Tag Archives: Marvel

Game News

Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 Is Live — The Hood Enters as a Vanguard and PC Players Save 40GB

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Marvel Rivals Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes went live on 7 August at 09:00 UTC, bringing the game’s latest Vanguard — Parker Robbins, The Hood — into the roster alongside a sweeping texture compression update that frees up 40GB on PC and 15GB on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. If you’ve been holding off on installing, now is a good time to reconsider.

Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 The Hood official key art — Begins August 7 2026
Image courtesy of Marvel / NetEase Games

Who Is The Hood?

Parker Robbins has been a thorn in Marvel’s side since he found a mystical crimson cloak and a pair of enchanted boots — tools that turned a small-time Brooklyn crook into a significant underworld threat. He’s led the Hood’s Crime Syndicate, brokered power with the Cabal, and gone toe-to-toe with heroes and villains alike. He’s an unusual pick for a hero-shooter roster, which makes him interesting: less icon, more dangerous wild card.

In Marvel Rivals he’s voiced by Damian Priest — yes, that Damian Priest, the WWE SmackDown heavyweight — which gives him an unmistakable presence in the trailer.

The Hood character close-up in Marvel Rivals — white suit, red cloak, golden pistol
Image courtesy of Marvel / NetEase Games

The Hood’s Kit

The Hood plays as a Vanguard — the game’s tank-support class — which is an interesting fit for a gunslinger villain. His playstyle runs on the tension between his two states:

  • Human form: relentless dual pistol fire providing consistent frontal pressure
  • Demon form: pistols become assault rifles; the mystical cloak channels the energy of Oblivion, letting him manifest protective barriers for teammates and hurl dark magic orbs that warp into damage-absorbing shields on impact
  • Ultimate — Full Demon State (Gun Demon): high-impact piercing rounds that punch straight through shields and enemy bodies, while radiating dark energy that grants bonus HP to all nearby teammates

The switching between forms is the mechanical core — he can hold a line and protect allies while applying damage, rather than purely absorbing it like a classical tank.

Character Reveal Trailer

The Hood: The World is His | Character Reveal Trailer — via Marvel Rivals on YouTube

Season 9.5: What Else Is New

Apocalypse in an Egyptian sarcophagus — Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 The Mystery of Thebes setting
Image courtesy of Marvel / NetEase Games

The season’s Egyptian backdrop — the Thebes setting introduced in Season 9 — continues into 9.5, with Apocalypse as the lurking threat behind the mystery. On the cosmetics side, Summer Festival Vol. 2 launches with swimsuit skins for Star-Lord, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Black Cat, Storm, and Magik — and a new customisable animation set for Lady Loki.

Summer Festival Vol. 2 skin in Marvel Rivals Season 9.5 — character in yellow and pink swimsuit with power effects
Image courtesy of Marvel / NetEase Games

The new PYO (Pick Your Own) bundle system is a notable store change: rather than fixed bundles, you select the specific skins and emotes you want and the price adjusts to match. It’s a fairer format than a take-it-or-leave-it package for players who only want one or two items from a set.

Free rewards this update:

  • Creed of Akabba event: earn a free Punisher Sandstorm Soldier costume
  • Twitch Drops (now through 4 September): the Elsa Bloodstone Will of Galacta costume — watch any participating stream for eligibility

The 40GB Storage Reduction Is Real

The patch’s texture compression overhaul is genuinely significant for anyone managing drive space:

  • PC: ~40GB freed (~30% reduction)
  • PS5 and Xbox Series X|S: ~15GB freed (~20% reduction)
  • PS4: ~7% reduction

That’s a meaningful reclaim on both SSD and HDD setups, and it comes with no visual quality trade-off according to NetEase. If you deleted the game to make space, it’s worth re-downloading now that it’s leaner.

Season 9.5: The Mystery of Thebes is live now on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Xbox Series X|S.

Game News

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Lands to Mixed Steam Reviews — Day-One Patch Addresses PC Issues

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Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls launched this week from Arc System Works, and the Steam reception has been rough. The game is currently sitting at 45% (Mixed) across roughly 1,831 reviews — a difficult starting point for a live-service fighter built around a high-profile licence. We covered the pre-launch build-up yesterday; here’s the post-launch picture.

Marvel Tōkon Unbreakable X-Men key art — Storm, Magik, Wolverine and Danger

Launch Numbers

Peak concurrent players on Steam hit 24,498 — a reasonable number for a fighting game launch, but well below the 44,303 peak that Dragon Ball FighterZ (also Arc System Works) reached at its 2018 release. The Mixed score in the first 48 hours is the harder problem to dig out of.

Storm in-game screenshot with lightning effects in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls

What Reviewers Are Flagging

The most common complaints in negative reviews point to two structural issues: a mandatory PSN account login on PC (a Sony requirement that has already damaged the launch trajectory of several recent PC titles) and no Linux support at launch. Technical performance complaints have been widespread across the first 48 hours.

Magik in-game screenshot in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls

Day-One Patch Details

Arc System Works shipped a day-one patch addressing a broad list of PC-specific issues. The fixes cover:

  • CPU performance optimisation
  • DLSS, FSR, and XeSS upscaling integration
  • Shader warmup improvements
  • OBS and Discord overlay compatibility fixes
  • PS5 controller input lag reduction
  • Online match delay improvements
  • →↓↘ (quarter-circle) motion input correction
  • Ground dash cancel timing fix
  • Multi-monitor display handling
  • Invisible players in ranked mode fix
  • Performance improvements when accessibility large text is enabled

The breadth of this list suggests many of these were known before ship. The patch is live now.

Wolverine claws crossed in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls

Announce Trailer

If you’re already in, the patch is live and should address most of the performance issues. If you’re on the fence — Arc System Works fighting games typically find their footing after the first patch cycle. The X-Men roster and Tōkon system have enough to work with; the question is whether the PC issues get resolved fast enough to hold the playerbase.

Game News

MARVEL Tōkon Is Out Tomorrow Night at 11 PM — Arcadia Rumble and What’s New

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Arc System Works’ MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls hits PS5 and PC at 11 PM SGT this Wednesday, 6 August — and there is more to this launch than the roster we have been covering for months. When we confirmed the SGD pricing and full roster back in June, the game looked like a tight 4v4 tag fighter. What the official launch trailer and this week’s reveals actually show is a title with considerably more in the box.

Spider-Man swinging in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls gameplay
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel Games

Arcadia Rumble — There Is a Party Game Hidden Inside MARVEL Tōkon

The biggest news from the days leading up to launch is Arcadia Rumble, a separate party mode Arc System Works detailed on 3 August. It is a direct evolution of Grand Bruise Legends from Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising — if you loved that mode, you already know the shape of it.

Up to eight players compete in chibi-avatar form across battle maps in a beat-em-up format, racing to control zones, collect Fighter Souls, and stack stars. Matches integrate versus battles where levelling your Fighter Soul shifts the advantage mid-game. It supports offline CPU play and full online lobbies with leaderboard rankings. It is genuinely chaotic, and for a group of four to eight friends it could easily become the reason the game stays in the rotation long after the initial ranked grind.

Arcadia Rumble mode in MARVEL Tōkon with chibi Marvel characters
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel Games

Watch the Official Launch Trailer

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | Launch Trailer — via MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls on YouTube

The launch trailer dropped 31 July on the official channel and is the clearest showcase yet of the full mode suite. Beyond the 4v4 tag battles, it confirms Episode Mode — five original stories presented as motion comics illustrated by celebrated Marvel artists, fully voiced in 10 languages — plus All-Star Arena, Training Mode, and the online suite of Ranked, Casual, Room Matches, and Battle Arcadia.

Storm close-up with lightning attack in MARVEL Tōkon gameplay
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel Games

20 Characters, DLC Already Confirmed

The launch roster holds at 20 characters: Spider-Man, Wolverine, Storm, Magik, Danger, Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Captain America, Black Panther (Shuri), Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), Hulk, Star-Lord, Green Goblin, Carnage, Loki, Blade, Deadpool, and the two remaining slots confirmed since announcement. The game’s first DLC wave, Phoenix and Cyclops, was confirmed by ArcSys in July for a Fall 2026 drop — as we covered when the DLC was announced alongside the Sanzigen opening movie.

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls comic-style character artwork featuring Wolverine, Storm, Magik and Danger
Image courtesy of Arc System Works / Marvel Games

Singapore Access and Editions

The game is available digitally on PS5 (PlayStation Store SG) and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store). SGD pricing is confirmed across Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate Editions — check that post for the exact figures and what each tier includes. Physical copies were confirmed for PS5; if you are picking up a disc, note that some physical copies have begun appearing in select markets ahead of the official launch date, so the street date is not rock-solid. The digital unlock on 6 August at 11 PM SGT is the safe play for anyone who wants to jump in on day one without guessing at shelf stock.

For the full breakdown on modes, DLC plans, and SGD editions, see our Game News coverage archive.

Manga Anime

Marvel x Kadokawa: Spider-Man of Shibuya Manga Announced

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Marvel heroes are getting a manga makeover — and the results are stunning. At San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, Marvel Comics and Kadokawa announced a five-title manga line that reimagines Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Gwen as characters rooted in the streets of Tokyo. The first volume, Spider-Man of Shibuya, is set to launch by the end of 2026, as confirmed by Anime News Network.

Spider-Man in Shibuya — A New Hero, A New Japan

The flagship title, Spider-Man of Shibuya, is drawn by tokitokoro — the manga artist known for Jeff the Land Shark, Marvel Rivals character work, and Doctor Strange art that has already won a following among Marvel’s manga-savvy audience. The hero is Hitojima Shosuke (人鳥 桜朱), a Tokyo high school student who inherits Spider-Man’s powers and starts his career in a modified blue hoodie — a homemade first suit — before graduating to a final design that blends the classic red-and-blue spider iconography with streetwear and urban Japan style.

Hitojima Shosuke character design draft showing his first hoodie suit and high school uniform
Image courtesy of Marvel Comics

The design drafts revealed at SDCC show both the early hoodie look and the finished suit in front-and-back views — clear evidence that the creative team is thinking about this as a full character arc, not just a costume swap. Shibuya as a setting makes sense: it is one of Tokyo’s most internationally recognised districts, a crossroads of fashion, youth culture, and the kind of high-energy street life that suits a high school wall-crawler perfectly.

Daredevil in Shinjuku, a Yakuza Punisher

The Marvel x Kadokawa line does not stop at Spider-Man. The SDCC panel revealed design sheets for two more characters who appear in the Spider-Man of Shibuya story:

Daredevil takes on an oni-masked form — red-horned, sharp-dressed, and armed with a chained blade. The design sheet shows a civilian mode in a sleek black suit alongside the full battle form, channelling the idea of a devil-themed vigilante who looks right at home in Shinjuku’s neon-lit underworld.

Daredevil design draft showing oni-masked combat form and civilian suit
Image courtesy of Marvel Comics

The Punisher is recast as a katana-wielding, skull-haori yakuza enforcer — a reimagining that is simultaneously obvious and genuinely inspired. Frank Castle’s skull motif is now a bold clan emblem on the back of a flowing grey cape, and his combat mode trades guns for blades in a way that reads as completely coherent within a Japanese context.

Punisher design draft showing yakuza-style combat outfit and skull cape
Image courtesy of Marvel Comics

Five Titles in Total — Spider-Gwen Among Them

The full Marvel x Kadokawa line will span five manga volumes. Beyond Spider-Man of Shibuya, the second confirmed title is a Spider-Gwen manga handled by Ryuusei Yamada — previously known for the assassin-and-samurai series Revenger and work on Marvel Rivals. The remaining three titles have not yet been named.

Marvel and Kadokawa logos side by side at the SDCC 2026 panel announcement
Image courtesy of Marvel Comics and Kadokawa

The initiative is tied to Marvel’s new Asia Originals push. C.B. Cebulski — who recently stepped down as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief — is now based in Tokyo leading Marvel’s Asian content strategy, working alongside Kadokawa’s editorial team to oversee the collaboration. This is Marvel’s first major manga partnership since ending its relationship with Shueisha earlier in 2026.

Singapore Readers: What to Expect

Spider-Man of Shibuya and the Spider-Gwen title are targeting a late-2026 launch. No Singapore-specific release date or local pricing has been confirmed, and English-language editions have not yet been officially announced. For now, Singapore manga fans who want to pick these up on day one will likely be looking at Japanese imports through major bookshops and online retailers that carry Japanese titles. Watch this space — with Cebulski heading the Asia push, English distribution details should follow before too long.

News

Every Marvel SDCC 2026 Reveal: Ghost Rider, Doomsday, BP3 and More

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Marvel Studios came back to San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H on Saturday after skipping 2025 entirely, and they made every minute count. Over roughly one hour, Kevin Feige and a parade of surprise guests unpacked the next chapter of the MCU — from a December blockbuster with a cast of hundreds to a 2028 wildcard that had fans screaming the moment Ryan Gosling walked on stage. Here is everything revealed, and what it means for Singapore fans heading into the busiest Marvel year in recent memory.

Ryan Gosling Rides Into the MCU as Ghost Rider

Marvel Studios Ghost Rider official logo
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

The biggest surprise of the night landed early. Ryan Gosling walked out to the sound of a motorcycle revving, then told Hall H what many had long hoped to hear: he is playing Johnny Blaze in a new Ghost Rider film for Marvel Studios, set for a 2028 release. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy is attached to direct, with Jonathan Tropper writing the script.

Gosling and Levy are currently co-starring and directing respectively on Star Wars: Starfighter (releasing May 2027), and Gosling told the crowd they spent a lot of their downtime on that set dreaming up what a Ghost Rider story could look like. “This is a character I’ve wanted to play for a very long time,” Gosling said on stage at SDCC, as relayed by Deadline. No plot details were revealed, but the casting alone is one of the most anticipated MCU announcements in years — Gosling’s charisma (and his track record with Levy) has set the bar very high.

For Singapore fans: Gosling is box-office gold here after Barbie and The Fall Guy, and Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine was one of the biggest theatrical events in Singapore in 2024. A 2028 release puts Ghost Rider squarely in the post-Secret Wars era of the MCU.

Avengers: Doomsday — New Hall H Footage and a Packed December Slot

Doctor Doom faces Thor's hammer in Avengers: Doomsday
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios
Avengers: Doomsday | Only in Theaters December 18, 2026 — via Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Avengers: Doomsday arrives on December 18, 2026, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (returning after Infinity War and Endgame), and running 165 minutes. The film assembles the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Wakandans, and Thunderbolts against Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom — and the Hall H footage made it clear this is not the Iron Man audiences knew. As described by GamesRadar, the screened clip opens on Doom seated on his throne as Vanessa Kirby‘s Sue Storm tells him he is “broken as a person.” Pedro Pascal‘s Reed Richards confirmed to the crowd that his character and Doom share a history that will be explored in the film. The footage ends with Doom placing his hand on the ground and raising an army of broken Sentinels, declaring: “Hell answers to me. For I am Doom.”

Steve Rogers and Thor face off in Avengers: Doomsday
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers, with Chris Hemsworth‘s Thor using Mjolnir to confirm his identity in a scene shown to Hall H. Hayley Atwell is also confirmed in the cast. On the post-Doomsday slate: Avengers: Endgame Encore hits theatres on September 25, 2026, with a theatrical re-run that includes an exclusive look at Doomsday footage — a warm-up for the December event. Avengers: Secret Wars, the follow-up, is locked for December 17, 2027.

December 18 in Singapore means the usual early-access screenings across Golden Village, Cathay, and Shaw — expect preview screenings to open well ahead of the US release given the time zone advantage. For a 165-minute runtime, IMAX and Dolby showings will sell out fast.

Black Panther III: A New King Steps Up

Black Panther III official Marvel Studios logo
Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

Black Panther III is official, with director Ryan Coogler returning and David Jonsson stepping in as the new Black Panther — playing T’Challa’s son, who takes up the mantle. Jonsson is best known for Alien: Romulus and The Long Walk. The film is dated for December 15, 2028, per CBR’s full panel recap. Feige kept further plot details close to his chest, but Jonsson’s casting signals the franchise is ready to move forward with a fresh lead while keeping Coogler’s creative vision intact.

More From Hall H: VisionQuest, Spider-Man, and Ryan Reynolds

VisionQuest, which Marvel is calling the conclusion of the “WandaVision trilogy,” lands on Disney+ on October 14, 2026. Spider-Man: Brand New Day had new footage screened, featuring Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker alongside Jon Bernthal‘s Punisher in a confrontation against Mark Ruffalo‘s Hulk — confirmation that the Punisher has fully crossed into the main MCU timeline. And in classic Hall H fashion, Ryan Reynolds appeared in the audience dressed as “Gray Deadpool” and spent much of the presentation providing commentary for the crowd.

Taken together, Marvel’s SDCC 2026 slate is the clearest picture yet of where the MCU is headed post-Doomsday. Ghost Rider under Gosling and Levy, Black Panther III with Jonsson carrying the mantle, and the promise of Secret Wars in 2027 — the next two years are shaping up to be among the most event-driven in the franchise’s history. Keep an eye on the GameTrader news feed as local cinema dates and Singapore ticket pre-sales are confirmed.

Game News

Marvel’s Wolverine SDCC Story Trailer: Sabretooth Alliance, Mr. Sinister and a Free Tōkon Suit

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Insomniac Games took the Hall H stage at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 last night and dropped the Marvel’s Wolverine story trailer — a far meatier cut than the “Ain’t No Hero” cinematic we covered last week. The new footage pulls back the curtain on Logan’s full enemy roster, confirms his voice actor for the first time, and reveals a free cross-suit for Singapore’s Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls players. September 15 on PS5 is getting very close.

Wolverine faces a towering mech boss in Marvel's Wolverine
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Insomniac Games

The Story: Sinister Pulls the Strings, Sabretooth Rides Shotgun

The story trailer positions Mr. Sinister — hinted via an SDCC prequel Infinity Comic written by narrative director Walt Williams — as the true puppet-master behind the game’s mutant-kidnapping plot. Logan’s voiceover sets the tone early: “I’ve lived long enough. It’s all started to blur together… When that’s gone, there won’t be anything left. Except rage.” as quoted in PlayStation Blog’s SDCC recap.

The trailer also reframes Sabretooth as a reluctant partner alongside Logan rather than a straightforward villain — a dynamic that will be familiar to comics fans who know how complicated that relationship gets. Lady Deathstrike and The Hand (that army of red-hooded ninja visible in the key art) fill the role of primary cannon fodder, while Omega Red lurks in the background. The Japanese setting of Tokyo confirms one stop on Logan’s globe-spanning rescue mission through Canada, Japan and Madripoor.

Marvel’s Wolverine – Official Story Trailer | Comic Con 2026 — via IGN on YouTube

Voice Cast and Composer Officially Confirmed

The “Deep Cuts: Marvel’s Wolverine” panel at SDCC introduced the creative team on stage, giving us the first official confirmation of who voices the main cast. Liam McIntyre (known internationally for Spartacus and The Flash) plays Logan, while Krizia Bajos voices Jean Grey, whose telekinetic moves feed into Logan’s Critical Strikes combat system, as revealed in earlier gameplay trailers.

Logan in grimy suit crouches ready to fight in a neon-lit city
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Insomniac Games

Also confirmed: Emmy Award-winning composer David Fleming scores the game’s soundtrack, with music that “dynamically shifts alongside Logan’s intense journey” according to PlayStation Blog. The full soundtrack — titled Logan — releases August 28, a full two and a half weeks ahead of the game itself.

Marvel's Wolverine Logan soundtrack album art by David Fleming
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Insomniac Games

The Prequel Comic and New Official Art

Williams’ digital prequel Infinity Comic — teased at the SDCC panel — is designed to flesh out Logan’s history with Team X and the broader Sinister plot before the game launches. Insomniac paired it with a classic-style prequel comic cover illustrated in Marvel’s traditional house style, hinting at the Infinity Castle ambitions the story is shooting for.

Marvel's Wolverine official prequel comic cover art — The Official Prequel, out September 15 2026
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Insomniac Games

Free Tōkon Suit for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Players

Here’s the one for Singapore fans playing the Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls open beta right now: Insomniac confirmed a cross-promotion suit called the “Battle Reborn” costume, inspired by Wolverine’s in-game design in the ArcSys fighter. Any Tōkon player gets the suit free in Marvel’s Wolverine from September 1 — a full two weeks before the game even launches.

Wolverine wearing the Battle Reborn suit inspired by Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls in a snowy forest
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Insomniac Games

The suit has an anime-flat-shaded look that sits distinctly apart from the game’s main photorealistic aesthetic — exactly the kind of bonus that rewards players who keep up with both titles. No separate steps needed; just play Tōkon before September 1 and the costume carries over.

SG Pricing and How to Pre-Order

Marvel’s Wolverine is a PS5 exclusive launching September 15, 2026. On the Singapore PlayStation Store, the Standard Edition is listed at SGD 89.90 and the Digital Deluxe Edition at SGD 99.90. Both editions are available to pre-order now; Insomniac has not detailed what the Digital Deluxe bonus content includes beyond the game itself, so check the store listing for the latest.

Physical retail availability in Singapore has not been confirmed at the time of writing — check major game retailers and electronics chains for local disc copies closer to launch. For everything else about the game’s story and combat, see our game news coverage and the official reveal on PlayStation Blog.

Game News

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta Is Live — 15 Characters to Try Free Until 27 July

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The wait is over. The MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls open beta went live at 3:00 PM SGT today (24 July) and runs until Sunday 27 July at 2:59 PM SGT. Download it free right now on PS5, Steam, or the Epic Games Store — no PlayStation Plus subscription required. As we covered when the beta was announced, this is your first hands-on look at the upcoming 4v4 tag-team fighter from PlayStation Studios and Arc System Works — and with 15 of the game’s 20 launch characters playable and a story episode included, there is a lot to dig into before the 6 August release.

Danger vs Captain America battle in Marvel's New York stage in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Image courtesy of Marvel / PlayStation Studios / Arc System Works
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls — Official Open Beta Trailer via IGN on YouTube

What Is in the MARVEL Tōkon Open Beta

The beta delivers a generous slice of the full game. Fifteen playable characters are split across four squads, six stages span Marvel locations from NYC to the Savage Land, and you get both online and offline play. Modes on offer include ranked and casual online lobbies, a local versus mode, training mode, a tutorial (Start Up Battle), the social Open Lobby, and three chapters of Episode Mode following the Amazing Guardians. The full launch roster expands to 20 fighters when the game arrives on 6 August.

Full Beta Roster — All 15 Characters Across Four Squads

Each squad has a distinct team identity and visual DNA, which also drives how they combo and assist in the 4v4 tag system:

  • Fighting Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther
  • Unbreakable X-Men: Storm, Magik, Wolverine, Danger
  • Amazing Guardians: Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, Peni Parker
  • Samurai Outriders: Ghost Rider, Blade
  • Knights of Doom: Doctor Doom, Magneto
Wolverine close-up with adamantium claws in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Image courtesy of Marvel / PlayStation Studios / Arc System Works

One fighter worth highlighting: Blade makes his fighting-game debut in Tōkon. The Samurai Outriders squad pairs him with Ghost Rider, leaning into the dark-supernatural aesthetic that Arc System Works has rendered in their signature cel-shaded style. His moveset is built around speed and relentless pressure, and this beta is your first chance to take him out for a spin in a competitive setting.

Episode Mode: The Amazing Guardians Story

Beyond versus play, the beta includes three story chapters following Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, and Peni Parker. It is a useful way to learn each character’s rhythm through light narrative framing before the ranked queue opens. Progress and unlocks do not carry over to the full game, so treat it as a preview.

Spider-Man in a comic-panel story cutscene in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Episode Mode
Image courtesy of Marvel / PlayStation Studios / Arc System Works

How to Download the Beta in Singapore

No registration is needed. Two hours before launch, a pre-download goes live on each platform:

  • PS5: Open the PlayStation Store, search for MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and grab the free Open Beta download. A PSN account is required but PS Plus is not.
  • PC (Steam): Head to the Steam store page and download the Open Beta build for free.
  • PC (Epic Games Store): Search for the title and download directly from EGS at no cost.

Cross-play between PS5 and PC is supported out of the box. The game ships with full Japanese and Korean voice tracks alongside English, and text is localised in 17 languages. The servers close at 27 July 2:59 PM SGT — after that the client goes offline until the full launch.

Ghost Rider launching a flaming attack in a New York alley in MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Image courtesy of Marvel / PlayStation Studios / Arc System Works

Full Launch on 6 August 2026

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches on 6 August 2026 on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The five remaining launch characters beyond the beta’s 15 are yet to be revealed by PlayStation Studios. A physical disc edition is confirmed for PS5. Catch the latest game news and releases across our Game News section as more roster details drop ahead of launch.

Game News

Marvel’s Wolverine PS5 — ‘Ain’t No Hero’ Trailer Is Here

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Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment have dropped a new trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine — and it’s called “Ain’t No Hero” for a reason. Released on 16 July, the teaser confirms two major antagonists heading into the PS5 exclusive’s 15 September 2026 launch: Omega Red and Mystique. If you’ve been watching the game since Insomniac’s State of Play deep-dive in June, this is the hype machine kicking back into gear.

Marvel's Wolverine in full yellow costume with claws extended, surrounded by fire
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment / Marvel Games

What the ‘Ain’t No Hero’ Trailer Shows

The trailer leans into one of Logan’s most compelling traits: he is not a good person, and this story does not ask him to be. James Logan Howlett is hunting answers about a past that keeps eluding him — and the people standing in the way are not going to survive the experience cleanly.

Two names take centre stage. Mystique, the shape-shifting X-Men nemesis, brings unpredictability to the enemy roster. Omega Red — the brutish Russian supersoldier — is the kind of opponent who matches Wolverine blow for blow. Their appearances confirm Insomniac is pulling from classic X-Men mythology rather than going entirely original with the villain slate.

Marvel’s Wolverine — Ain’t No Hero Trailer, via PlayStation on YouTube

The Story: Mutants Hunted, Logan Pulled Back In

The conflict centres on Bolivar Trask, a billionaire industrialist driven by a fanatical belief in human superiority. His private army — the Reavers, a cybernetic militia armed with advanced technology — are hunting mutants who have been forced underground for their own survival. Logan, three years removed from Team X (the mutant task force he abandoned), is dragged back in when he crosses paths with captured mutants being handed off to Trask’s forces.

Jean Grey using telekinetic powers with glowing purple aura in Marvel's Wolverine
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment / Marvel Games

His ally in the chaos is Jean Grey — a powerful telekinetic and emergent leader among the persecuted mutants. In gameplay, she contributes more than moral support: Jean’s abilities open up Critical Strikes, devastating finishing moves Logan can execute in tandem with her.

Combat: Rage, Claws and Healing Factor

Wolverine slashing a Trask Industries soldier mid-combat while Jean Grey fights in the background
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment / Marvel Games

Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Aaron Jason Espinoza of Insomniac Games broke down the combat loop in June: Logan can stalk enemies and ambush from above, or wade in claws-first using special moves called Techniques — the Tornado Spin and Bull Rush have both been shown in footage. Every hit, parry, and kill feeds the Rage meter. Rage can be converted into powered-up strikes or channelled into the Healing Factor to shrug off serious damage. Max it out and Logan triggers Rage Tier 3: a stylised monochromatic explosion that has become one of the most-rewatched moments in the game’s trailers so far.

Three Locations — Including Tokyo

Wolverine leaping through snowy Canadian wilderness to attack a Reaver enemy
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment / Marvel Games

Logan’s search takes him across three settings: the neon-lit island nation of Madripoor, the frosted Canadian wilderness, and the narrow city streets of Tokyo. For Singapore players who have seen Insomniac render New York to near-photorealistic quality in the Spider-Man series, a faithfully built Tokyo is one of the game’s biggest draws. Madripoor’s Marvel lore places the island nation geographically in Southeast Asia, lending an oblique regional thread to the story even before the confirmed Tokyo leg.

Omega Red, Mystique and What Comes Next

Omega Red villain close-up in Marvel's Wolverine — long-haired and snarling amid flames
Image courtesy of Sony Interactive Entertainment / Marvel Games

With Mystique, Omega Red, and the Reavers now confirmed, the villain roster is shaping up to be a proper X-Men rogues’ gallery. Insomniac paced antagonist reveals across the Spider-Man games carefully, so there may well be more names to come before 15 September. Pre-orders are live on the PlayStation Store; Singapore PS5 owners should check the SG storefront for local SGD pricing, as no separate regional price has been announced at press time. Marvel’s Wolverine launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on 15 September 2026.

Game News

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Free Open Beta Starts 24 July — No PS Plus Needed

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Arc System Works and Marvel Games are handing Singapore players a free weekend pass to one of 2026’s most-anticipated fighting games. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls launches its open beta on Thursday 24 July at 3:00 PM SGT, letting PS5 and PC players try the 4v4 tag-team brawler at no cost before its August 6 release — and you don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription to get in.

No Sign-Up, No PS Plus — Just Download and Play

Getting into the beta couldn’t be simpler. No registration code, no waitlist, no PlayStation Plus membership required — just head to the PlayStation Store or Steam (and Epic Games Store), download the open beta client, and start playing from 24 July. All you need is an internet connection and a PlayStation Network account. Pre-downloads open two hours before the beta goes live, so queue it up on Wednesday evening and you’ll be ready the moment the gates open at 3 PM SGT.

The open beta runs for a clean 72 hours, closing at approximately 3:00 PM SGT on Monday 27 July, giving Singapore players a full weekend plus a Monday afternoon to clock in some hours before the full game ships.

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls | Open Beta Trailer — via MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls on YouTube

What’s Included: 15 Characters, Episode Mode, and Full Online

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — team battle gameplay
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Arc System Works

The open beta is generous: 15 of the 20 launch characters are playable, spanning all four announced teams. The headline addition is Blade, who becomes playable for the very first time outside of closed testing, appearing alongside Ghost Rider in the Samurai Outriders faction. The full beta roster breaks down as:

  • Fighting Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther
  • Unbreakable X-Men: Storm, Magik, Wolverine, Danger
  • Amazing Guardians: Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, Peni Parker
  • Samurai Outriders: Ghost Rider, Blade
  • Knights of Doom: Doctor Doom, Magneto

Beyond the roster, the open beta opens up a surprising amount of content for a pre-release trial. Episode Mode unlocks the first three chapters of the Amazing Guardians storyline, giving players a taste of the game’s story campaign as Spider-Man assembles his team. For competitive players, Online Casual and Ranked Matches are live, along with a full Open Lobby that supports up to 16 avatars with social features. Training Mode, local Versus, and the Start Up Battle tutorial round out the package — six stages across iconic Marvel locations are included too.

Singapore Schedule — When to Queue Up

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — 4v4 tag-team combat
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Arc System Works

Convert from Pacific Time and the beta lands squarely over the Singapore weekend:

  • Opens: Thursday 24 July, 3:00 PM SGT
  • Closes: Monday 27 July, ~3:00 PM SGT

That covers the full weekend from Thursday afternoon through to Monday — prime time for ranked sessions, local couch battles, and grinding through Episode Mode between matches. Rollback netcode is confirmed for online play, which should keep the experience clean for SEA players connecting to regional servers.

The Full Roster Awaits at Launch — August 6

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — stage environments
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Arc System Works

The five missing characters from the open beta fill out the fifth team at launch on 6 August 2026 (7 August in Japan and Australia). Singapore pricing was confirmed at SGD 79.90 for the Standard Edition, SGD 113.90 for Digital Deluxe, and SGD 139 for the Ultimate Edition. Deluxe and Ultimate editions include the Year 1 pass covering post-launch fighters and content.

How to Download the Open Beta

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls — key art
Image courtesy of Marvel Games / Arc System Works
  • PS5: Search “MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta” on the PlayStation Store
  • PC (Steam): Find the open beta on the Steam store page
  • PC (Epic Games Store): Search for the open beta on the Epic Games Store

Pre-downloads go live two hours before start time — mark your calendar for Thursday 24 July and queue the download by early afternoon SGT. For the full character roster, SGD pricing, and story details, read our earlier coverage from the EVO 2026 reveal. Browse more game news on GameTrader.SG.