Free-to-Play Wuxia Game Where Winds Meet Tops Steam Charts

Where Winds Meet has emerged as a major competitor on Steam's most-played game chart, challenging Embark Studios' popular extraction shooter Arc Raiders. This free-to-play, open-world Wuxia fighter represents the debut title from Chinese developer Everstone Studio and has quickly captured significant attention from players worldwide.

The game transports players to ancient China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, spanning approximately 907 to 979 AD. Where Winds Meet combines MMO, action-adventure, and RPG mechanics into a seamless open-world experience that can be enjoyed in either solo or multiplayer modes. The gameplay features epic sword fights with flashy combo systems, Tai Chi moves that allow players to force-throw animals and enemies, and boss encounters that match From Software games in both scale and challenge. The first two regions, Kaifeng and Qinghe, offer hundreds of hours of content including secrets to discover, puzzles to solve, and enemies to defeat, all available completely free.

Nearly all gameplay content in Where Winds Meet is accessible without payment. The game does include typical free-to-play monetization elements such as premium currencies, a purchasable and upgradeable battle pass, and various clothes and accessories for character customization. However, the core action elements, including bosses, weapons, main and side objectives, and minigames, require no payment to access. This free content model extends to future updates as well. Since Chinese servers receive new features before global servers, players on those servers have shared details about upcoming content, including new regions to explore and additional weapons to acquire.

This combination of factors has driven Where Winds Meet to massive popularity. After launching globally on November 14 for PC and PlayStation 5, the game reached two million players. It achieved status as a top-three best-selling PlayStation game and a top-seven best-selling Steam game. The game had previously been available in China since December 2024 before its worldwide release.

The game is currently climbing Steam's charts rapidly. According to data tracker SteamDB, Where Winds Meet has reached a 24-hour peak player count of 251,008, with 201,807 people playing at the time of writing. Over the weekend, Where Winds Meet even surpassed Arc Raiders, securing fourth place on Steam's most-played games chart. Arc Raiders currently has 207,234 active players, placing it above Where Winds Meet, but the two games are now competing closely for the fourth position. Market research firm Circana reports that Where Winds Meet has entered the top 15 on PC and PS5 for player engagement in the United States and Canada.

However, the open-world martial arts simulation does face some criticism. The game reportedly uses extensive generative AI for NPC voice acting and chatbot systems. One Redditor named MisterZan25 managed to convince an NPC that they were pregnant with his child, causing the NPC to fall to his knees and weep uncontrollably. Additionally, while the game's monetization is completely optional, it can reach extreme levels. According to Dexerto, there's a cosmetic skin available that can cost players upwards of $40,000.

Despite these concerns, Where Winds Meet remains a free-to-play game with substantial content that introduces global audiences to both Chinese game development and ancient Chinese lore. While this doesn't excuse the extreme monetization practices or concerning AI implementation, it doesn't necessarily diminish what is otherwise an impressive Wuxia gaming experience.

Where Winds Meet is currently available on PC and PlayStation 5, with Android and iOS versions scheduled to launch on December 31.