Dead or Alive 6 Last Round Gets Slammed on Steam, Koei Tecmo Accused of Forcing DLC Repurchases

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has plummeted to a "Mostly Negative" rating on Steam, with players citing persistent bugs, missing features, and the requirement to rebuy some previously owned DLC. As of this writing, only 23% of user reviews for the PC version are positive since its June 24, 2026 launch. The backlash stems from a host of criticisms from both veteran and new players demanding fixes.

The re-release replaced the original 2019 version, which was delisted. Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja positioned Last Round as a slight upgrade with new features and promised future DLC. Priced at $40, it includes five previously released add-on characters and five new costumes. A free-to-play "Core Fighters" version is also available but lacks story mode and limits the roster to Kasumi, Marie Rose, Honoka, and NiCO.

Over seven years, the game accumulated 440 DLC items, and while some are bundles, it's clear that much of that content is missing from Last Round. Fans are further frustrated that previous DLC owners can transfer most—but not all—of their add-ons to the new version. One Steam review stated, "Good game but the negative review stays until the game comes with all the 7 year old DLC from the previous edition."

Even players who bought every character and costume pack before June 24 are locked out of two DLC fighters: Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond. Team Ninja confirmed that these King of Fighters crossover characters and their costumes cannot be carried over, forcing players to pay extra to unlock them again. Worse, both characters previously cost $8 each but now cost $11.

Koei Tecmo's updates to the base game have done little to appease players. The main selling point—"improved and updated for current-gen hardware"—has left most struggling to notice any changes. Some point to the pause menu still featuring a graphic for the 2015 Steam controller as evidence of a "copy-paste" job. Another review noted, "It's the same exact game with the same bugs that were reported 6 years ago...and no mouse navigation in the menus too. Also mods are now broken."

A third reviewer wrote, "I thought there would be some differences like noticeable graphics improvements or better character models, but it's the exact same. No wonder there was basically no info before release. There is literally no need to buy this if you already have base DOA6."

The other major selling point is a new photo mode, but it's a drop in the bucket compared to expectations. Players are voicing concerns over persistent bugs and missing features like crossplay or rollback netcode. One reviewer lamented, "There's no balance changes, no major visual changes, all they did was add a new photo mode and lighting changes. The new character is DLC and didn't release with the game, so who knows if it will be free." They added, "This hurts. It feels like Team Ninja/Koei Tecmo just don't care about DoA anymore. Last Round just feels kinda scammy."

Steam reviews are filled with comments calling the game "shameful," "too expensive," and "an absolute joke." Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have not officially addressed the uproar, but they have revealed the first post-launch DLC: a new character named Minato, though pricing remains unclear.

IGN's 6/10 review called Last Round a "great fighting game wrapped up in a very bad package" and said it does "little to justify why this re-release wasn't just another DLC pack." The original game received a 7.7/10 from IGN.