Awaken Realms announced that Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has crossed one million copies sold. The milestone marks a major success for the mid-budget first-person RPG that launched with rough edges but found a dedicated following.
The game offers a dark twist on Arthurian legend. Players explore a grim version of Camelot and surrounding lands where familiar names like Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table appear through a much bleaker lens. Think medieval fantasy filtered through horror aesthetics.
Gameplay draws heavy inspiration from The Elder Scrolls series. Players roam in first-person perspective, discover loot, build characters through gear and skill choices, and follow quest markers across multiple connected zones. The exploration rewards curiosity with hidden content tucked into every corner.
For a AA-scale game, selling a million copies is a big deal. The first-person fantasy RPG space is dominated by massive Bethesda releases, leaving little room for competitors. Tainted Grail carved out its niche by leaning into darker themes and more experimental narrative choices that major studios typically avoid.
Player feedback consistently praises several elements. The voice acting stands out as particularly strong across the board. Character builds offer genuine variety with meaningful choices between magic, melee, and hybrid approaches. The atmosphere nails the grimdark tone without feeling derivative.
Technical performance tells a mixed story. PC players report generally smooth experiences, though some encounter stuttering on high-end rigs. PS5 users have faced more significant issues, with multiple reports of crashes during extended play sessions. Lowering grass quality settings helps performance considerably without major visual sacrifices.
The game’s structure divides opinion. Acts one and two earn praise for strong pacing and engaging content. Act three draws criticism for feeling rushed and disconnected from earlier sections. The world uses a zone-based design rather than one seamless map, which some players find less immersive than true open-world alternatives.
A major patch in September targeted complaints about the later acts. December brought paid DLC that added new areas and content, likely contributing to the recent sales surge alongside Steam discounts.
