Love Genshin Impact? Soul Land: Awakening World Is Your Next Free Open World

If you have sunk a few hundred hours into Genshin Impact, you know the itch: a bright, hand-crafted world, a combat system built on dodging and timing, and that “one more area” pull that keeps you up too late. Soul Land: Awakening World scratches the same itch, and then adds something Genshin never gave you: a true MMO world full of other players.

It is free, it runs on a native Windows client, and it launched globally on Steam in June 2026. Here is what you are getting into, and why it is worth an evening.

What is Soul Land: Awakening World?

Soul Land (Douluo Dalu) is one of China’s biggest fantasy sagas, a web-novel series that became a hugely popular animated show. Awakening World is the first 3D open-world MMORPG in the franchise, developed and published by 37GAMES with official authorization from both the novels and the anime.

The premise is simple and very Soul Land: at the start, your character awakens their Spirit, an inner power that defines how you fight. From there you grow into a Spirimaster, hunting Spirimon (spirit beasts) across the continent to absorb their power.

Your journey starts in the quiet fields around the villages before the world opens up. (Steam screenshot)

Why Genshin Impact fans will feel at home

The world is the star. The official map runs from the peaceful fields of Saint Village to the frost of the Icebound Forest, the wilds of Aster Forest and the coast of the Isle of Poseidon. Like Teyvat, it is built to be explored: hidden treasures, caves to dive into, challenges at the Spirit Temple.

Combat is action, not tab-targeting. This is the big one. Many MMOs still play like a spreadsheet. Soul Land uses non-targeted combat with precise dodges, aerial moves and fluid skill chains. If you like Genshin’s dodge-and-burst rhythm, you will feel at home within minutes.

You switch powers mid-fight. You can swap between Spirits, set up tactical loadouts and exploit attribute advantages against enemies. It is not Genshin’s character swapping, but it scratches the same “find the right combo” part of your brain.

Familiar faces for anime fans. The legendary Seven Monsters and the Spirit Temple Elders from the original story are in the game. If you watched the show, there is a good chance you will spot favorites.

What is different (and why that may be better)

Genshin is mostly a single-player game with a co-op option. Soul Land is an MMO first. Other Spirimasters share the world with you, and duels between players are part of the identity of the series. If you ever wished Teyvat felt more alive, with real people running past you, that is the main reason to try this.

Spirimon roam the open world, and hunting them is how you grow stronger. (Steam screenshot)

Your first evening: how to start well

1. Install it from the button below. It is free, about 20 GB on disk.
2. Take the Spirit awakening seriously. It sets your early playstyle. Read the descriptions instead of clicking through.
3. Follow the main quest for the first hour or two. It unlocks systems at a steady pace and teaches the dodge timing.
4. Hunt the Spirimon you meet on the way. It is the core growth loop. Don’t save it for later.
5. Join a guild early. In an MMO the social layer is half the fun, and guildmates answer questions faster than any wiki.

Who it is for, and who should skip it

Try it if you love Genshin-style exploration and action combat, you are curious about the Soul Land story, or you want an anime open world with real multiplayer.

Skip it if you only want a solo story game with no other players around, or if long MMO progression and free-to-play monetization put you off. Like most games of its kind, it sells optional items, so set yourself a budget before you start.

PC requirements

Steam lists a 64-bit system, 12 GB of RAM and 20 GB of free space as the minimum, with a broadband connection required. The RAM figure is the one to check: it is higher than many older MMOs ask for.

Our take

Soul Land: Awakening World is not a Genshin clone. It is a Soul Land MMO that borrows the best idea from Genshin: a world you want to explore and combat that rewards your reflexes. It is free, so the real cost is one evening. If the first hour of exploring and dodging clicks for you, you have found your next main game.

Tried it? Scroll down and leave your verdict in the comments: what you liked, what annoyed you, and how it compares to Genshin for you. Other players will read it before they install.