New Blood Interactive revealed Dungeons of Dusk during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted on December 3, 2025, announcing a turn-based dungeon crawling RPG that takes place canonically between the episodes of the cult classic first-person shooter Dusk. Developed by 68k Studios, the game features a 30-level campaign with character progression and NPCs, plus endless arena mode, boss rush mode, and survival mode with permadeath and randomly generated dungeons across five difficulty settings. Dungeons of Dusk launches in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam and GOG, iOS, Android, macOS, and Linux, with a PC demo coming soon and Steam Deck verification confirmed at release. The announcement represents one of the most unexpected genre pivots in recent memory, transforming David Szymanski’s fast-paced retro shooter into a classic grid-based dungeon crawler reminiscent of Doom RPG, Wolfenstein RPG, and Orcs and Elves.
What Is Dusk
Dusk launched in 2018 as an indie boomer shooter that became the trailblazer of the modern retro FPS revival, earning a 95th place ranking in PC Gamer’s 2025 Top 100 list. Created by David Szymanski and published by New Blood Interactive, Dusk channels 1990s shooters like Quake, Blood, and Heretic with fast movement, powerful weapons, and occult horror atmosphere set in rural Pennsylvania. The game features three episodes with distinct themes, challenging enemy encounters, secret-filled level design, and a soundtrack by composer Andrew Hulshult that perfectly captures frantic gunfight intensity.
Dusk’s success helped establish New Blood Interactive as the premier publisher for retro-inspired indie shooters, with the company releasing hits like Amid Evil, Ultrakill, and Blood West. The game’s cult following stems from its perfect execution of boomer shooter fundamentals, no reloading, bunny hopping movement, rocket jumping verticality, and encounters designed around player mastery rather than cinematic setpieces. Transforming this hyperkinetic FPS into a methodical turn-based RPG represents a radical reinvention that initially seems bizarre but makes sense when considering mobile RPG adaptations of classic shooters.
Why Turn-Based Dungeon Crawling
The genre shift draws inspiration from mobile RPG adaptations of id Software classics, specifically Doom RPG, Wolfenstein RPG, and Orcs and Elves developed by Fountainhead Entertainment in the mid-2000s. Those games translated first-person shooter level design and enemies into grid-based turn-based dungeon crawlers optimized for mobile devices without action game controls. The format worked surprisingly well, capturing the exploration and combat essence of shooters while accommodating touchscreen inputs and shorter play sessions appropriate for mobile gaming.
Dungeons of Dusk applies this formula to the Dusk universe, allowing players to explore environments from the FPS with deliberate tactical combat replacing twitch reflexes. The reveal trailer shows grid-based movement through familiar Dusk locations rendered in first-person perspective, with enemies appearing at set intervals for turn-based encounters involving weapon selection, positioning, and resource management. This approach lets players who struggle with fast-paced shooters experience Dusk’s atmosphere and level design without execution barriers, while offering Dusk veterans a completely different tactical challenge using familiar weapons and enemies.
Canonical Story Placement
New Blood describes Dungeons of Dusk as taking place canonically between the episodes of the FPS, suggesting legitimate narrative connections rather than a throwaway spinoff. This positioning allows the RPG to explore story elements bridging Dusk’s three episodes without contradicting established canon, potentially revealing what protagonist Duskdude was doing between major confrontations with cultists, possessed soldiers, and Lovecraftian horrors. The commitment to canonical placement indicates New Blood takes this project seriously as part of Dusk’s expanded universe rather than treating it as a gimmick.
The narrative framing also gives hardcore Dusk fans reason to engage with a genre they might normally ignore. If Dungeons of Dusk reveals crucial backstory or foreshadows events in future Dusk games, completionists will need to play the RPG to understand the full picture. This transmedia storytelling approach has worked for franchises like Halo and The Witcher, where spinoffs in different genres provide complementary perspectives on shared universes. Whether casual players care about canonical story placement remains questionable, but the deliberate integration suggests thoughtful worldbuilding rather than cash-grab exploitation.
Game Modes and Features
The 30-level campaign forms the core experience with character progression, NPCs, and presumably story content connecting to the FPS episodes. Character progression suggests RPG stats and skill trees that evolve Duskdude’s capabilities beyond the relatively flat power curve of the shooter, potentially including weapon proficiencies, health upgrades, special abilities, and resistance to different damage types. NPCs indicate social interactions, quest givers, merchants, and possibly moral choices absent from the run-and-gun FPS.
The additional modes provide substantial replayability beyond the campaign. Endless arena mode tests combat proficiency against increasingly difficult enemy waves, rewarding tactical mastery and build optimization. Boss rush mode chains together all campaign bosses consecutively, challenging players who mastered individual encounters to maintain performance across marathon sessions. Survival mode with permadeath and randomly generated dungeons creates roguelike tension where every decision matters because death permanently ends runs, forcing players to adapt to unpredictable dungeon layouts and enemy placements rather than memorizing fixed campaigns.
Absurdly Broad Platform Support
Dungeons of Dusk launches simultaneously in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam and GOG, iOS, Android, macOS, and Linux. This represents one of the most comprehensive multiplatform releases announced recently, covering current-generation consoles, Nintendo’s unreleased next console, mobile devices, and multiple PC operating systems. The breadth suggests either extremely scalable low-spec requirements or development specifically targeting platform flexibility from the beginning.
The humorous system requirements on the Steam page listing anything that turns on as the minimum processor confirms Dungeons of Dusk will run on virtually any hardware, consistent with developer 68k Studios (Megabonk) creating deliberately accessible experiences. The mobile platforms particularly make sense given the Doom RPG inspiration, as turn-based dungeon crawlers work perfectly with touchscreen controls. Simultaneous Switch and Switch 2 support indicates Nintendo provided dev kits allowing developers to optimize for next-generation hardware alongside current systems, preventing the fragmentation that plagued previous console transitions.
FAQs
What is Dungeons of Dusk?
Dungeons of Dusk is a turn-based dungeon crawling RPG spinoff of the cult classic FPS Dusk, developed by 68k Studios and published by New Blood Interactive. It takes place canonically between episodes of the shooter.
When does Dungeons of Dusk release?
Dungeons of Dusk launches in 2026 with no specific date announced yet. A PC demo is coming soon, and the game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, Switch, PC, iOS, Android, macOS, and Linux.
Who is making Dungeons of Dusk?
68k Studios (also known as Megabonk) is developing Dungeons of Dusk, with New Blood Interactive publishing. The game connects to David Szymanski’s original Dusk FPS but represents a genre shift to turn-based RPG.
Is Dungeons of Dusk like Doom RPG?
Yes. Dungeons of Dusk draws inspiration from mobile RPG adaptations of classic shooters like Doom RPG, Wolfenstein RPG, and Orcs and Elves, translating first-person shooter level design into grid-based turn-based dungeon crawling.
What game modes does Dungeons of Dusk have?
The game features a 30-level campaign with progression and NPCs, plus endless arena mode, boss rush mode chaining all campaign bosses, and survival mode with permadeath and randomly generated dungeons across five difficulty settings.
Will Dungeons of Dusk be on Steam Deck?
Yes. New Blood Interactive confirmed Dungeons of Dusk will be Steam Deck Verified at release in 2026. The game also supports Linux natively alongside Windows and macOS.
Is this replacing Dusk 2?
No. Dungeons of Dusk is a spinoff taking place between episodes of the original FPS. Whether Dusk 2 eventually happens remains unclear, but this RPG doesn’t prevent future shooter sequels.
Conclusion
Dungeons of Dusk represents the kind of weird experimental spinoff that only indie publishers like New Blood Interactive can pursue without corporate committees killing ideas as too niche or risky. Transforming a beloved boomer shooter into a turn-based dungeon crawler sounds absurd until you remember that Doom RPG and Wolfenstein RPG proved the concept works brilliantly when executed properly. The decision to make it canonical rather than dismissing it as non-canon side content shows respect for both the spinoff and fans who care about Dusk lore. The absurdly comprehensive platform support ensures maximum accessibility regardless of preferred hardware, while multiple game modes provide replayability beyond the campaign. Whether Dungeons of Dusk achieves cult classic status like the original shooter depends entirely on execution, but the ambition to reimagine an FPS as a methodical tactical RPG deserves recognition regardless of commercial performance. For Dusk fans curious about exploring that universe at a slower pace, or dungeon crawler enthusiasts who appreciate occult horror atmosphere, the 2026 release can’t come soon enough. Until then, wishlist it on Steam or GOG and prepare for the most unexpected genre pivot of the year.