Dreadmyst, the indie isometric MMORPG that debuted on Steam in early January 2026, has officially returned to Valve’s platform after being briefly delisted following a copyright dispute. The free-to-play title, developed and published by a solo creator under dreadmyst.com, first launched on January 9 and quickly gained attention for its old-school MMO style and nostalgic tab-target combat.
Brief Removal & Resolution
Shortly after its initial release, Dreadmyst was removed from the Steam store due to a complaint from NCsoft, the company behind games like Aion, which alleged that some in-game assets violated copyright. Critics and players had raised concerns that certain icons and other art elements appeared to be taken from other titles without proper authorization.
According to announcements from the developer and community responses, the situation was resolved as a “miscommunication” between NCsoft’s teams — with Gameforge (NCsoft’s game operation partner) acknowledging Dreadmyst as a non-profit passion project — and Valve also completed its review. As a result, Dreadmyst was reinstated on Steam after the problematic assets were replaced or removed and compliance was confirmed.
New Update on Relaunch
The game’s return wasn’t just administrative: it came alongside a sizable update that added new content for players. The patch introduces two new solo dungeons, expands the world with fresh zones, and implements a dungeon speed-run ladder as well as crafting features like spell scroll transmutation.
Gameplay & Community Reception
Dreadmyst is built on its own custom engine and offers classic MMORPG mechanics with a fantasy setting. Players choose from multiple classes, engage in PvE and PvP combat, run dungeons for loot, and explore an old-school world that intentionally avoids modern monetization — the game is free to play with no planned microtransactions. Reviews on Steam remain mostly positive, with a current user rating around 75% positive and thousands of players participating.
Though the title’s early controversy sparked heated discussion within the community, the developer’s efforts to resolve the copyright concern and deliver new content have allowed Dreadmyst to continue its journey on Steam, offering a niche but growing MMO experience for fans of old-school online RPGs.
