New Open-World RPG is Free-To-Play on Steam

Gamers interested in open-world RPGs have a brand-new one to play on Steam: Where Winds Meet. The best part is that Where Winds Meet is free-to-play and is currently blowing up on Steam with huge player counts after its Western release.

Where Winds Meet is described as “an epic Wuxia open-world action-adventure RPG set in ancient China at the tenth century” in which players “assume the role of a young sword master as they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their own identity.” And while it does feature a gacha system, Where Winds Meet isn’t pay-to-win, so players can enjoy everything it has to offer without spending any money.

Free-to-Play RPG Where Winds Meet is Blowing Up on Steam

Despite launching in China in December 2024, Where Winds Meet has finally launched in the West, and gamers are already turning up in droves for the release. According to SteamDB, Where Winds Meet has a 24-hour peak of 176,037, and that number only continues to rise. The game is also available on PlayStation 5, too, so no doubt the actual player count is much higher. As it stands, the game has “Mostly Positive” Steam reviews, with 78% being positive. Much of the praise is being leveled towards Where Winds Meet‘s visuals and combat, which seem to be a high point for the RPG.

The appeal of a free-to-play open-world RPG is obvious. Most games in the genre cost a ton of money, but it’s usually worth it for the sheer volume of content an RPG typically has. But the opportunity to experience this type of game for free doesn’t come around often, so it makes sense that players would jump at the opportunity when it arises. So with positive reviews and a strong community, it seems that Where Winds Meet is well worth trying out right now.

For those who do take the chance to try out this free-to-play open-world RPG, it’s worth pointing out that some think the Chinese audio for Where Winds Meet is better than the English localization. Some characters aren’t voiced in English, and the lip-syncing is created from the Chinese audio. Perhaps, on this occasion, subtitles might be the way forward with Where Winds Meet.

Released

November 14, 2025

Developer(s)

Everstone Studios

Publisher(s)

NetEase, Inc.

Engine

Proprietary

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