Wuthering Waves

Wuthering Waves is a free-to-play open-world action RPG from Kuro Games (the studio behind Punishing: Gray Raven). It launched in May 2024 and is on PC, mobile, PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series.

You play as the Rover, who wakes on Solaris-3 after a long sleep. The planet is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world rebuilt after a catastrophe called the Lament, which left monsters known as Tacet Discords and a mix of old ruins and new tech.

Combat is a fast, skill-heavy action system with 3-character teams, Intro/Outro swap skills, and Echoes (captured creatures you equip for extra abilities.) Exploration is free-form – you can climb almost anything, run up walls, fly, loot chests, solve puzzles, fight powerful bosses.

Nominated in: Best Open World