I booted Avowed after months away and the main menu felt like an accusation. You can hear Eora in the silence between footsteps—an empty tavern, a half-answered quest. For its first birthday, Obsidian shoved a stack of invitations through that silence and suddenly finishing the game didn’t feel optional.
I played Avowed and left it unfinished, not because it failed me but because open-world fatigue is real. You’ve probably done the same: a brilliant week, then work, then chores, and the save file grows older. Obsidian’s anniversary update is the sort of nudge that can pry you back into a world you meant to finish.
A storefront full of change
At the Steam news feed I scrolled past the headline and stopped—an update this big doesn’t happen by accident. Obsidian Entertainment shipped what it calls the studio’s largest patch: new playable races (Dwarves, Orlans, Aumaua), expanded character options, a fresh weapon type, photo mode, and a raft of quality-of-life fixes. If you bought the game on PC or console, yes, this lands across platforms including PlayStation 5 and Steam, and it’s the kind of content that rewrites how you judge whether a game is “done.”
Is Avowed available on PlayStation 5?
Yes—Obsidian confirmed the update is cross-platform and includes PlayStation 5. That matters because availability on Sony’s hardware pulls more players into the pool and raises the chance you’ll bump into familiar faces in online discussion threads on Reddit, Steam, and Twitter. It also means the update’s changes will feel relevant whether you’re on a controller or mouse-and-keyboard.
A mirror to change the way you play
When I logged into my old save I found the mirror system waiting like a polite receptionist at a hotel I’d once checked out of. Instead of starting over to try Dwarf, Orlan, or Aumaua, you can swap races in an existing playthrough via a mirror—small friction, big payoff. That’s important: new lineage affects dialogue, appearance, and how NPCs react, but you don’t lose the dozens of hours you already invested. If you’re the kind of player who abandons a game at 70 percent completion because a new archetype tempts you, this fix steals away that excuse.
How do I change my race in Avowed?
Head to the mirror feature in-game and select the new race—no fresh save required. The system preserves your progress while applying racial bonuses and cosmetic shifts, so your choices matter without forcing a restart. It’s simple, which is the point: reduce wasted time and get back to the story and the combat you care about.
Quality-of-life, combat tweaks, and a camera that hooks you
On my second play session I noticed the UI felt lighter and more forgiving than before—small fixes that keep you playing longer. Obsidian added custom difficulty modifiers and stat swaps, which let you shape challenge and reward to match how you like to fight and explore. The new weapon type changes combat rhythm; you’ll want to try it in a city brawl and again in a foggy crypt.
The update hits like a cold wind through a closed window, forcing you to reassess old routes and tactics. Photo mode is the other trap: it’s a black hole for free time, pulling you into frame after frame as you chase that perfect shot of Kai or Marius under amber light.
What’s included in Avowed’s anniversary update?
Short answer: more options and fewer barriers. New races (Dwarves, Orlans, Aumaua), expanded customization, a photo mode, a new weapon class, custom difficulty and stat modifiers, and numerous quality-of-life fixes. Steam’s news post and Obsidian’s announcement lay out the full changelist if you want granular patch notes, but the practical result is that your old save can feel like a fresh start without the grind.
Obsidian and Xbox Game Studios’ backing has kept the update visible across coverage and storefronts, and players are already sharing builds and screenshots on forums and social—so if you wanted social proof before returning, it’s already here.
I’ll admit it: I’m tempted to pick my controller back up. You care about finish rates and time sunk; this patch lowers the psychological cost of returning. So what do you think—is Avowed a comeback you’ll champion, or a birthday present you’ll politely decline?