Guilty Gear Strive: Release date, character roster, ultimate edition and everything we know

Guilty Gear Strive is possibly the most anticipated anime fighter of recent years, marking what could be a crossover leap for the franchise to a wider audience. 

Developed by Arc System Works, Guilty Gear has become synonymous with complex fighting mechanics, slick visuals and its excellent soundtrack. 

Haven’t jumped aboard the Guilty Gear franchise yet? Never fear, he’s what you need to know ahead of Guilty Gear Strive’s release. We will update this page as new information emerges.

• Read more: Top 20 greatest fighting games of all time

What’s all the hype about Guilty Gear Strive?

Guilty Gear Strive releases in April next year (Picture: Arc System Works) 

Guilty Gear Strive marks the seventh mainline entry in the franchise, following Guilty Gear Xrd - Revelator released in 2015. 

Along with being an evolution on the series, Strive is also touted as a reinvention of sorts - readjusting mechanics to make it the perfect entry-point for series newbies. 

While initial reactions to the beta earlier this year were mixed, the developer delayed the title from 2020 to early 2021 to address the concerns - a promising sign Strive will deliver on its promise.

Strive will also arrive with Rollback netcode as a standard for online, which should make online connectivity within matches considerably better compared to your average fighter.

• Read more: Guilty Gear Strive character guide and tips

Who's on the Guilty Gear Strive launch roster? 

A total of 15 fighters will be available at launch for Guilty Gear Strive, while five additional fighters have been confirmed for the first DLC pack. 

You can check out the full list of confirmed fighters so far, with one more to be revealed. We will update this page when more details are announced. 

Sol Badguy

(Picture: Arc System Works)

Ky Kiske

(Picture: Arc System Works)

May

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Axl Low

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Faust

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Chipp Zanuff

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Potemkin

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Millia Rage

(Picture: Arc System Works)

Zato-1

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Ramlethal Valentine

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Leo Whitefang

(Picture: Arc System Works)

Nagoriyuki

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Giovanna

(Picture: Arc System Works) 

Anji Mito

TBA

What modes have been confirmed?

Guilty Gear Strive will have a story mode similar to past Guilty Gear titles, where you don’t actually fight in any matches like other fighting games, but instead watch anime cutscenes without interruption.

There’s also set to be an exclusive multiplayer battle mode for PlayStation 5 owners, with more details set to be announced soon. 

What’s in the Ultimate and Deluxe edition?

There will be three editions of Guilty Gear Strive; the standard edition, a deluxe edition and an ultimate edition.

Anyone who purchases the deluxe or ultimate edition will be able to play the title three days early, while those who preorder any edition on PS4 will receive two unique colour pallets for Sol Badguy and Ky Kiske and early access to a planned open beta. 

You can check out a breakdown of the deluxe and ultimate editions below. 

• Deluxe edition - Guilty Gear Strive and a code for the Season 1 Pass (priced $84.99).
• Ultimate edition - Guilty Gear Strive, Season 1 Pass code, digital soundtrack and art, additional character colour pack, exclusive colour pack (priced $99.99).

What’s the release date for Guilty Gear Strive?

Guilty Gear Strive releases on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on 6th April 2021.