Wuthering Waves is an open-world action RPG from Kuro Games, released on May 22–23, 2024 on Windows, Android and iOS. The PS5 version launched on January 2, 2025, macOS on March 27, 2025, and Xbox Series X|S is scheduled for July 10, 2026.
Version milestones
- Version 2.0 (January 2, 2025): the new Rinascita region and a flight mechanic
- Version 3.0: the Lahai-Roi region and an exploration motorbike for ground travel
- Version 3.6 (August 20–September 30, 2026): the Ren Realm region, which appears only in the main story “Song of the Heart Sword”; the Sword Flight mechanic; a Guqin performance feature; 5-star Resonator Qingxiao (Aero/Sword) in phase 1 and Jingran (Fusion/Broadblade) in phase 2
Background for newcomers: Wuthering Waves belongs to the “gacha ARPG” genre, open-world action role-playing games in which players pull at random (gacha) to obtain characters called Resonators of different rarities, similar to the formula that made Genshin Impact a success. What sets Wuthering Waves apart is its fast combat system, which leans heavily on dodging and combo coordination between characters, along with a steady rhythm of new map updates every few months to keep players engaged.
Reception and commercial performance
Metacritic scores: PS5 76, iOS 73, PC 71. Critics praised the combat system and the “comfortable” gacha mechanics, although the game suffered many bugs at launch and Kuro Games apologized and offered compensation gifts. Tencent counted Wuthering Waves among six 2024 games that passed its “Evergreen” revenue mark.
OtaHub’s take
What has helped Wuthering Waves stay on its feet after a bug-ridden launch, in OtaHub’s view, is Kuro Games’ fairly quick responses and fixes, along with a regular rhythm of major content updates rather than letting the game “cool down” between versions. The steady addition of new movement mechanics, from flight in version 2.0 and the motorbike in version 3.0 to instrument performance and Sword Flight in version 3.6, suggests the studio is trying to avoid the “just add maps and characters” formula that has made many other gacha games feel stale after a few years. It is a notable long-term retention strategy in an increasingly competitive gacha market.
That is why articles that treat version 2.0 or the “Black Shores” region as September 2026 news are out of date. The current version is 3.6, which runs until September 30, 2026.
Updated September 24, 2026: this article was rewritten against verified sources; the previous version contained outdated or inaccurate information.
Sources: Game8, allthings.how, ESports.gg.
