Where Winds Meet is a free-to-play wuxia action-adventure role-playing game developed by Everstone Studio and published by NetEase Games. Built on the Messiah Engine, the game launched worldwide for PlayStation 5 and Windows on November 14, 2025, with Android and iOS releases following on December 12, 2025. The Xbox Series X/S version arrives on June 7, 2026. NetEase producer Beralt Lyu and designer Chris Lyu led development.

Setting and Structure

Set in China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the game places players in the role of a wanderer — a youxia in Chinese tradition — across an open world spanning regions including Qinghe, Kaifeng, Hexi, and the Hidden Mountain. The world integrates the concept of the jianghu, and the title’s Chinese name, Yanyun Shiliu Sheng (Sixteen Sounds of Yanyun), references both the lost Sixteen Prefectures and a musical system of sixteen tones devised by Later Zhou minister Wang Pu.

Players can pursue professions such as healer and scholar, and the player character’s physical attributes and clothing are fully customizable. Quests are divided into main story, lost chapter, encounter, and exploration categories.

Combat and Weapons

Combat plays out in third-person with two equippable weapons at a time. Weapon types include swords, dual blades, spears, rope darts, fans, umbrellas, mo blades, heng blades, and gauntlets. Each weapon type ties to distinct martial arts that determine skill sets and fighting styles. Every weapon supports light attacks, heavy attacks (including charged variants), martial art skills, special skills, and dual-weapon skills involving a weapon switch and attack.

Defensive options include dodges, blocks, and deflects. Enemy attacks use color-coded telegraphing: a red glow indicates an unblockable attack, while a golden glow signals an attack that cannot be blocked or deflected. Mystic arts serve offensive, movement, and utility functions both in and out of combat — for example, Tai Chi can throw targets, gather leaves, or create water ripples that cause fish to leap.

Multiplayer and Monetization

The game offers single-player and multiplayer modes with cross-platform play and progression. Multiplayer content includes PvP arenas, cooperative dungeons, joinable in-world sects, and player-formed guilds. Monetization is limited to cosmetic items, with no pay-to-win elements. Multiple exploration guidance and combat difficulty options are available.