Free to play – RPG hits #1 on Steam Charts and shakes up the open-world scene
Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play open-world RPG from Chinese developer Kuro Games, the studio behind the action title Punishing: Gray Raven. The game launched in May 2024 on the Epic Games Store, Google Play and the App Store, with a highly successful debut on Steam following on April 28, 2025.
Open-world exploration and fast-paced battles
After a cataclysmic event known as the "Lament" nearly wiped out civilization, players take on the role of the "Rover" – an amnesiac protagonist setting out to unravel the mysteries of a transformed world. Wuthering Waves blends open-world exploration with dynamic, action-driven combat. A standout feature is its unrestricted vertical traversal, allowing players to scale mountains, towers and urban structures with remarkable freedom. Visually, the game adopts a semi-realistic anime art style that complements its atmospheric world.
In Wuthering Waves, combat revolves around a team of three characters, between whom you can switch instantly to chain together combos and unleash powerful ultimate abilities. The action is fast-paced and highly responsive, with dodging and parrying playing key roles in each encounter. A unique feature of the game is the "Echoes" system – special abilities dropped by defeated enemies that can be collected and strategically deployed in battle.
With its open world and fluid character switching, Wuthering Waves has strong parallels to the popular mobile RPG Genshin Impact. In contrast, however, it relies on a much more dynamic combat system that requires timing and precision rather than rewarding simple button presses.
Reviews: Strong combat system meets weak story
IGN tested Wuthering Waves across multiple platforms, including a high-end gaming laptop, a Lenovo Legion Go and an iPhone 12 Pro. The RPG particularly stood out for its fast, fluid combat system, which felt both engaging and satisfying thanks to a variety of combos and smooth transitions. Strategic depth is added through character swapping and thoughtful party composition. Exploration also leaves a strong impression, with parkour-style movement lending a dynamic feel to traversing the open world. Technically, the game runs largely stable, though occasional minor bugs and lag spikes were noted.
However, Wuthering Waves also shows clear shortcomings. The story lacks impact, relying heavily on cryptic terminology and underwhelming dialogue, with flat voice acting that fails to bring emotional moments to life. In the endgame, combat can start to feel repetitive, as players are often required to farm the same enemies repeatedly. Testers also criticized the confusing introduction, noting that many terms and mechanics are introduced without adequate explanation, which can make the early hours feel overwhelming or disorienting.
IGN gave Wuthering Waves a solid 7 out of 10, highlighting its strengths while acknowledging its flaws. Reviews on Metacritic align with this impression, with a Metascore of 69 and a User Score of 7.0. However, the reception on Steam has been notably more enthusiastic – around 87% of roughly 1,400 user reviews are positive. The game is also currently ranked number one in the "Trending Free" category on the Steam charts, signaling a strong start and widespread interest among players.
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