HoYoverse used its Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live slot to reveal Nodusfall, a grimdark co-op action-RPG built in Unreal Engine 5 that borrows the boss-hunting loop Monster Hunter made famous. It is the studio’s first real departure from the anime-adjacent look of Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, and both Eurogamer’s preview and Screen Rant’s hands-on coverage described a heavier, more grounded combat feel than anything else in HoYoverse’s catalog. The reveal was strong enough to send PC players searching for Nodusfall alternatives right away, mostly because the game has no release date, no confirmed monetization plan beyond “free-to-play,” and only a PC platform announcement so far. If you want the co-op boss-hunt itch scratched this year instead of waiting on a TBA window, these seven games cover the same ground with pricing and release dates that are already locked in.
Quick comparison table
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monster Hunter Wilds | Overall polish and monster variety | No | One-time purchase, a premium retail price | Living ecosystems where monsters fight each other |
| Wild Hearts | Fast, mobility-heavy hunts | No | One-time purchase, a premium retail price | Karakuri buildable gadgets during fights |
| Dauntless | Playing the loop for free right now | Yes, full game | Free, cosmetics only | Cross-platform co-op with no purchase required |
| God Eater 3 | Anime-style weapon transformations | No | One-time purchase, a mid-range price | Devour mechanic that heals and buffs mid-fight |
| Toukiden 2 | Budget-friendly hunting on a map-based world | No | One-time purchase, a low price | Mitama spirit customization system |
| Remnant II | Shooter fans who want RPG progression | No | One-time purchase, a mid-range price | Procedurally varied worlds on every run |
| Deep Rock Galactic | Pure four-player co-op without the grind | No | One-time purchase, a low price | Fully destructible cave environments |
Why people want Nodusfall alternatives
Nodusfall’s reveal trailer covered combat and tone, not logistics. HoYoverse has not attached a release window beyond “coming to PC,” and the studio’s track record with live-service monetization makes the “free-to-play” label do a lot of quiet work. Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero both run on gacha economies, and nothing in the Gamescom reveal ruled that structure out for a boss-hunting game where gear and characters are the obvious things to sell. Players who want the loop now, with pricing they can see up front, do not have to wait to find out.
Monster Hunter Wilds is also simply out and selling well, which makes it the default answer for anyone who wants Nodusfall’s core fantasy today. And the genre runs deeper than one publisher. Studios outside HoYoverse have been building co-op boss-hunt combat for over a decade, from Bandai Namco’s God Eater and Toukiden series to indie-adjacent takes like Wild Hearts. None of them carry gacha risk, and all of them ship with a price tag you can check before you install.
The alternatives
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds is the current high-water mark for the genre Nodusfall is chasing. Capcom’s living, weather-driven regions let monsters hunt each other and react to terrain in ways no other game in this list matches, and the weapon roster still covers everything from twin blades to a literal cannon you wear as a lance. Four-player co-op hunts run smoothly, and the endgame keeps adding higher-rank monsters for months after launch.
Where it falls short: the opening hours are slower than past entries, with a heavier story wrapper before the hunting fully opens up, and some weapon types need real practice before they feel good.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a premium retail price
- vs Nodusfall: Nodusfall is free-to-play with unknown monetization; Wilds costs more upfront but has no recurring spend
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing transfers, since Nodusfall has not shipped. What carries over conceptually is the boss-tracking and weapon-swap rhythm, so anyone drawn to Nodusfall’s previews will recognize the pacing here immediately.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Wilds if you want the most complete version of this genre available on PC right now.
Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts pairs Monster Hunter-style tracking with a building system: players place karakuri gadgets mid-fight to create springboards, walls, and turrets on the fly. That mechanical layer gives fights a puzzle-solving edge the genre usually skips, and the game’s Kemono designs lean into folklore rather than pure monster-movie horror.
Where it falls short: the karakuri system has a learning curve that front-loads a lot of menu time, and the game launched with server issues that occasionally interrupted co-op sessions.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a premium retail price
- vs Nodusfall: comparable upfront cost to what Nodusfall might eventually charge for a deluxe edition, but Wild Hearts has no ongoing shop
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing carries over directly. Conceptually, both games reward building a load-out around a specific boss’s attack patterns rather than one universal build.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Wild Hearts if the building and traversal tools sound more interesting than a straight weapon-and-armor loop.
Dauntless
Dauntless is the closest thing to a free-to-play safety net while Nodusfall stays TBA. The full game, including every hunt and weapon type, is free, with monetization limited to cosmetics. Cross-platform play means the whole co-op group can jump in regardless of what they own, and matches load fast enough to run several hunts in a single sitting.
Where it falls short: the monster roster and combat depth are noticeably lighter than Capcom or Bandai Namco’s entries, and progression can feel repetitive after the first few dozen hours.
Pricing:
- Free: the entire game, all hunts and weapons
- Paid: optional cosmetics only
- vs Nodusfall: both are free-to-play, but Dauntless has already committed to cosmetics-only spending, while Nodusfall’s monetization is still unconfirmed
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing to migrate yet. What carries over conceptually is the zero-cost entry point, so players wary of Nodusfall’s eventual shop can get the same loop for free today.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Dauntless if you want to try the genre for free with no purchase decision at all.
God Eater 3
God Eater 3 brings Bandai Namco’s weapon-transformation combat to PC: every God Arc shifts between a blade and a gun form mid-fight, and the Devour mechanic lets players consume Aragami parts for instant healing or buffs. The tone sits closer to Nodusfall’s grimdark pitch than most entries here, with a wrecked-world setting and a cast that plays it straight rather than for laughs.
Where it falls short: the game is a few years old now, and the visual fidelity and animation work show it next to newer releases; the story pacing also drags in the middle chapters.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a mid-range price
- vs Nodusfall: cheaper than a full retail release, and there is no shop to worry about later
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing transfers directly. Conceptually, the transformation-based weapon system is the closest thing here to a build-crafting layer Nodusfall previews hinted at.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick God Eater 3 if the tone and setting matter to you as much as the combat.
Toukiden 2
Toukiden 2 is the budget pick, built around an open map instead of mission-select hunts and a Mitama spirit system that lets players tune their character’s stats and skills between fights. The setting draws on Japanese folklore demons rather than generic monsters, which gives it a distinct identity even at a low price point.
Where it falls short: the combat animations and hit feedback are noticeably less refined than the newer games on this list, and the open map can feel emptier than its size suggests.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a low price
- vs Nodusfall: far cheaper than a typical retail release, with zero ongoing cost either way
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing carries over yet. What does carry over conceptually is the between-hunt customization loop, tuning gear and stats before the next fight.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Toukiden 2 if you want the genre on a tight budget and do not mind older production values.
Remnant II
Remnant II blends third-person shooting with RPG progression and boss encounters that hit as hard as anything in a Monster Hunter-style game, just with guns instead of blades. Procedurally varied worlds mean two playthroughs rarely look the same, and the archetype system lets a three-player group specialize into distinct roles.
Where it falls short: the shooting-first structure will not satisfy players who specifically want melee weapon-crafting, and some late-game bosses lean hard into bullet-sponge difficulty.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a mid-range price
- vs Nodusfall: a known, one-time cost against Nodusfall’s still-unclear free-to-play economy
Migrating from Nodusfall: nothing transfers directly. Conceptually, the boss-first structure and co-op scaling are close enough that Nodusfall fans looking for a shooter angle on the same idea will feel at home fast.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Remnant II if you want boss-hunt intensity without giving up guns for swords.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic trades boss-tracking for procedurally generated, fully destructible caves and mission-based co-op that rewards teamwork over gear grinding. Four dwarven classes cover mining, combat, and support roles, and the game has kept adding free seasonal content for years without ever adding a boss-hunt gear treadmill.
Where it falls short: there is no equivalent to Nodusfall’s headline boss fights, since the challenge here comes from swarms and environmental hazards rather than single large monsters.
Pricing:
- Free: none
- Paid: one-time purchase at a low price
- vs Nodusfall: cheaper upfront than most of this list, and years of free updates since launch
Migrating from Nodusfall: little carries over directly, since the core loop differs. What does carry over conceptually is the four-player co-op rhythm and mission-to-mission progression Nodusfall’s previews emphasized.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: pick Deep Rock Galactic if you want the co-op fun without the boss-hunt structure at all.
How to choose
Pick Monster Hunter Wilds if you want the most complete, most polished version of what Nodusfall is promising, available today rather than on a TBA date. Pick Wild Hearts if the building and traversal tools sound more interesting than a straight gear-and-weapon loop, since the karakuri system rewards creative movement mid-fight. Pick Dauntless if you want to try the genre for free right now with zero purchase risk while Nodusfall’s own monetization stays unclear. Pick Remnant II if you would rather have boss-hunt intensity wrapped in shooter mechanics instead of melee weapon-crafting. Pick Deep Rock Galactic if pure four-player co-op fun matters more to you than tracking a single large boss through its attack patterns.
Stay on the sidelines and wait for Nodusfall specifically if HoYoverse’s grimdark art direction and Unreal Engine 5 presentation are the draw, and you are comfortable waiting for both a release date and clarity on how the free-to-play model actually monetizes gear.
FAQ
Is Nodusfall out yet?
No. Nodusfall was revealed at Gamescom 2026’s Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026, with no confirmed release date. HoYoverse has only announced a PC platform so far, and previews from Eurogamer and Screen Rant covered early hands-on impressions rather than a launch build.
Is Nodusfall free-to-play?
Yes, HoYoverse has confirmed a free-to-play model, but the specific monetization system was not detailed at the reveal. Given the studio’s history with Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero, players are reasonably cautious about whether gear or characters will sit behind a gacha system.
What is the closest game to Nodusfall available right now?
Monster Hunter Wilds is the closest match in tone and mechanics, since Nodusfall’s previews described a Monster Hunter-adjacent boss-hunting loop. Wild Hearts and God Eater 3 are also close, each adding their own twist on the same weapon-and-hunt structure.
What is the cheapest way to try this genre before Nodusfall launches?
Dauntless is free to play in full, with monetization limited to cosmetics, so it costs nothing to try the co-op boss-hunt loop today. Deep Rock Galactic and Toukiden 2 are the cheapest paid options on this list.
Can I play any of these alternatives with friends?
Yes. Every game on this list supports co-op, ranging from Deep Rock Galactic and Dauntless at four players to Monster Hunter Wilds and Wild Hearts, which typically support parties of up to four hunters per mission.
Will Nodusfall come to consoles or only PC?
Only a PC release has been announced so far. HoYoverse has not confirmed console platforms, and nothing in the Gamescom reveal or the Eurogamer and Screen Rant previews mentioned PlayStation or Xbox versions.
