Today Is Your Last Day To Play Dauntless

Today is the last day you can play Dauntless before it shuts down for good. The free-to-play monster hunting game has been around since 2019, but after a change in studio ownership and sweeping layoffs, Dauntless will no longer be playable in any form after today.

Often compared to Monster Hunter, but more beginner-friendly, Dauntless was generally well-reviewed when it first released in 2019 after just over a year in early access. The game was an early adopter of cross-progression and cross-play, initially releasing across PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

In 2023, developer Phoenix Labs was quietly acquired by blockchain company Forte Labs, around the same time as the company laid off around 9% of its workforce. Further layoffs and a game cancellation followed in 2024, and most recently the company laid off the majority of its workforce, shortly before it was announced that Dauntless would be shutting down.

Originally an Epic Games Store exclusive for PC, Dauntless released on Steam in late 2024 in a move that saw the title being review-bombed on the Valve storefront. The release coincided with the launch of the Dauntless: Awakening update, which players described as a “monetization playground” due to new in-game transactions.

Dauntless still has mostly negative reviews on Steam, though recent reviews are mixed with long-term players leaving positive memories of the game in anticipation of its shutdown. On the Epic Games Store, where it was available for a far longer period of time, Dauntless has a 4.5-star rating.

Dauntless will be shut down for good at 11:45 PM PST tonight, May 29. Phoenix Labs’ announcement of the shutdown says the game will “no longer be available to play” after this point, so it’s unlikely the developers are planning to offer an alternative offline version of the game.