Daba returned to State of Play with a PS5 date and nothing for PC
Sony’s September 2026 State of Play re-revealed Daba: Land of Water Scar with a spring 2027 window. The pitch is intact: painterly desert landscapes, a young protagonist bonded to a water spirit, a mix of exploration, light combat, and puzzle rituals across a wounded world. What is still missing is any PC port announcement.
We picked seven Daba: Land of Water Scar alternatives on desktop that hit those same notes: painterly art direction, exploration-first pacing, emotional companion arcs, and combat that stays supportive rather than punishing. All seven are on Steam or a major PC storefront right now.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free demo | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kena: Bridge of Spirits | Painterly action-adventure | No | Under $40 typical | Rot companions, spirit-cleansing arcs |
| Sable | Meditative open exploration | No | Under $25 typical | Hoverbike traversal, no combat |
| Journey | Short, emotional runs | No | Under $15 typical | 90-minute silent pilgrimage |
| Death Stranding: Director’s Cut | Fragile-hero traversal | No | Under $40 typical | Environmental storytelling, asynchronous multiplayer |
| Genshin Impact | Free-to-play open world | Yes | Free | Elemental combat, ongoing story |
| Immortals Fenyx Rising | Mythic puzzle-adventure | No | Under $30 typical | Zelda-style shrines, mythology setting |
| A Plague Tale: Requiem | Story-driven set pieces | No | Under $50 typical | Cinematic pacing, sibling arc |
Why Daba is worth the wait, and worth a stand-in
Three things showed up repeatedly in State of Play reactions and preview coverage.
The art direction promises a real style
Concept work leaked around the reveal shows watercolor sand and ink-line ruins, not the polished-gloss look most AAA studios lean on. That is the reason picks below skew away from photoreal.
The companion arc is the heart
The water spirit is not a follow-and-fight ally; it is the reason for the trip. Picks below either center a similar relationship or trade it for a solo pilgrimage that leaves space for it.
There is no PC version, and no schedule for one
Sony has been moving first-party ports to PC on a two-year lag. If that pattern holds, a Daba PC release lands late 2028 at the earliest. Plenty of time to fill the gap.
The alternatives
Kena: Bridge of Spirits, closest overall match
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the game Daba’s reveal made everyone think of. A young spirit guide travels a wounded land, cleanses corrupted regions, and befriends a group of small companion creatures called Rot who help her fight and puzzle-solve. Ember Lab’s animation lineage shows in every cutscene; boss designs are the highlight.
Where it falls short: Combat difficulty on higher settings can spike hard, and traversal loops back through the same hub more than the pace wants.
Pricing:
- Free: Occasional weekend events on Steam and the Epic Games Store
- Paid: Under $40 base, deep discounts on sale
- vs Daba: Cheaper, playable now, similar structure
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Basically the same brief in a different studio’s hands. Expect the first hour to feel very familiar.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the single closest stand-in for Daba on PC right now.
Sable, best for meditative exploration
Sable is a hoverbike-driven exploration game with a Moebius art style and a soundtrack from Japanese Breakfast. There is no combat and no time pressure. You roam a desert, help travelers, and slowly assemble your protagonist’s identity by choosing masks from different guilds.
Where it falls short: Frame pacing on lower-end PCs is uneven, and the “no fail state” design frustrates players who want a challenge loop.
Pricing:
- Free: Xbox Game Pass tier when available
- Paid: Under $25 base
- vs Daba: Cheaper, longer, no combat
Migrating from Daba’s promise: The desert, the pilgrimage, the coming-of-age arc all land. Fighting does not.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the atmosphere and can skip the combat.
Journey, best for a short emotional run
Journey is 90 minutes long, silent, and full of moments that a chatty AAA game could not build in 30 hours. The camera stays behind a robed traveler crossing a desert toward a distant mountain, and occasionally a stranger appears to travel alongside you.
Where it falls short: Very short. Multiplayer is passive; you cannot chat, only chirp.
Pricing:
- Free: PlayStation Plus catalog for PS Now subscribers
- Paid: Under $15 on Steam and Epic
- vs Daba: Much cheaper, much shorter, hits harder per minute
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Same “pilgrimage as story” impulse, distilled to its shortest form.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you have one evening and want to be moved.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, best for fragile-hero traversal
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut turns the desert into a broken supply chain and asks you to reconnect it. You are a courier, not a warrior, and the game rewards route planning, careful footing, and building infrastructure other players will asynchronously use. The Director’s Cut adds a race track, more weapons, and a firing range.
Where it falls short: The opening 15 hours are famously slow. Combat exists but is a minor part of the game.
Pricing:
- Free: Weekend events on Steam and Epic
- Paid: Under $40 for the Director’s Cut
- vs Daba: More expensive, longer, heavier
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Same “lonely traveler in a wounded world” instinct. Traversal is the whole game.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you have 40 hours and want the deepest fragile-hero game on PC.
Genshin Impact, best free open world with elemental combat
Genshin Impact is a free-to-play open-world action RPG with elemental combat and a globe-trotting story that keeps adding new regions. The art style is anime rather than painterly, but the exploration and companion mechanics scratch the same “roam a beautiful world with a small crew” itch as Daba’s reveal.
Where it falls short: Gacha monetization; free path is very playable but character pulls push players toward paying. Story pacing is slow between updates.
Pricing:
- Free: Fully free download and progression
- Paid: Optional battle pass and character banners
- vs Daba: Free, larger scope, ongoing service
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Different tone, similar structure. Companion-driven combat is the loop.
Download: HoYoverse · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you want a free open world to roam for weeks.
Immortals Fenyx Rising, best for puzzle-heavy myth adventure
Immortals Fenyx Rising is Ubisoft’s Zelda: Breath of the Wild by way of Greek mythology. Shrines, glide-and-climb traversal, a companion arc voiced by two sardonic gods, and a stylized world that keeps the horizon painterly. It flew under the radar at launch and has been a Ubisoft+ mainstay since.
Where it falls short: Ubisoft-style checklist map. Combat is fine but not memorable.
Pricing:
- Free: Ubisoft+ subscription
- Paid: Under $30 base
- vs Daba: Similar structure, mythology framing, less painterly
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Puzzle shrines and traversal deliver. Companion arc is talkier than Daba’s silent-spirit setup.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store · Ubisoft Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you loved Breath of the Wild’s exploration and want a smaller version on PC.
A Plague Tale: Requiem, best for cinematic story-driven adventure
A Plague Tale: Requiem trades desert for medieval Provence but keeps the “young protagonist and a companion crossing a wounded land” bone structure. Combat is light and stealth-forward; the emotional beats sit at the center; the set-piece design is best-in-class.
Where it falls short: Higher hardware bar than most on this list. Rat swarms give some players motion sickness.
Pricing:
- Free: Occasional Prime Gaming or Xbox Game Pass access
- Paid: Under $50 base
- vs Daba: More expensive, more cinematic, less freeform
Migrating from Daba’s promise: Story pacing and sibling arc are what carry. Traversal is more linear than open.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the strongest story-driven adventure to hold you until Daba lands.
How to choose
Pick Kena: Bridge of Spirits if you want the closest one-to-one stand-in and can play tonight.
Pick Sable or Journey if you want the desert and the pilgrimage without the combat.
Pick Death Stranding: Director’s Cut if the fragile hero in a broken world is what pulled you in.
Pick Genshin Impact if you want a free open world to fill weeks, not evenings.
Pick A Plague Tale: Requiem if the sibling arc from Daba’s reveal is what got you.
Wait for Daba itself if you have a PS5 and can hold out until spring 2027. Nothing here is quite the same game; these are neighbors, not replacements.
FAQ
Is Daba: Land of Water Scar coming to PC?
Sony has not announced a PC version. The spring 2027 window shown at State of Play covers PS5 only. Given Sony’s usual two-year lag before first-party PC ports, a hypothetical PC release would land late 2028 at the earliest, if it happens at all.
What game is most like Daba on Steam?
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the closest structural match: a young protagonist, a wounded land, and small spirit companions who help in combat and puzzles. The art direction differs but the shape of the game is very similar.
Is Daba single-player or multiplayer?
State of Play footage showed single-player traversal and combat with the water spirit as a companion, not a separate player. No online or co-op mode has been announced.
Are there any free Daba alternatives on PC?
Genshin Impact is fully free to download and play through its story. Journey drops into PlayStation Plus rotations on PC, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits has had weekend free-play events on Steam and Epic.
Will Daba run on Steam Deck when it releases?
There is no confirmed PC version, so a Steam Deck build is not on the table. If a PC port does happen, Steam Deck compatibility is a separate publisher decision that usually lands months after PC launch.
