The End of the Sun, a first-person adventure inspired by Slavic folklore, is out today on Xbox Series X|S for $24.99, with a launch discount that brings the Xbox store price to $19.99. The game comes from developer The End of the Sun Forge and is published by IMGN.PRO.
In a post on Xbox Wire dated November 4, 2026, developer Kinga Machowska explained how real museum objects shaped the game’s world and some of its quests. Here is what that means for anyone thinking of playing.
What is The End of the Sun about?
You play the Ashter, a Slavic fire mage who wields time. You arrive in a village where reality has been distorted and the villagers have left behind only smoldering hearths.
The game centers on exploring an open world with a magical map and forming bonds with bonfires. Each bond reveals traces and events invisible to ordinary people, and fully kindled bonfires become gateways to time travel. Games Press adds that revisiting places at different times gives new perspectives on past events, and that English or Polish voice acting is offered.
The story unfolds across four seasons, separated by many years, so you see the same villagers at different stages of their lives during the major Slavic festivals. Your actions change the world around you, according to the store description.
How did Polish museums shape the game?
The team used photogrammetry, a technique that turns photographs of real objects into detailed 3D models. Machowska says the studio partnered with the Open-Air Museum in Szymbark and the Grociarnia Ethnographic Museum in Jastrzębia, and scanned hundreds of historical objects, including entire buildings.
According to the developer, approximately 80% of the objects you meet in the game’s locations were scanned from real originals. Scanned rocks from local nature reserves, bobbin lace from a local gallery, and hand-painted floral patterns inspired by the village of Zalipie fill out the details.
Some quests grew directly out of these finds. One involves a traditional hand mill for grinding grain, where you can examine its individual parts and see how it works. Others have you twist rope or sharpen a knife with traditional tools. Optional “Learn More” points explain what an unfamiliar object was used for.
Buildings also change over the story. A cottage may look damaged or neglected at one point and renovated at another, and the vegetation follows the Central European climate through the seasons. The team also recorded nature sounds outdoors in all four seasons for the soundscape.
Prices
The Xbox Wire page shows The End of the Sun at $24.99 struck through to $19.99 on the Xbox store card. Games Press lists $24.99, €23.99 and £18.74, with a 20% launch discount during the first week after release. The Wire page does not say in which countries the dollar price applies, so check the Xbox store in your region. The publisher’s page for the Series X|S version mentions no other platform.
Who it suits
Fans of narrative exploration games get a first-person mystery built around riddles, bonfire investigations and a village you can walk through freely.
Players interested in folklore and history may enjoy the optional “Learn More” points, which the developer designed to teach about crafts, customs and Slavic beliefs without long lectures.
Players who want something different from the usual fantasy setting get Slavic mythology and Polish culture rather than the more common medieval settings.
Anyone who likes slow, careful exploration is the right fit. The developer’s own advice is to slow down, look around and pay attention to the details, since the environment is meant to tell stories as much as dialogue does.
What is still unknown?
The sources do not give a playing time, a file size or Xbox performance modes such as frame rate and resolution. They also do not say whether the game is part of Xbox Game Pass, or how long the Xbox store discount lasts beyond Games Press describing it as a first-week offer. Worthplaying reports that the game is already available on PS5 and PC through Steam, which Xbox Wire does not discuss. The Wire post is written by the developer, so its description of how authentic the world is reflects the team’s own view rather than an outside review.
What should you do next?
Open the Xbox store page for The End of the Sun on your console or on the Xbox website and check the price in your region, keeping the first-week discount in mind. To see the game first, the official Xbox announcement trailer is worth watching before you buy.
