Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Open Beta: July 24-26 on PS5, PC, No Sign-Up Needed
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is throwing its doors open for a free, no-registration Open Beta running from July 24 to July 26, giving PS5 and PC players their first unrestricted taste of Arc System Works’ 4v4 tag fighter before its August 6 launch. Unlike December’s closed test, which was limited to PlayStation 5 owners, this weekend’s trial spans PS5, Steam and the Epic Games Store, and nobody needs an invite, code or pre-order to join in.
Beta Window: 72 Hours From July 24 to July 26
According to Sony’s official PlayStation Blog post confirming the schedule, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ Open Beta begins on July 24, with the outlet EventHubs pinning down the precise window as Start: July 24 12:00 a.m. PT / 8:00 a.m. BST / 4:00 p.m. JST, End: July 26, 11:59 p.m. PT / July 27, 7:59 a.m. BST / 3:59 p.m. JST.
That works out to a full 72-hour session, and for players tracking it from Australia and New Zealand, the beta opens on the evening of July 24 local time (NZST/AEST) and closes late in the evening of July 27 down under, given the Pacific-to-Pacific window Sony has set. Pre-downloads open two hours earlier, so anyone keen to be first through the door can queue the install ahead of the servers going live, as no registration is required: simply download the Open Beta from your platform store and start playing, with pre-downloads available two hours before the Open Beta goes live.
How to Download on PS5, Steam and Epic Games Store
Access is refreshingly simple. Per the PlayStation Blog, the Open Beta will be available on PlayStation 5 console, Steam, and the Epic Games Store, and a PlayStation Plus subscription is not required, though all players will need an internet connection and an Account for PlayStation to access the Open Beta on both PS5 and PC.
That last point matters for PC players specifically: because Marvel Tōkon is a Sony-published title, ComicBook.com notes the game’s online play is supported by Arc System Works’ refined rollback netcode, similar to what is seen in their other fighting games like Guilty Gear Strive, but PC users will still need to sign in through a PlayStation Network account to get online at all. Whether crossplay between PS5 and PC will be switched on for the test itself has not yet been confirmed by Arc System Works.
15 of 20 Launch Fighters Playable, Blade Joins for the First Time
The beta roster is a substantial slice of the eventual launch line-up. EventHubs reports that Marvel Tokon’s beta will surprisingly contain 15 of the main roster of 20 characters, including one of the newest revealed fighters in Blade from the Samurai Outriders team, but Deadpool and Loki will not be joining, with the rest of the characters being Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther, Storm, Magik, Wolverine, Danger, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Star-Lord, Peni Parker, Ghost Rider, Doctor Doom and Magneto. ComicBook.com separately confirms that alongside Loki and Deadpool, Carnage, Green Goblin, and Hulk are the other characters sitting out this test.
Blade’s inclusion is the headline addition, marking his first appearance as a playable fighter in any Marvel Tōkon test build. Six stages round out the presentation: Marvel’s New York (Day), Savage Land, X-Mansion, Knowhere, Wakanda, and Marvel’s New York (Night).
Ranked Matches, Training and an Amazing Guardians Story Preview
Beyond simple versus play, the test packs a broad slice of the full release’s structure. Sony’s blog confirms newcomers can start with Start Up Battle, an interactive tutorial designed to introduce the game’s core mechanics, learning the fundamentals of 4v4 combat and understanding team-based systems before jumping into the action, alongside a full Training Mode for drilling combos.
For the first time, the beta also opens up single-player content. According to the PlayStation Blog, players will get an early look at Episode Mode, playing through the first three chapters of the Amazing Guardians storyline as Spider-Man begins assembling his team to confront a mysterious threat descending upon Earth. ComicBook.com adds that this narrative side of the game is being handled by a respected industry name, noting each of the Episode modes in the game are being written by legendary comics writer Kieron Gillen, with the Amazing Guardians chapter following Spider-Man recruiting Star-Lord, Peni Parker and Ms. Marvel.
On the competitive side, matches follow the format Sony has built the whole game around: a 4v4 team battle where, per the official PS5 store FAQ, players only have access to their first two characters at the beginning of each match, and must perform a successful stage transition or wall-bounce next to the edge of an area to bring in the rest of their team.
Full Game Arrives August 6 With a $59.99 Standard Edition
The Open Beta is the last major public test before Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls ships in full. Sony confirms on the PS5 store page that there will be 20 playable characters available at launch, five more than the beta offers, with Deluxe and Ultimate editions layering in a Year 1 Character and Stage Pass for post-launch content.
This marks the third public test overall following two closed betas last year, and ComicBook.com describes the build going live this weekend as technically the third beta for Marvel Tōkon, with the version being used for the open beta a modified version of what players were able to try at EVO Vegas 2026 earlier this summer. For a genre built on split-second inputs and matchup knowledge, a free 72-hour window against real opponents ahead of a $59.99 launch is a meaningful chance for both series regulars and curious newcomers to decide whether Arc System Works’ 4v4 take on the Marvel license lands before committing to a purchase.
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