Dead or Alive 6 Last Round launched June 24 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, but the re-release is drawing negative reviews on Steam. Players are criticizing the edition for offering little new content while forcing many owners of the original game's DLC to buy portions of it a second time.
What's included, and what isn't
Koei Tecmo built Last Round as a follow-up to the original Dead or Alive 6, offering both a free version and a paid $40 edition. Most DLC bought for the base game can be carried over to Last Round. However, that carryover does not extend to the King of Fighters crossover characters, which remain unavailable even to players who purchase the $40 edition. The gap affects owners of guest fighters Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond, who previously paid $8 each for the characters plus separate costume packs. Under Last Round, that content isn't transferable, meaning those players must buy it again from scratch.
Prices went up on top of the repurchase
Beyond the lack of transfer, Koei Tecmo raised the cost of the DLC itself. Individual character "Unlock Keys" now cost $11, up from $8, while the bundles pairing Mai or Kula with their costume packs increased to $21 from $16. As a result, a player who already bought the $40 Last Round edition would need to spend roughly another $42 to reacquire DLC they may have previously owned in the original game.
Community reaction
The pricing structure has gone over poorly with the fighting game community that makes up Dead or Alive's core audience, contributing to the wave of negative Steam reviews since launch. Koei Tecmo has not announced any plans to adjust or lower the new prices. The controversy comes as the publisher is also reportedly working on an entirely new Dead or Alive title. With Last Round's paid tier failing to fully honor previous purchases and DLC prices rising at the same time, the backlash highlights ongoing tension between publishers re-releasing fighting games and players who feel penalized for having supported the franchise earlier. How Koei Tecmo responds, if at all, may shape expectations heading into the next mainline Dead or Alive entry.
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