Arc System Works’ 4v4 fighter, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, reached PlayStation 5 and PC on August 6, 2026, with no Xbox version. On PC, the launch has gone badly. The Steam release currently holds a “Mixed” rating, with only 43% of reviews positive, as players call out a mandatory PlayStation Network login, weak performance, and a hard block on Linux.
Quick answer: The PC version runs poorly for many players because of low frame rates and abnormally high CPU usage, it requires a PSN account to play, it will not launch on Linux or SteamOS due to Easy Anti-Cheat, and it is unavailable in 132 countries. Arc System Works has confirmed it is investigating the performance problems.
Marvel Tokon PC performance issues: low FPS and high CPU usage
The most common complaint is optimization. Players report the game dips below 60 fps while barely using the graphics card, sometimes sitting around 10% GPU utilization, while the processor spikes to 60–70% or higher. Adjusting the in-game settings does little to help. Some users say the game visually looks muddy no matter what they change.
These are the same problems that surfaced during the open beta, which ran from July 24 to 26 on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and PS5. During that test, the developers themselves noted that CPU usage could temporarily exceed 100% in the first few minutes after launch. Several players said performance was bad enough that they could not reach the main menu to lower graphical settings, and even high-end PCs struggled to run the game smoothly.
Online play draws separate criticism. Players describe rollback spikes, lag, and unstable cross-play, with the netcode experience singled out as a low point even by longtime fighting game community members.
PSN account requirement and the 132-country block
The PC version requires a PlayStation Network account to play. This is the same mandatory sign-in model that caused backlash with Helldivers 2 in 2024. Many players expected Marvel Tōkon to avoid a repeat, but the requirement remains in place on Steam.
The PSN requirement also carries a regional consequence. Sony’s account restrictions block the PC release in 132 countries, including much of Latin America, where players cannot buy or run the game at all. Sony publishes the title through Sony Interactive Entertainment, so the same PSN policy that gates the login also drives the country availability.
Why Marvel Tokon will not launch on Linux or SteamOS
The game does not run on Linux, SteamOS, or Bazzite. Easy Anti-Cheat support is not enabled for those systems, so the launcher stops before the game starts. On some setups, the anti-cheat leads to a black window while the CPU clocks up, and instances of the PlayStation PC SDK try to run in the background.
If you use a Steam Deck or a desktop Linux build, there is no supported workaround right now. The block is tied to how the anti-cheat is configured, not to a setting you can toggle.
The anti-datamining theory behind the poor performance
Part of the community traces the CPU load back to unusually aggressive security. Developer Ryn “WistfulHopes” examined the beta build and described it as heavily locked down and hostile to non-standard setups. The executable is packed and encrypted, it uses Easy Anti-Cheat, the game contents are custom encrypted, and it includes anti-Wine, anti-emulation, and anti-Windows 10 protections built in.
She noted this level of protection is uncommon, describing it as more restrictive than Street Fighter 6 or 2XKO, to the point that a successful memory dump was not possible. These measures appear aimed at stopping dataminers from leaking information about the game. Ryn did not claim the protections directly cause the performance drop, but many players connected the two and blamed Sony for the state of the release.
Note: The datamining link is a theory raised by players, not a confirmed cause. The security behavior was observed in the beta, and it is not fully clear how much of it carries over unchanged into the final build.
Current status of each PC problem
| Issue | Status |
|---|---|
| Low FPS and high CPU usage | Under active investigation by Arc System Works |
| Rollback spikes and cross-play instability | Reported by players, no fix confirmed |
| Mandatory PSN account | Required to play; unchanged |
| Linux / SteamOS launch | Blocked by Easy Anti-Cheat |
| Availability | Blocked in 132 countries |
What Arc System Works has said
Arc System Works has acknowledged the PC problems. The studio says it is actively investigating the reports and has asked affected players to send in more feedback to help pin down the causes. It gave a similar statement during the beta, confirming its team was looking into the gameplay and performance issues on PC and working on a fix.
You will know the situation has improved when a patch lands that raises GPU utilization and lowers idle CPU load, and when the online play stabilizes. Until then, there is no confirmed date for a performance fix, and no official change to the PSN requirement or the country restrictions.
Rough PC launches have been a running theme lately, with Beast of Reincarnation and Halo: Campaign Evolved both opening to “Mixed” Steam reviews over login and performance troubles. Marvel Tōkon fits that pattern for now, though a strong fighting system underneath the technical mess is what most players are hoping the studio can finally let through.
