RWBY: Grimm Eclipse

RWBY: Grimm Eclipse on PC is a third-person hack-and-slash action game built around fast melee combat, character upgrades, and four-player online co-op. The current Steam storefront uses the original PC title; RWBY: Grimm Eclipse - Definitive Edition is a separate Switch release rather than a renamed PC edition. That distinction matters because the PC version sells its additional character and costume content separately.

Third-Person Combat In Remnant

The core loop is direct and mission-focused: choose a Huntress or Huntsman, move through a chapter, fight groups of Grimm, complete an objective, and improve your character between encounters. The camera stays behind the selected fighter, giving the action a clear third-person perspective suited to close-range combos and large enemy groups.

Combat draws from spectacle fighters and musou-style crowd battles, but it is structured around a small playable roster rather than a huge army-versus-army battlefield. Each character has a distinct weapon and attack rhythm, with light and heavy attacks, launchers, area attacks, and special abilities that can be chained into larger combos.

Team play is more than simply placing four players in the same mission. The game supports team attacks that let characters coordinate against tougher Grimm, creating a reason to stay near allies and time attacks together. Crowd control, target selection, revives, and positioning become increasingly important when stronger enemies appear in groups.

Players earn experience during missions and spend it on unlockable abilities and upgrades. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang do not play identically, so changing characters also changes how you approach enemy pressure, mobility, and damage windows.

Campaign, Horde Mode, And Grimm Gauntlet

The story campaign is divided into ten chapters and follows an original RWBY side story involving familiar locations in Remnant, new Grimm types, and a new villain connected to Doctor Merlot. The game assumes some knowledge of the animated series, so fans will get more context from the character interactions and setting than newcomers will.

Campaign missions vary between straightforward enemy clearing, movement through combat spaces, defense objectives, and encounters where the team must keep advancing while dealing with escalating Grimm attacks. The structure is linear and replayable rather than open-world, with completed chapters serving as repeatable stages for different characters, difficulties, or co-op groups.

Horde Mode shifts the focus from story progression to defense. Players protect security nodes while surviving waves of Grimm, using their characters' attacks alongside defensive turrets. The PC version includes five Horde Mode maps, including Merlot's Lab and Merlot's Island.

Grimm Gauntlet provides another survival format centered on endless waves. Instead of following the campaign's objectives, the team tests how long it can remain effective as enemy pressure increases. These modes are the strongest fit for players who enjoy score chasing, repeated runs, and learning how each character handles prolonged combat.

Roster And Progression

The base roster contains Team RWBY: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. Their combat identities are deliberately recognizable, from Ruby's mobility and scythe attacks to Yang's close-range pressure and explosive counterattacks.

The optional JNPR character pack adds Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren. It expands the playable roster to eight characters, but it is not part of the standard PC base purchase. The remaining storefront add-ons are cosmetic packs covering outfits such as Beacon Academy, dance, pajamas, and time-skip costumes.

Progression is relatively compact. You are not managing a large inventory, crafting system, or branching class tree; the emphasis is on unlocking abilities, improving a favorite fighter, and becoming more effective across repeated missions. Players looking for a focused character-action loop will understand the design quickly.

That makes the game closer to a mission-based co-op brawler than a traditional action RPG. If you prefer third-person anime combat without extensive loot management, the character-focused structure of anime hack-and-slash campaigns like Attack on Titan 2 offers a useful comparison, although Grimm Eclipse is more compact and more dependent on team coordination.

PC Multiplayer And Platform Features

On PC, the primary multiplayer feature is four-player online co-op. The campaign, Horde Mode, and Grimm Gauntlet are designed around cooperative play, while single-player is also supported. The Steam listing includes Remote Play on TV, Steam Cloud, achievements, captions, and Family Sharing.

The PC storefront does not advertise couch co-op as a native feature. The two-player local mode associated with the Definitive Edition was added to the Nintendo Switch version, so PC players should treat online multiplayer as the verified cooperative option rather than expecting split-screen support.

Full controller support is listed for the Steam version, making a gamepad the natural choice for managing dodges, attack strings, special moves, and team attacks. Keyboard and mouse play is also available through the PC release, but the combat design follows a console-style action layout.

The PC version is distributed through Steam. No separate launcher, mod-support framework, dedicated-server tool, or standalone anti-cheat system is identified in the current storefront information. Steam also lists single-player support, so the campaign does not require an active online session simply to play alone.

Localization covers English, French, Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese for interface and subtitles. English is the listed full-audio language, which is relevant for players comparing subtitle localization with voice coverage.

Who Should Play RWBY: Grimm Eclipse?

This is primarily a game for RWBY fans who want to control the main cast directly and experience an original story in Remnant. The recognizable characters, voice performances, team attacks, and costume options provide the strongest reasons to stay with it.

It also suits players who enjoy short, repeatable co-op action missions. A group can replay chapters with different characters, raise difficulty, work through Horde Mode maps, or test endurance in Grimm Gauntlet without committing to a large open-world campaign.

Players seeking deep buildcraft, extensive exploration, competitive multiplayer, or a long-term loot chase should set their expectations lower. The progression is simple, the missions are linear, and repetition is part of the design rather than a side effect.

Comparable PC Hack-And-Slash Games

For players who want a similar emphasis on anime-styled combat and a fixed cast, third-person character-action games such as Onechanbara Z2: Chaos share the focus on fast attacks, combo execution, and close-range enemy groups, though Onechanbara is single-player and more mechanically centered on weapon timing.

Those more interested in traditional party-based action RPG progression can look toward co-op hack-and-slash adventures like R.A.W. Realms of Ancient War. RAW offers classes, equipment, and a more conventional fantasy action-RPG loop, while Grimm Eclipse prioritizes licensed characters, readable abilities, and coordinated team combat.

The most accurate comparison is still a cooperative spectacle brawler with a linear campaign and survival modes. Its appeal comes from playing as RWBY and JNPR, not from offering the breadth of a loot-heavy RPG or a competitive fighting game.

RWBY: Grimm Eclipse FAQ

Is RWBY: Grimm Eclipse the same as the Definitive Edition?

Not on PC. Steam lists RWBY: Grimm Eclipse as the PC game, while RWBY: Grimm Eclipse - Definitive Edition is the expanded Nintendo Switch version. The Definitive Edition adds local co-op and extra outfits, whereas the PC storefront presents the original game with separate DLC packs.

Is RWBY: Grimm Eclipse single-player?

Yes. The PC version supports single-player campaign play, as well as online co-op for up to four players. Horde Mode and Grimm Gauntlet are built around cooperative survival, but the campaign can be approached alone.

How many playable characters are available on PC?

The base game includes Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. The optional JNPR DLC adds Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Lie, bringing the total roster to eight playable characters.

What game modes are included?

The main modes are the chapter-based campaign, Horde Mode with security-node defense and turrets, and Grimm Gauntlet, an endless-wave survival mode. The campaign also supports character leveling, ability upgrades, and multiple difficulty settings.

Does the PC version support local co-op?

The Steam version advertises online co-op rather than native couch co-op. Two-player local multiplayer is associated with the Switch Definitive Edition, so PC buyers should plan around online sessions or solo play.

Does RWBY: Grimm Eclipse support controllers?

Yes. Steam lists full controller support, and a gamepad is well suited to the game's attack chains, special abilities, movement, and team attacks.

What languages are supported on PC?

The PC version lists English, French, Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Simplified Chinese for interface and subtitles. English is listed with full audio.