The first public PC test for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has encountered technical problems, with some players reporting severe stuttering, inconsistent frame rates and unusually high processor usage.
The free open beta began on July 24 across PlayStation 5, Steam and the Epic Games Store. It is scheduled to remain available for 72 hours, ending on July 26 in North America and July 27 in some other regions. The test gives players an opportunity to try Arc System Works’ four-versus-four Marvel fighting game before its full release on August 6, 2026.
Players Report Slowdowns Even on Capable PCs
Shortly after the beta opened, PC users began sharing complaints across Steam and Reddit. Reported problems include unstable performance in menus and matches, extended periods of stuttering, gameplay appearing to move in slow motion, crashes and frame rates falling below the 60 FPS target expected from a competitive fighting game.
Several players said reducing graphics quality produced little or no meaningful improvement. Some reported similar frame rates at both high and low settings, while others observed heavy CPU usage alongside comparatively low GPU utilization. The mixed results suggest that the problems may not be explained solely by insufficient hardware.
The game’s published minimum specifications call for Windows 11, 16 GB of memory, an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, and an RTX 2060 or Radeon RX 6600 XT. The recommended configuration raises the graphics requirement to an RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 7600 XT, with an Intel Core i7-8700 or Ryzen 5 3600X processor.
PlayStation Acknowledges a CPU-Usage Issue
The developers have now officially recognized at least one PC-specific problem.
According to the game’s support page, some users may experience CPU usage reaching approximately 95% to 100% for between one and a half and three minutes while the game starts. The same issue can cause lower frame rates during the boot sequence and while entering the main menu. The team says the problem is currently under investigation.
The official known-issues list does not currently confirm every performance complaint being discussed by players. Reports of persistent slow-motion gameplay, poor GPU utilization and stuttering during matches may therefore involve additional problems that have not yet been publicly identified.
Shader Warmup Helps Some Players, but Not Everyone
One frequently shared workaround involves running the game’s built-in shader warmup option.
Some PC users said performing or resetting the shader warmup removed the heaviest stuttering and allowed them to maintain a stable 60 FPS. Others reported that simply waiting several minutes during the first launch gave the game enough time to finish processing shaders.
However, the workaround has not produced consistent results. Other players said the menu became smoother after shader compilation while matches still suffered from frame drops, high CPU use or slow-motion gameplay. Reports also indicate that changing to exclusive fullscreen may help certain systems, although it does not appear to be a universal solution.
The different experiences make it difficult to identify one reliable fix. Shader compilation appears responsible for some initial stuttering, but it does not fully explain every performance problem reported during the beta.
Claims About Anti-Datamining Measures Remain Unconfirmed
Some players have speculated that the PC build’s performance is being affected by aggressive security measures intended to prevent datamining.
A developer who examined the beta reported that its executable and game content were heavily protected and that the build included several restrictions against non-standard configurations. This led parts of the community to suggest that the security systems might be contributing to high CPU usage or poor performance.
That connection has not been confirmed by Arc System Works, Sony or Marvel Games. The original technical report did not establish that the protection measures were causing the frame-rate problems, so the idea should currently be treated as community speculation rather than a verified explanation.
The Problems Matter More in a Fighting Game
Performance instability is particularly damaging in a competitive fighting game because the combat system depends on consistent timing.
Frame drops and slow-motion behavior can affect combo execution, defensive reactions and online synchronization. Even occasional stutters may make it difficult to judge whether a missed action resulted from player error, network conditions or the game’s performance.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is being promoted as a fast-paced four-versus-four tag fighter featuring 20 Marvel characters at launch. Players build teams of heroes and villains, combine assist attacks and fight across stages featuring interactive transitions.
Its distinctive anime-inspired presentation and the involvement of Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works have made it one of the year’s most closely watched fighting games. The open beta is therefore an important opportunity to test both its servers and the PC version under a much larger player load.
A Beta Problem That Must Be Addressed Before Launch
Because the current version is an open beta, its performance does not necessarily represent the finished game. The purpose of a public test is partly to uncover technical issues before release, and the developers still have a brief period in which to investigate the reported problems.
However, the full launch is scheduled for August 6, less than two weeks after the beta. That narrow window has left some PC players concerned about whether the most serious issues can be resolved in time.
For now, affected users can try completing the shader warmup process, switching from borderless windowed mode to fullscreen and allowing the initial CPU-heavy startup period to finish. These steps may improve performance on some systems, but they should not be presented as guaranteed fixes.
The encouraging development is that PlayStation has publicly acknowledged the unusually high CPU usage and says the matter is being investigated. Whether that investigation results in a beta update or improvements reserved for the launch version remains to be seen.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 6, 2026.
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