Vaultbreakers

Vaultbreakers is an extraction action RPG by BetaDwarf, seen from a top-down perspective. As one of several heroes, you explore a fantasy world changed by magic, fight for artifacts and try to return alive to your base. The namesake Dragonvault is a huge floating fortress from which relics fall into the world.

Exploring is possible alone or in a small online team. Players who want risk can also choose areas where other players compete, in addition to PvE missions.

The full version has no confirmed release date yet. Steam explicitly lists Vaultbreakers with an open date. On Oct 8, 2026, a free demo for Windows PC came out. It shows a section of Wolfswood and two heroes, but not yet all content of the finished game.

A limited PvPvE test phase in October is used to test player encounters. An alpha test or demo is not the same as a released full game.

Officially listed is currently a native Windows PC version on Steam. The Steam page gives a still open release date. For PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo platforms, the official product information reviewed does not show a concrete native store release with a confirmed date. Such versions are therefore not listed as available.

Vaultbreakers combines direct action combat with positioning, dodging and deliberate choice of fights. Heroes have their own abilities and change their style with weapons, armor, perks and their combinations. Stronger enemies and bosses demand deliberate timing, rather than simply clearing enemies in quick succession.

According to the developer, the areas react to the actions of players and NPCs: new paths can open up, dangers can be triggered and individual locations can change during an expedition.

Steam lists for Windows 10 (64-bit) at least a quad-core CPU at 3.2 GHz, 12 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 960 or Radeon R9 380, DirectX 12, broadband internet and around 10 GB of storage. Recommended are eight CPU cores at 3.6 GHz, 16 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 590, and an SSD.

The core loop consists of preparation, expedition, loot and return. Artifacts are recovered from vaults scattered across the world; they affect equipment and builds and also drive the story around the floating fortress forward. Whoever escapes with loot brings their progress back to their base. Staying too long or going up against strong enemies unprepared risks the success of the run.

The finished game is set to offer PvE and PvPvE with shared progress. PvE does without direct player duels; in PvPvE, other player groups join the game world's enemies. Both modes can be played alone or in a group of up to three people – that is, with two friends.

The first free Steam demo focuses on PvE and is therefore no indication of how the full PvPvE systems play. The PvPvE offering is part of the announced game concept.

Between expeditions, the Haven serves as an upgradable base. Here, relics and resources are turned into equipment, upgrades and new options for later runs. Progress carries over between individual missions and is meant to encourage players to develop different perks and gear combinations.

BetaDwarf has announced five playable heroes for the full version. Two of them are available in the demo: Nymera prefers attacking from range, Bjornir uses frost-based abilities and can take a lot of punishment. They show different roles for combat and team setups. The additional characters were initially planned for separate tests.

The Store page lists, among other things, a German user interface, while full English voice audio is explicitly stated. It also partly mentions controller support, including Xbox, DualShock and DualSense controllers via USB. The demo list should be considered separately and does not guarantee the same feature set on every later platform.

Development and creative direction are by BetaDwarf, the Danish studio behind Forced and Minion Masters. Square Enix Collective supports Vaultbreakers through publishing, funding and investment. The label was relaunched in October 2026, with Square Enix stressing a long-term partnership with independent developers and their creative independence.