Crimson Dawn on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
Quick menu
Crimson Dawn is a roguelite horde survival game with RPG elements. Recruit mercenaries and survive 5 stages by fighting the hordes of evil. Unlock more characters and weapons with unique abilities. Carve your path to stop the hordes of evil once and for all!
Crimson Dawn is a rpg, action and rogue-like game
developed and published by Purple Lake.
Released on April 11th 2023 is available only on Windows
in 12 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Turkish.
It has received 369 reviews of which 237 were positive and 132 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.2 out of 10. 😐
The game is currently priced at 3.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Crimson Dawn into these genres:
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Processor: Intel Core i3 3300
- Memory: 1024 MB RAM
- Storage: 300 MB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Crimson Dawn, developed and published by Purple Lake, is a roguelite action-survival game that leans into the increasingly popular "horde survival" formula, with a blend of RPG progression and minimal input combat. On the surface, the game is simple and immediately accessible: choose a character, drop into one of the available maps, survive waves of increasingly aggressive enemies, gather loot and upgrades, and repeat. It’s a loop designed to be both low-maintenance and addictive, and while it doesn’t aim to revolutionize the genre, it offers a compact, budget-friendly take on familiar mechanics with just enough variety to keep players engaged—for a while. The gameplay structure is heavily automated, with attacks firing on their own as long as enemies are nearby. The player’s primary focus is movement, avoiding damage, and choosing upgrades as they level up during a run. This design choice removes the need for aiming or constant clicking, shifting the gameplay toward positioning, dodging, and strategic decision-making. It’s a design philosophy that favors casual immersion over reflex-driven intensity. The spell and weapon systems tie neatly into this, allowing players to create builds on the fly as they collect new equipment and enhance their abilities. Over time, unlocking new weapons, spells, and characters adds more combinations, giving a small but noticeable sense of progression between runs. Crimson Dawn’s RPG elements come into play between missions, where players return to a hub area to manage their resources, upgrade equipment, unlock new characters, and access features like the blacksmith or market. These additions help to deepen the experience beyond the basic “survive and repeat” loop, even if they’re not especially complex. The game rewards incremental progression, where each failed run can still feel worthwhile due to the currency and unlockables you carry back. This sense of continuous improvement is one of the game’s more satisfying elements, even if it eventually becomes predictable. Visually, the game opts for a pixel-art aesthetic that falls somewhere between functional and nostalgic. It’s not especially stylized or detailed, but it communicates everything clearly and gets the job done without clutter. Enemy designs are generic but distinct enough to avoid confusion in the chaos of larger battles. The audio design is similarly modest, featuring background music that provides atmosphere but doesn’t stand out, and sound effects that are clear and functional but not particularly memorable. None of this holds the game back, but it also doesn’t elevate the experience beyond the expected baseline for a low-cost indie title. Where Crimson Dawn begins to falter is in its lack of depth and long-term variety. While five different maps are included, they don’t vary enough in terms of layout or enemy behavior to drastically change the feel of a run. After a few hours, most players will have seen the bulk of what the game offers in terms of enemy types, progression paths, and map events. Optional quests within levels offer increased difficulty, but the rewards for completing them can sometimes feel underwhelming, which discourages risk-taking and makes high-difficulty challenges feel more punishing than rewarding. Without a strong incentive to keep pushing those boundaries, some of the game’s systems lose their appeal over time. Balance is another area that may divide players. Early on, Crimson Dawn feels appropriately challenging, especially as you’re building up your arsenal and character upgrades. But as you unlock stronger gear and build synergies, the game can swing in the other direction, with later runs sometimes feeling trivial—especially when paired with the automated combat mechanics. The sense of danger that defines a good roguelite often fades as your power scaling outpaces the game’s ability to challenge you. Conversely, some early runs may feel too punishing before enough upgrades are unlocked, creating a slight sense of grind in the midgame. In terms of overall polish, Crimson Dawn runs smoothly and demands little from your system. It performs well even on older machines and is optimized for quick startup and play sessions. It's clearly designed to be a pick-up-and-play experience, making it accessible to players who want to fit in short gaming sessions without a steep learning curve. On the other hand, this ease of entry can also feel like a lack of ambition. There are few surprises in how systems work, few moments of narrative or thematic depth, and little incentive beyond self-improvement or chasing higher kill counts. The reception from players has been mixed, which aligns with the game’s strengths and limitations. Those looking for a short-term, affordable roguelite experience with low mechanical complexity generally find it satisfying, even if it doesn’t stick with them long. Players seeking a richer, more diverse experience with strong visual design, deeper mechanics, or long-term content may find Crimson Dawn comes up short. Still, its price point and accessibility make it a respectable option in the crowded survival-action space, especially for genre fans who don’t mind a smaller-scale offering. Ultimately, Crimson Dawn is a competent, compact roguelite that understands its limitations and delivers a focused gameplay loop without unnecessary fluff. Its biggest strengths lie in its simplicity, low barrier to entry, and steady if shallow progression system. But its limited variety, modest presentation, and lack of mechanical depth may leave some players disengaged after the initial novelty wears off. It’s not a game that reinvents anything, but it delivers exactly what it promises—a no-frills, horde-survival experience that’s easy to dive into and moderately rewarding for the time you put in. Rating: 6/10
Expand the review
Similar games
View all
Pixel Survivors : Roguelike
A rogue-lite game where you must face hundreds of monsters with increasingly difficult bosses that strong enough to take you down. Choose your abilities, build your favorite combat style, become stronger and survive as long as you can!
Cultivation Story: Reincarnation
Cultivation Story: Reincarnation is a top-down pixel art style action roguelike based on cultivation and Chinese mythology.
Halftime Heroes
SURVIVE COUNTLESS HORDES, BE A ONE MAN ARMY, DIE AND RETURN STRONGER. Halftime Heroes is a Survival Rogue Action RPG game with short and intense matches where you learn spells, level up, acquire loot and fight bosses. Each time you die you may upgrade or unlock several features.
Death Must Die
Descend the nether in search of Death himself! Choose from God-given powers to slay his hordes of minions. Unlock new heroes, collect powerful items and create game-breaking synergies in this roguelite hack and slash survivors game.
Trinity Survivors
Select from a diverse roster of unique characters to assemble a trinity force and strategize to find the best skill combinations. Witness the astounding synergy that emerges. Engage in 2 player online cooperative multiplayer, team up with a friend to challenge orc hordes, and strive for high scores!
Choo Choo Survivor
Drive your train to safety while shooting down endless hordes of zombies blocking your way. Upgrade your weapons and abilities and become absurdly powerful!
Halls of Torment
Slay hordes of terrifying monsters in this horde survival roguelite. Descend into the Halls of Torment where the Lords of the underworld await you. Treasures, magical trinkets, and a growing cast of heroes will grant you the power to vanquish these horrors from beyond. How long can you survive?
Conquest Dark
Experience an ARPG's rapid ascension to power in minutes, packed with savage, survivors-like action and devastating sword & sorcery combat. Perfect your builds through Dark Ritual runs that will decide humanity's future as you battle endless hordes across haunting ruins and cursed kingdoms.
Swarm Grinder
Swarm Grinder is an action roguelite game with pixel art graphics. Battle enemies to make your way through a mass of spreading and evolving cells hosting dormant enemies. Collect a variety of game-changing skills and upgrades to create unique builds.
Heroes of Hammerwatch II
A rogue-lite action-rpg that offers extensive persistent progression. Build your town, upgrade and equip your heroes, before taking on the the ever-changing Dark Citadel - either solo or with a team of friends.
Noobs Want to Live
Noobs Want to Live is a fast-paced roguelike featuring several characters and a large pool of skills to choose from (that synergize with one another, too!) Fight, kill, grow. Each run is a new chance to create a steamrolling build!
Dungreed
Dungreed is a 2D side-scrolling action game with 2D Rogue-LITE elements. You become an adventurer exploring a continuously evolving dungeon to prevent the town from being destroyed. Eliminate enemies, use a variety of weapons and magic, eat food, and defeat evil in the dungeon!
Frequently Asked Questions
Crimson Dawn is currently priced at 3.99€ on Steam.
Crimson Dawn is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 3.99€ on Steam.
Crimson Dawn received 237 positive votes out of a total of 369 achieving a rating of 6.18.
😐
Crimson Dawn was developed and published by Purple Lake.
Crimson Dawn is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Crimson Dawn is not playable on MacOS.
Crimson Dawn is not playable on Linux.
Crimson Dawn is a single-player game.
Crimson Dawn does not currently offer any DLC.
Crimson Dawn does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Crimson Dawn does not support Steam Remote Play.
Crimson Dawn is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Crimson Dawn.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 19 October 2025 11:28 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 12 October 2025 17:41 |
| Steam price | 19 October 2025 12:33 |
| Steam reviews | 17 October 2025 23:56 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Crimson Dawn, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Crimson Dawn
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Crimson Dawn concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Crimson Dawn compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
3
Developer
Purple Lake
Publisher
Purple Lake
Release
11 Apr 2023
Platforms