
You could also pass your time in the Wilds waiting room with another of the best games like Monster Hunter on PC. Alternatively, try out some other great free Steam games.
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