Marvel Tokon Stumbles to Mixed Steam Reviews as 'Miserable' PC Port Complaints Prompt Response From Arc System Works

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls stumbled onto Steam with "Mixed" user reviews as players complained of PlayStation account requirements, anti-cheat roadblocks, and other technical issues.

With a unique art style, a roster of heroes and villains that includes everyone from Spider-Man to Doctor Doom, and the developers at Arc System Works behind it all, the new Marvel fighting game stood out as one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year. Now, after finally reaching its August 6, 2026, release date, Steam users are reporting more negative experiences than positive ones.

At the time of this piece's publication, just 44% of the 2,561 Marvel Tokon reviews on Valve's digital PC storefront are showing as positive across all languages. Of those user reviews, three topics seem to appear more than any others: PlayStation's PSN requirements, Linux, and anti-cheat.

"There is no good technical excuse for shutting out Linux here," one highly rated Steam review said, referencing a lack of Linux support. "Easy Anti-Cheat already supports Proton when developers enable it, and games like Marvel Rivals prove that an online Marvel title can make that effort. Instead, Tokon treats Linux players as disposable before they even reach the character select screen."

"45fps for a fighting game is embarrassing," another user complaining of low framerates for Marvel Tokon said. "If I can run Tekken and Street Fighter, I should be able to run this."

The issue related to PSN, meanwhile, is one players expected to run into weeks before Marvel Tokon's launch date. Steam users noted the fighting game would be blocked in more than 100 countries back in early July, with many putting the blame on Sony's requirement for PC players to create and link a PlayStation account in order to play.

Mandatory PSN linking infamously caused similar controversy in the Helldivers 2 community back in 2024, though Sony eventually walked back the requirement after the uproar. Like Helldivers 2, Marvel Tokon was published by PlayStation. However, its PSN account linking requirement remains.

"Get this Sony PlayStation account bs OUTTA here bro, I'm sick of that garbage," one reviewer said. "Always online in 2026 is insane."

"Game doesn't work on Steam Deck and Linux because Sony is trying to pull some dumb shenanigans on this game," another said. "Get that crap out of here and this review changes to a positive one. Oh yeah, you still have to create and sign in using a PlayStation account, really annoying."

Marvel Tokon has spent the months leading up to its launch showing off stylish new takes on classic characters like Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, Carnage, Ghost Rider, Ms. Marvel, Iron Man, Deadpool, and more. Now, technical issues have put a damper on the launch weekend PC players have been looking forward to. That's why many of the more popular negative reviews aren't just begging Arc System Works for fixes – they're praising the game.

"Such a fun game," one of the most popular Steam reviews said. "Of course, Sony has to ruin everything. The PC port plays miserable. The settings don't even display correctly. Either the netcode or the poor performance makes the online play very bad, with rollback spikes."

"First and foremost, Arcsys made an INCREDIBLE game," another said. "I was excited about this game ever since it was announced and played the game the minute I could. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even despite how good the game is, SONY insists on making it as bad of an experience as possible. Forcing the PSN login- effectively blocking the game from play in over 100 countries, making it impossible to play with my friends who live in said countries."

There's no telling how Arc System Works plans to address some of the more prominent issues with Marvel Tokon will be fixed. For now, the studio has published a statement encouraging players to continue leaving feedback as PC players "experience performance issues."

"The team is actively investigating these reports," the studio said. "Please keep your feedback coming in, it helps."

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls launched for PC and PS5 yesterday, August 6. At the time of this story's publication, IGN has yet to publish our full review. In the meantime, you can read our review so far. For more on the Marvel fighting game, you can read how Arc System Works' version of Spider-Man made his way into Insomniac Games' open-world series. You can also check out IGN's full breakdown for the evolution of Marvel fighting games.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).