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Onimusha vs The Blood of Dawnwalker — Which to Buy First

Updated September 2, 2026 · Facts cross-checked against the sources listed below

Two of September’s biggest games launch a day apart — The Blood of Dawnwalker on September 3, Onimusha on September 4 — and both reviewed well, with Onimusha a nose ahead on the aggregators. But the real answer isn’t the scores: they are opposite kinds of games. Onimusha is a focused 15-30 hour swordplay action game built around boss duels; Dawnwalker is an open, choice-driven vampire RPG from ex-Witcher 3 leads. Decide by which of those you’re in the mood for — and note only Onimusha is on Switch 2.

The head-to-head at a glance

Onimusha: Way of the SwordThe Blood of Dawnwalker
ReleaseSep 4 (Steam unlock Sep 3 evening, Americas)Sep 3
DeveloperCapcomRebel Wolves (ex-Witcher 3 leads) / Bandai Namco
What it isSwordplay action — parry, Issen, boss duelsDark-fantasy vampire action RPG, choice-driven
StructureStage-based + open-town Kyoto hubOpen “narrative sandbox,” 30 days-and-nights frame
Length15-30 h (reviewer actuals)No verified figure yet — built as the longer game
Scores (Sep 2)86 OpenCritic / 86 Metacritic PS5~85 OpenCritic / 83 Metacritic ⚠ roundup-reported
PlatformsPS5 · Xbox · Switch 2 · PCPS5 · Xbox · PC (no Switch 2)

Why the score race is the wrong lens

The gaming press has framed this week as a review-score horse race — TheGamer literally tallied the September leaderboard, with Onimusha ahead by a point or three. Honest reading: a one-to-three point gap between two well-reviewed games predicts nothing about which you will enjoy. What the reviews actually establish is the shape of each game. Onimusha’s praise centers on best-in-class boss duels wrapped in a campaign some critics found padded; Dawnwalker’s launch coverage centers on its choice-heavy open structure from the ex-Witcher team. One is a katana with no fat on the blade; the other is a long, branching night. The genres barely overlap — the launch dates just happen to.

The tiebreakers that actually decide it

  • You own a Switch 2 and nothing else: decided — Dawnwalker isn’t on it, and Onimusha’s Switch 2 port is the highest-scored version.
  • You have 20 hours, not 60: Onimusha. Reviewers finished it in 15-30 hours; Dawnwalker is structurally the longer commitment.
  • You want builds, choices and consequences: Dawnwalker — Onimusha is deliberately not an RPG; its depth is in combat execution, not character sheets.
  • You bounced off soulslikes: Onimusha was designed for you to finish; Dawnwalker’s difficulty profile is the less-known quantity.
  • You’ll end up buying both: play Onimusha first — its focused campaign fits inside the window before Dawnwalker’s slower opening hours pull you under. Retail bundles of the pair already exist, so you would hardly be alone.

What we are not going to tell you

We are an Onimusha site, so weight our framing accordingly — and note what we can’t verify: Dawnwalker’s aggregate scores above come from launch roundups rather than our own capture, and no outlet has published reviewer playtime figures for it that we can cite. Where the comparison depends on Dawnwalker’s specifics, check its own coverage. Where it depends on Onimusha’s, every claim links to a page of ours that carries its sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Onimusha and The Blood of Dawnwalker release the same day?

A day apart. The Blood of Dawnwalker launches September 3; Onimusha: Way of the Sword launches September 4 — though its worldwide Steam unlock lands on the evening of September 3 in the Americas, so for many PC players the gap is hours, not a day.

Which game reviewed better?

Onimusha, narrowly: 86 on both OpenCritic and Metacritic PS5 (September 2 snapshot) against roughly 85 OpenCritic / 83 Metacritic for Dawnwalker per launch roundups. Both are comfortably in “very good” territory — the scores are too close to be the deciding factor.

Are they similar games?

No — that is the useful part. Onimusha is a focused, largely linear swordplay action game about parry timing and boss duels, roughly 15-30 hours. Dawnwalker is an open, narrative-driven vampire RPG with a day/night structure and branching choices, from the ex-CD Projekt leads behind The Witcher 3. Pick by genre appetite, not by score.

Is The Blood of Dawnwalker on Switch 2?

No — it ships on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only. Onimusha: Way of the Sword is on all of those plus Switch 2, where it is the highest-review-scored platform version. On Switch 2 the choice makes itself.

Can I reasonably play both?

The staggered genres make it work: Onimusha’s focused campaign finishes in 15-30 hours, while Dawnwalker is the longer, slower burn. Retailers are already selling the two as a discounted pair, which tells you how many people are asking this exact question.

Sources