When Solo Leveling: Arise launched late last year as a mobile game with a hacky PC port, it was heavily criticized for its aggressive monetization and invasive microtransactions. Now, though, Netmarble has released Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive on PC and console, almost as a sort of game spin-off reboot. According to the release announcement , Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive is an "entirely different game, developed as an independent project by a separate team," with the implication being that Overdrive was built with an entirely different ethos compared to the original Arise. Supposedly, the variety of content in the game has also increased, with support for up to four-player co-op, improved combat, and the addition of a fully fleshed-out story with 10 chapters and an offline game mode.

The announcement goes on to say that "Rather than relying on randomness when recruiting Hunters or crafting weapons, we've designed the game to reward effort and strategy, allowing you to feel a true sense of achievement. All the Hunters, Sung Jinwoo and their weapons, and the joy of progression can be earned and enjoyed entirely through in-game play." The game still relies on collecting Shadows and building out your arsenal to take on increasingly difficult foes, but it appears to be much more of a typical, RPG than a gacha game like its predecessor, and the controls of Arise Overdrive have been reworked for PC and console. Meanwhile, the developer has also stepped up the visual quality in an effort to increase immersion. Several of the mechanics have also been improved, such as more tactics-based combat and more diverse character customization. Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive follows the story of the Solo Leveling webtoon that inspired an anime of the same name that went on to win Crunchyroll's Anime of the Year award for 2024. The community reception of Overdrive has seemingly been positive, with the game's Steam rating sitting at a comfortable 73% positive, even as daily concurrent players reach well over 10,000 players.