Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls launches limited-time free access you have to try

PlayStation is gearing up to launch a new major AAA release in early August, its highly anticipated collaboration with Arc System Works, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls.

The fighter is a PlayStation 5 console exclusive, although it will also land on PC, with a global launch date of August 6 having been set.

You can enjoy Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls both solo and via multiplayer, so in preparation for the latter mode, a free beta is imminently on the way.

The beta period is set to last for 72-hours, running from Friday July 24 at 12:00am PT / 8:00am BST / 4:00pm JST to Sunday July 26 at 11:59pm PT / July 27, 7:59am BST / 3:59pm JST.

It’ll be available across PlayStation 5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store - and you don’t need to register in advance.

On Friday July 24, a beta version of the game will be made available for free via those platforms’ respective stores.

Simply search for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and you should find the free beta.

It’ll handily be made available for pre-download two hours before the servers go live, which means you can secure it from 10:00pm PT on July 23 in the US, and 6:00am BST / 2:00pm JST on July 23 in the UK and Japan.

This is an online experience but you very handily don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to get involved on PS5 consoles; you simply just need an internet connection.

Sample 15 heroes and villains across six battle stages

If you’re not familiar with what Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has to offer, it’s a retro-inspired fighter where you can play as an array of legendary Marvel heroes and villains.

The beta itself is set to feature a roster of 15 playable characters, which is pretty generous for a free offering.

Those are split across five categories.

From the Fighting Avengers, beta testers can sample Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Panther, with the Unbreakable X-Men’s Storm, Magik, Wolverine, and Danger also on offer.

Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Peni Parker are available from the Amazing Guardians, as are Ghost Rider and Blade from the Samurai Outriders.

It’s the first time Blade has been playable as Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has held closed betas previously.

Finally, from the Knights of Doom, you can play as Doctor Doom and Magneto.

Six battle stages are available in the beta: Marvel’s New York (Day), Savage Land, X-Mansion, Knowhere, Wakanda, and Marvel’s New York (Night).

As for what modes you can try out, well, more than were previously available in any closed betas.

READ MORE: Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene leaks revealing Secret Wars set up

The beta includes an impressive six game modes to try out

You can enjoy casual online matches to get a feel for what the game has to offer, before progressing to ranked online matches to test your newfound skills.

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Beta players will also be able to explore Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ open lobby, a hub world with miniature versions of the game’s various stages.

There, you can select your avatar, meet other players, make use of a chat, or blow off some steam with the arcade cabinets made available.

Start Up Battle is included in the beta, a tutorial mode that’s perfect for those that haven’t previously sampled any of the closed betas.

You can then graduate onto Training Mode, which teaches you more advanced tips and tricks, including some powerful combos.

The beta even includes a brief glimpse at Episode Mode which is essentially Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ answer to a story mode.

You’ll be able to play through three chapters of the Amazing Guardians storyline which’ll see Spider-Man gather some help to fend off a mysterious new threat descending on Earth.

Based on previous betas, devs have already refined gameplay, improved mechanics, and made player-suggested adjustments to make Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls as accessible as possible, so it looks as if Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls could be an immediate winner for Arc System Works and PlayStation.

Of course, there’s the elephant in the room of PlayStation’s current public image. The company continues to face heavy backlash for its decision to abandon physical media from January 2028.

PlayStation users are flooding the company’s social posts with retorts of protest, with some even cancelling their PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is the first PS5 exclusive to launch since the announcement, so it’s very much unknown as to whether the backlash will affect sales.