The fate of Dauntless is sealed. The free monster game will soon be shut down.
After almost 6 years, it’s over: The free monster hunting game Dauntless will be discontinued in May. The developers issued the following brief statement via Steam:
Dauntless will be discontinued on May 29, 2025. Dauntless will not receive any further content or updates. The game will no longer be playable on May 29, 2025.
via Steam
Dauntless was seen as an alternative to Monster Hunter, as players hunted various creatures here as well and tried to gain an advantage over the monsters through better equipment. This could be done solo or in multiplayer.
With the end of the game, however, a chapter is concluded that was unfortunately already anticipated.
After layoffs, Dauntless is now also coming to an end
What happened with Dauntless? Dauntless launched in May 2018 on PC, having been introduced in 2016. Developer Phoenix Labs wanted to fill the Monster Hunter gap on PC with their alternative Dauntless.
Unfortunately for Dauntless, Monster Hunter did just that – also in 2018. Monster Hunter World launched on January 26, 2018, on Xbox One and PS4, and on August 9, 2018, on PC.
This gave Dauntless three months on PC without competition, but afterwards, it had to compete against Monster Hunter. Nevertheless, Dauntless was embraced by many players.
However, in recent months, issues arose:
- After the Epic Games Store, Dauntless was also set to launch on Steam in December 2024, but the associated update angered many players and led to negative reviews.
- Shortly thereafter, there was an apology and compensations in response to the criticism.
- At the end of January, layoffs occurred at Phoenix Labs, with large parts of the staff being let go. It was said at that time that they would soon announce how Dauntless and another game, Fae Farm, would continue.
As far as Dauntless is concerned, clarity now exists.
While one monster game is ending, another is just getting started: Monster Hunter Wilds is about to be released. Many fans are already looking forward to the new game, and on February 28, the first hunts can begin. Want to get an impression of the new game? Here you can find the test of Monster Hunter Wilds by MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski.
