Will 2XKO Be Free to Play? Pricing Details for Riot’s New Fighting Game

If you’re a fan of Riot Games and their expansive lineup of characters from League of Legends and Valorant, there’s exciting news ahead! Soon, you’ll get the chance to battle it out in 2XKO, the company’s upcoming fighting game. A pressing concern for many players is whether this game will be free-to-play or if you’ll need to spend money to enjoy the experience.

Though the full version of 2XKO won’t launch until 2025, we had a sneak peek during the Alpha Lab playtest in August 2024. If you were fortunate enough to participate in the survey and gain access, you might be wondering about the potential costs involved. Here’s what we found out.

Two characters from 2XKO in combat on a brown stage, with two airborne. — Riot Games

You won’t need to spend any money to enjoy 2XKO.

Is 2XKO Free to Play?

Confirmed by Riot Games, 2XKO will indeed be free to play. This means you won’t have to pay anything to download and jump into the action when the game becomes available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.

This decision aligns with Riot’s strategy for its other titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, and Teamfight Tactics, all of which are also free to enjoy.

What Will Be 2XKO’s Monetization Strategy?

Since Riot opted against an initial purchase price for 2XKO, the game will generate revenue through microtransactions. Based on the publisher’s history, players can expect a variety of cosmetics, including unique skins that can be purchased in an in-game store, alongside special emotes and emblems to personalize their characters.

If the pattern follows that of Valorant, new episodes may be introduced roughly every six months, complete with exciting cosmetic bundles to explore.

While these items won’t impact gameplay or provide any competitive edge, they’ll allow players to express their individuality and flair as they battle their opponents.

Two characters from 2XKO engage in a battle under a bridge, swinging swords at each other. — Riot Games

Microtransactions will allow you to customize the appearance of your favorite characters.

Do Free-to-Play Fighting Games Have an Advantage Over Paid Ones?

Indeed, by opting for a free-to-play model, Riot aims to make 2XKO widely accessible. But will this decision enhance its chances of long-term success compared to paid fighting games? Although we can’t evaluate its player base as the game hasn’t been released yet, we can examine some free alternatives for comparison.

Generally speaking, free-to-play fighting games do not consistently outperform their paid counterparts; however, they can still achieve substantial popularity. For instance, Street Fighter 6 remains at the top of the Steam Charts, commanding a price of $59.99, while the free-to-play Brawlhalla closely follows with impressive monthly player engagement. Conversely, MultiVersus has faced challenges recently, even with no cost, whereas Tekken 8 is stable but still lags behind SF6.

Graph showing the average six-month player count for major fighting games on Steam. — Dexerto

Street Fighter 6 is the leading title in this genre.

The essential factors for a game’s longevity include quality gameplay and the ability to keep players returning. Building a robust ranked mode to motivate players to continue improving, along with accommodating casual players who want to enjoy fights with friends, will be key.

How Riot plans to manage this remains uncertain, yet considering the tremendous success of League of Legends and Valorant, it’s hard not to anticipate their successful foray into the fighting genre as well.

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