Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls vs 2XKO closed betas: Which one should you sign up for first?

After much hype and anticipation between Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and 2XKO, they’re each about to begin a closed beta test period in early September. These free-to-play fighting games have already made a big impression on the esports community, with their tag-team system and unique art styles drawing in a lot of enthusiasm, and early impressions of the games have been positive.

Developer Riot Games has announced that 2XKO’s closed beta test will begin from September 9 until its yet-to-be-announced global launch, while Arc System Works has announced its own for Fighting Souls between September 5 and 7, which you can sign up for here. Fans are looking forward to seeing how both games fare, but if you’re having to choose between them, it could be a difficult dilemma.

With this in mind, we’ve listed below what each game brings to the table and what we know of each closed beta test so far.

2XKO is currently in the testing phase, and arguably has been for several years. Riot Games bought a company called Radiant Entertainment in March 2016, which was working on a free-to-play fighting game called Rising Thunder. It’s easy to see some similarities with 2XKO, such as the gameplay and parts of the user interface, leading us to believe this has been a game in the making for a while. With its closed beta occurring from September 9 until its launch, which Riot Games has yet to confirm, it’s fair to say that 2XKO is now in a rigorous testing phase. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the game debut worldwide once 2025 wraps up.

For Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, it’s reportedly in the beta stage at the time of writing. This is where the game is ‘content complete’, meaning it can be played in a mostly finished form. However, there may be objects, graphics, or more out of place, which are yet to be finished and implemented into the title. With a 2026 release date and the closed beta occurring next month for two days, the next step for Arc System Works will likely be gameplay refinements, such as balances on attack damage, defence, and how specific moves are done with some characters.

With the current status of each game outlined, the areas of focus for the main comparison will be the key similarities the games share, including the format of the closed beta sessions and the playable characters currently featured. We will also look at how the developers’ track records stack up to see what light that can shed. Lastly, we will map out the core gameplay elements in each game.

2XKO and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls share a few similarities, such as being free-to-play, tag-team based, having a comic-book-inspired art style, and a promise of more characters debuting from familiar franchises in due time.

Admittedly, the Marvel Tōkon vs 2XKO comparisons are vast, and could help you decide which game may suit you best once they’re released for everyone on their respective platforms.

For the closed betas, there are a few similarities, such as:

Despite a few similarities between 2XKO and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, there could be an opportunity to try out both closed beta sessions to see which game suits you best.

Choosing between Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls or 2XKO ultimately comes down to what you want in a free-to-play fighting game. 2XKO is Riot Games’ first foray into the genre, which has allegedly been in development since 2016, and there have been plenty of testing sessions over the previous year. It relies on Riot Games’ other franchises, like LoL, by featuring iconic characters from that title, which could bring a lot of familiarity to long-time players of the game.

For Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls’ features, Arc System Works is clearly building on the games that came before it, such as Marvel vs Capcom, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Guilty Gear Thrive, and more. It’s a fast-paced action game with a unique tag-team system that relies on one health bar instead of several. With more characters yet to be announced, fans of the Marvel franchise will likely enjoy what Fighting Souls will bring once it’s released next year.

There’s also the fact that 2XKO is set to be released by the end of the year, while Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is sometime in 2026. From this, you could try out 2XKO to see if it’s for you, and whether it features in some esports events before Fighting Souls arrives. Ultimately, both offer unique experiences, but it’s down to which game you’ll likely enjoy the most over time.

Both games are in strong positions to set them apart from popular esports games like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6. Despite Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and 2XKO having many differences, their closed beta tests could show players how well their tag-team-based system could work at many esports events worldwide.

It’s why a closed beta works so well. Not only does it give developers Riot Games and Arc System Works valuable feedback to refine the titles, but it also gives players and esports organisers a taste of what they could be capable of on a world stage. With less than a month until both beta sessions begin, it’ll be interesting to see what players think of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and 2XKO before they’re available for everyone. Nevertheless, if you’re a longtime fan of LoL and want to see how Riot Games’ first foray into the fighting game genre is, go for 2XKO. Or, if you’re a longtime fan of previous games from Arc System Works’ library, sign up for Fighting Souls’ closed beta next month.