Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has been struggling on PC since launch due to performance issues , and a new twist has made the situation even more embarrassing for publisher Sony and developer Arc System Works : a cracked, DRM-free version of the game is reportedly running significantly smoother than the official retail release.

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls launched on August 6 for PlayStation 5 and PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store) and quickly topped Steam's best-seller charts . That early momentum didn't translate into a smooth reception, however, as the game's Steam user reviews dropped to a Mixed rating almost immediately. At the time of writing, the game has around 47% positive reviews out of roughly 3,500 to 4,200 user ratings on Steam, a figure that has held steady since launch day.

That's certainly not because it is a bad game. As Wccftech's Francesco De Meo, who rated it 8.7 out of 10 in our review , pointed out, it may well be one of the best tag fighters. No, the issue is of a technical nature: player complaints have centered heavily on PC-specific issues, like inconsistent frame rates, persistent micro-stutters, crashes, broken graphics settings, and troubled online netcode with rollback spikes, even on systems that far exceed the developer's recommended specifications.

Adding to the frustration, the PC version requires a mandatory PlayStation Network account for online play, a decision that drew comparisons to the Helldivers 2 PSN controversy from 2024 . Unlike that earlier incident, however, Sony has not walked back the requirement for Tōkon. The requirement also caused the game to be blocked entirely in over 130 countries at launch , preventing players there from purchasing it on Steam, even though offline modes like story and arcade were unaffected by the online requirement. Steam Deck and Linux users have fared even worse, finding themselves completely unable to launch the game due to its anti-cheat implementation.

Notably, the PS5 version of Marvel Tōkon has largely avoided these problems, fueling speculation that PC-specific software (likely some form of DRM or anti-cheat) was behind the performance disparity.

According to piracy-tracking site CrackWatch, Marvel Tōkon was cracked just 11 days after release, when pirates successfully bypassed the game's DRM protections. What followed added fuel to an already contentious launch: players trying the cracked version began reporting dramatically better performance than the official Steam release.

One Reddit user said that despite running into serious performance issues during the game's open beta, they were able to run the cracked build at a smooth 60 frames per second on the highest quality settings , and didn't need to preload shaders beforehand, something required for a stable experience on the retail version. They noted a few residual stutters during super moves and in menus, but otherwise called the improvement significant.

Other users echoed similar experiences on ResetEra and social media. On X, user JustinSGX reported that the cracked build used only about 34% of their Intel i7-6700K's processing power , compared to 57% CPU usage on the retail version running the same hardware. Other players offered similarly striking comparisons:

A certain unofficial version is actually running flawless 60fps on my rig.

Medium settings rock solid 60fps with CPU and GPU at around 40-50% usage… meanwhile retail is stuck at perma 45fps even with GBA resolution.

The most likely culprit is the game's anti-cheat software , specifically Easy Anti-Cheat , combined with background processes tied to Sony's PlayStation Network SDK integration. Removing the DRM also appears to strip out some of these additional background systems, which several users believe are contributing heavily to the game's poor optimization.

One Reddit user cautioned that while the cracked version clearly performs better, other background processes could still be dragging down performance even when the DRM layer is inactive, since Marvel Tōkon reportedly runs multiple instances of PlayStation-related software alongside anti-cheat protection.

Arc System Works has publicly acknowledged the ongoing performance problems , though a permanent fix has yet to materialize. Following backlash during the game's open beta and again after full release, the developer stated:

We're aware that some PC players are experiencing performance issues. The team is actively investigating these reports.

Despite those assurances, recent user reviews on Steam suggest the issues haven't meaningfully improved since launch, with the Mixed rating holding steady across thousands of additional reviews in the days following release.

Removing DRM to improve performance isn't unprecedented, but publishers typically wait months or years before doing so, if they choose to remove it at all. We'll see if that happens shortly with this game after all this backlash. For now, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls remains an example of DRM undermining its own purpose : failing to meaningfully stop piracy, since the game was cracked in under two weeks, while simultaneously delivering a worse experience to the paying customers it was meant to protect.

About the author : With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.

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