Marvel Tōkon Tops Steam Sales but PC Players Are Already Running Into Major Problems

Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls arrived on August 6 as one of the latest game releases for PC and PlayStation 5, but its Steam debut has quickly run into trouble. Despite reaching the top of Steam’s bestseller chart shortly after launch, the Arc System Works fighter currently carries a Mixed user rating.

Players are reporting persistent stuttering, launch failures and problems involving anti-cheat software. A sizeable day-one patch addresses several technical issues, but complaints continue to shape the game’s early gaming reception.

Persistent stuttering after beta

The launch follows a troubled PC beta held roughly two weeks earlier, after which Arc System Works promised improvements ahead of release. Those fixes appear to have addressed some problems, but Steam reviews suggest the PC version still needs work.

One detailed report comes from Reddit user DavidsSymphony, who documented recurring micro-stutters using frame-time graphs. The spikes reportedly appear even when characters are standing still and can persist regardless of graphics settings.

More powerful hardware does not necessarily solve the problem either. The player reported seeing stutters even with a GeForce RTX 5090. The system also used a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, yet the problem persisted at the lowest settings and after completing shader warm-up.

More issues on PC

The issue could be particularly important during online matches because dropped frames may interfere with rollback. External frame-rate limiters can make frame-time graphs appear smoother, according to the report, but visible skips reportedly remain.

Steam reviewers have raised other concerns. Some report launch failures and unusually high CPU usage involving the anti-cheat system and PlayStation PC SDK. Others criticise the mandatory PlayStation Network login, adding another complaint to discussions surrounding one of this week’s latest game releases.

Steam Deck blocked

Linux compatibility is another major concern. Players report being unable to launch Marvel Tōkon on Linux even for offline matches, which also affects Steam Deck because Valve’s handheld uses the Linux-based SteamOS.

Steam currently lists the game as Unsupported on Steam Deck. Players have nevertheless questioned the situation because the game uses Easy Anti-Cheat, which can support Linux when developers enable compatibility.

The problem stands out as handheld PC gaming trends continue to make Linux compatibility more relevant for major releases. Arc System Works has not confirmed whether official Linux or Steam Deck support is planned.

Arc System Works responds with PC patch

Arc System Works has already released a day-one update targeting several problems. The patch reduces CPU load from character animations and UI updates while addressing performance drops associated with OBS Game Capture, Discord overlays and video capture.

Graphics fixes cover anti-aliasing technologies including DLSS, FSR and XeSS. Shader warm-up has also been adjusted, while background character update frequency can now be reduced to lower CPU demand.

Online gaming receives a Steam-specific fix for delayed input data alongside improvements to server communication. Other changes address multi-monitor problems, lobby bugs, mouse-related crashes and slowdowns caused by displaying large amounts of text.

The rocky launch does not necessarily reflect the quality assessments found in top game reviews, as most current criticism focuses specifically on technical performance and compatibility. Still, the contrast between strong initial sales and Mixed Steam feedback gives Arc System Works plenty of game development work to tackle after launch.