INAZUMA ELEVEN: Victory Road has received a pair of closely linked updates that land on different version numbers depending on platform, but push the game in the same direction: fairer online matches, smoother Story and Chronicle progression, and less grindy team building.
Version 1.3.1 is now live on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X｜S, and Steam, while Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 are on version 1.3.0 with near-identical gameplay changes.
Version 1.3.1 and 1.3.0: platforms and rollout
| Platform | Current update | Update date (JST) |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 | Ver. 1.3.1 | 2025‑11‑21 |
| Steam (PC) | Ver. 1.3.1 | 2025‑11‑21 |
| Xbox Series X｜S | Ver. 1.3.1 | 2025‑11‑21 |
| Nintendo Switch / Switch 2 | Ver. 1.3.0 | 2025‑11‑21 |
The console and PC versions move in lockstep on core systems. Switch’s 1.3.0 patch includes the same online level sync and ranked caps as 1.3.1 on other platforms, plus a handful of Switch-specific interface additions. All platforms participate in cross-play and cross-save once updated, but an Epic Games account and separate purchases per platform are still required to move saves between systems.
Ranked and lobby matches now sync to level 50
The most important change is a hard level cap for competitive play. Ranked Matches now synchronize all characters to level 50: any player above level 50 is temporarily scaled down, while lower-level players are brought up. In lobby matches, this sync can be toggled on or off, letting friends choose between balanced and “anything goes” setups.
| Mode | Level handling after 1.3.x |
|---|---|
| Ranked Matches | Forced sync to level 50 for all characters |
| Lobby Matches | Host can enable or disable level 50 sync |
This pushes Victory Road’s online meta toward tactics, passives, and team archetypes instead of raw grinding. Level 90–99 squads no longer steamroll new players simply through higher stats; they still benefit from better rolls, passives, and spirits, but the baseline numbers are aligned.
On Switch, 1.3.0 makes one more related tweak: when you bring your custom Avatar into Story Mode matches, any Avatar at level 51 or higher is also temporarily reduced to level 50. That keeps Story encounters from trivializing once you have a heavily leveled main character.
Ranked anti‑idling rules and experience changes
Ranked was previously the most efficient place to earn experience and Bond Stars, so a chunk of the community treated it as a farming lane instead of a competitive mode. Patch 1.2.4 started addressing that by cutting experience on losses to a quarter of its previous value and removing rewards when you concede or quit early. The 1.3.x updates lock that philosophy in and add the level sync on top.
| Ranked reward rule | Current behavior |
|---|---|
| Match loss, played to full time | Experience greatly reduced (around 25% of previous), Bond Stars still granted |
| Concede / leave early | No rewards granted |
| Connection cancel mid‑match | Ranked points no longer awarded |
Alongside this, 1.3.0 on Switch adjusts the experience curve globally. Experience required per level is rebalanced for all characters, and lower‑level players on your team now receive a targeted bonus after matches: up to five of the lowest-level characters among your 16‑player Team Dock gain extra experience, scaling with how far behind they are from the team’s average level.
The result: serious ranked play is rewarded most, idling is punished, and basic leveling is steadily pushed back toward offline modes, Chronicle, and specific high‑difficulty fixtures rather than AFK grinding online.
Story Mode tweaks: Chapter 6, 8, and 9 fixes and smoother retries
Story Mode is at the heart of Victory Road’s pitch — a fully voiced anime narrative set 25 years after the original Inazuma Eleven, with Destin Billows and Harper Evans at its center. Several chapters had progression bugs or mission scripting issues that could soft‑lock a save; 1.3.x goes directly after these.
| Story chapter | Issue addressed | Patch behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 6 | Match event in second half could leave game stuck after cutscene | Sequence now resolves correctly; match continues as intended |
| Chapter 6 (Switch) | Skill showdown victory sometimes failed to progress story | Outcome now consistently triggers next event |
| Chapter 8 vs Royal Academy | Special Tactic effects could linger or be used twice in a row | Visuals clear properly; tactic can’t be spammed in second half |
| Chapter 8 vs Royal Academy | Foul during “Successfully pass the ball to Cade” could skip Mix ’n’ Match event | Event now plays even if a foul occurs at that point |
| Chapter 9 vs Raimon Junior High | “Take a shot” mission could leave screen black if the shot was blocked | Camera and play resume even when the shot is saved |
| Chapter 9 (Switch) | Controlling Darian Moonward, fast travel could strand you at South Cirrus | Fast travel back to Raimon is now restored so progression isn’t blocked |
| Global Story | Opening map on a red dashed boundary could freeze the game | Map interaction is now safe at boundary lines |
Switch’s 1.3.0 update also changes one key quality-of-life behavior: if you lose a Story match and use “retry from mid‑match,” the score now carries over instead of resetting. That lets Story objectives that expect you to fight back from a deficit keep their intended tension without forcing full replays if you fail a late condition.
Chronicle Mode and progression balance
Chronicle Mode is Victory Road’s long-term grind: a tour of classic Inazuma Eleven matches with Victorio, where you collect players and spirits across the series’ history. Two sets of changes aim to make its pacing less punishing.
- Experience requirements for leveling are adjusted across the board.
- Lower‑level characters benefit from the new “catch‑up” experience bonus after matches.
On Switch, Special Training “Gatling Kraken Trap” had a long‑standing issue where playing at high frame rates could prevent it from being cleared; that minigame now registers correctly. Several Chronicle-related Activities — such as counting Focus Squabble Wins — also had tracking issues that are fixed in 1.3.x.
Players who use cross‑save should be aware that training goals in Story Mode Chapter 9 can appear higher when loading a save from a platform on a different version. The game flags this explicitly; the underlying progression remains intact, but numerical targets may not line up exactly between 1.3.0 and 1.3.1.
New Abilearn Board and equipment shortcuts on Switch
Victory Road’s team building leans heavily on the Abilearn Board and equipment menus, which can be slow to navigate when you’re managing 16‑player squads pulled from a cast of over 5,000 characters. On Switch and Switch 2, version 1.3.0 adds two small but important shortcuts:
| Menu | New feature |
|---|---|
| Abilearn Board | Switch between characters in the same Team Dock without backing out |
| Equipment | Switch between characters in the same Team Dock directly from the gear screen |
These changes mirror similar shortcuts already present on PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam, and they cut down the friction of tuning a full squad after you drop a new Legendary or HERO from Chronicle matches or Bond Stars.
Online stability and soft‑lock fixes
Beyond the headline balance changes, 1.3.1 and 1.3.0 quietly address several of the game’s nastiest progression blockers and online edge cases.
| Area | Problem | Patch 1.3.x behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Online penalty kicks | Under high latency, penalty shots sometimes triggered no goal animation and stalled the match | Penalty sequences now resolve correctly even on poor connections |
| Online pass‑into‑shot | Goalkeeper command could fail to trigger, allowing goals with no save attempt | Goalkeeper input is now recognized against immediate shot sequences |
| Zones (special tactical states) | Simultaneous collisions, wall bounces, or Keshin Armourfy deactivations could leave matches unprogressable | Ball and state handling are corrected so play continues |
| Online Bond Town | Game could hang if another player joined while you were sending a chat message | Lobby remains responsive as players join during chat |
| HERO party formation | Certain steps allowed parties with three or more HEROES, breaking the design cap | Formations are now limited to the intended number of HEROES |
| Retiring duplicate characters | Having multiple copies, including one from a Choose‑a‑Character Crate, could block retirement | Characters can now be retired correctly even when duplicates exist |
| Avatar Editor | Equipping Dark Emperors Kit and confirming an Avatar Code could make the body disappear and freeze the game | Outfit now applies safely without breaking the model |
On Switch, the Spirit Exchange had an issue where spent Spirits did not visually decrease, Ranked Match points could still be awarded if connections were canceled mid‑game, and BB Stadium’s Campaign Mode could fail to advance after loading from a save and winning a match. Those cases are also resolved in 1.3.0.
What this means for how you play
Victory Road already spreads itself across several modes: the MAPPA‑animated Story, the series‑spanning Chronicle Mode, the competitive Competition hub (ranked, lobbies, BB Stadium), and Kizuna Station’s social town. The 1.3.x updates quietly redraw the boundaries between them.
- Ranked is now first and foremost a competitive ladder, not the best way to level characters or farm summons.
- Offline matches and Chronicle are positioned as the main paths for experience, Spirits, and Legendary/HERO drops.
- Story progression is less brittle; late‑match bugs and soft locks in key chapters are far less likely to derail a save.
- Managing large squads on Switch finally feels closer to the other platforms thanks to the Abilearn and equipment shortcuts.
INAZUMA ELEVEN: Victory Road was already ambitious — a cross‑platform, cross‑save “character collection and football simulation RPG” set 25 years after the original, with a November 13, 2025, digital release, support for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X｜S, and Steam, and full cross‑play between them. The 1.3.x updates don’t add new content or teams, but they do make the existing structure more stable and less hostile to anyone not living in ranked queues.
For now, the focus is on making sure that when Destin Billows and Harper Evans step onto the pitch — whether that’s in Story Mode, a recreated classic match in Chronicle, or a level‑synced ranked lobby — the result is decided more by tactics and less by bugs, soft locks, or who had more time to grind to level 99.
