Marvel Tokon Hits Mixed Steam Reviews Over PSN Requirements and PC Issues
Arc System Works' new Marvel fighter launched August 6 to a 44% positive rating on Steam, with players citing mandatory PlayStation account linking, anti-cheat problems, and no Linux support as the main culprits.
A Rough Landing on PC
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was supposed to be a celebration. Arc System Works, the studio behind the Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ series, bringing its signature hand-drawn animation style to Marvel’s roster of heroes and villains. Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Wolverine, Carnage, Ghost Rider, Deadpool and more, all rendered in a style that looked unlike anything the Marvel fighting game space had seen before. It was, by most accounts heading into launch, one of the most anticipated games of 2026.
Then it actually came out on August 6, and the Steam reviews started rolling in.
As of IGN’s reporting on August 7, just 44% of the 2,561 user reviews on Valve’s PC storefront are positive. That puts the game firmly in “Mixed” territory, a painful place for a fighting game that clearly has genuine fans among its reviewers. The problems driving those negative ratings cluster around three familiar, frustrating categories: PlayStation Network account requirements, anti-cheat software, and the complete absence of Linux support.
The PSN Problem, Again
This particular headache has a history. Mandatory PSN account linking became a flashpoint in the Helldivers 2 community back in 2024, when Sony announced mid-game that players would need to connect PlayStation accounts to keep playing. The backlash was loud enough that Sony reversed course. Marvel Tokon, also published by PlayStation, did not get the same outcome.
Steam users had flagged the issue weeks before launch, noting in early July that the game would be unavailable in more than 100 countries because of the PSN linking requirement. That concern turned into live frustration once the game shipped. “Get this Sony PlayStation account bs OUTTA here bro, I’m sick of that garbage,” one reviewer wrote, according to IGN. “Always online in 2026 is insane.”
The country-blocking issue compounds the problem. PSN is not available everywhere, which means the mandatory account link does not just create friction for existing players. It locks out entire regions entirely.
Linux Players Shut Out Before Character Select
The lack of Linux and Steam Deck support has drawn some of the most pointed criticism. Reviewers were quick to note that this is not a technological inevitability. Easy Anti-Cheat already includes Proton support, the compatibility layer that allows Linux users to run Windows games through Steam. Developers simply have to enable it.
“Easy Anti-Cheat already supports Proton when developers enable it, and games like Marvel Rivals prove that an online Marvel title can make that effort,” one highly rated Steam review said, as reported by IGN. “Instead, Tokon treats Linux players as disposable before they even reach the character select screen.”
Another reviewer connected both frustrations in a single note: “Game doesn’t work on Steam Deck and Linux because Sony is trying to pull some dumb shenanigans on this game. Get that crap out of here and this review changes to a positive one.”
Framerate Complaints and a Frustrated Fanbase
Beyond the platform access issues, some players reported technical performance problems with the game itself. “45fps for a fighting game is embarrassing,” one user wrote, according to IGN. “If I can run Tekken and Street Fighter, I should be able to run this.” Frame rate stability is especially sensitive in the fighting game community, where timing windows can come down to single frames.
What makes the situation genuinely complicated is buried in those same negative reviews. Many of the most visible critical posts are not attacks on the game’s design or combat. They praise it. Reviewers who call the PSN requirement infuriating are also calling the game itself fun. The frustration is not that Marvel Tokon is bad. It is that players feel blocked from a game they actually want to play, by requirements and oversights that have nothing to do with whether Arc System Works built a good fighting game.
Arc System Works has responded to the complaints, according to IGN’s reporting, though the studio’s specific commitments and timeline for addressing the issues were not fully detailed at the time of publication. Whether Sony’s PSN requirement, specifically, is something the developer has the power to change on its own is a different question entirely.
Why is Marvel Tokon getting mixed reviews on Steam?
According to IGN, the game launched on August 6, 2026 with a 44% positive rating across 2,561 reviews. Players cited mandatory PlayStation Network account linking, lack of Linux and Steam Deck support, anti-cheat issues, and low framerates as the primary complaints.
Does Marvel Tokon require a PSN account on PC?
Yes. As reported by IGN, Marvel Tokon requires PC players to create and link a PlayStation account to play, a requirement that also blocks access in more than 100 countries. Publisher PlayStation has not walked back the requirement, unlike the similar Helldivers 2 situation in 2024.
Does Marvel Tokon support Linux or Steam Deck?
No. According to IGN's reporting on Steam user reviews, Marvel Tokon does not support Linux or Steam Deck at launch, which reviewers noted is a choice rather than a technical limitation, since Easy Anti-Cheat already supports Proton when developers enable it.