5 Things 2XKO Needs to Thrive

Over six years after its initial reveal, 2XKO is finally out. And even though many games launch in busted or lackluster states, this fighting game is quite solid all around, something undoubtedly aided by its many different playtests, long development time, and Riot Games’ giant war chest of League of Legends cash. But that doesn’t mean it is perfect. 2XKO has plenty of room for improvement and will probably take some time to get all of the features it needs.

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Speaking of, here are just five features or changes 2XKO needs in order to be a true knockout.

5) A Switch 2 Port

2XKO launched on PC just before coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and, if Riot has some solid foresight, it should also launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 down the line. Portable systems and fighting games have always been a solid pairing since the genre lends itself to the quick sessions often associated with handheld devices. These handheld devices often have looser controls when compared to their console or PC counterparts, but 2XKO won’t have to contend with that shortcoming as intensely since the game’s inputs have been simplified across the board; there’s no need to consistently hit half-circle specials since most specials in 2XKO are just a button or two and a direction on the D-pad.

It’s already a solid and more welcoming introduction to fighting games in many ways outside of its streamlined controls, so it only makes sense to put it on a platform that’s somewhat more geared toward younger players. It would also be great if Riot put it out on Steam (and, thus, the portable Steam Deck), too, but that doesn’t seem likely.

4) Regular Character Updates

2XKO is pretty balanced, but it’s still got more than its share of oppressive top tiers and irksome mechanics. Riot is aware of these discrepancies, noting how it can be “way too sharp and overwhelming for some players” and that it will “take some big swings towards allowing players to get back to the action more quickly.” These are great statements to make in this early era since a game like this is going to need thoughtful and consistent tweaks to keep players from jumping ship once the novelty wears thin.

This need for regularity also applies to new characters. Riot said it will put five more out this year but didn’t reveal when the next one is coming or the cadence the rest will follow. Ideally, these would drop at regular intervals and refresh the game and come out consistently, which hasn’t been the case for other genre heavy hitters.

3) Better Single-Player Options

Fighting games have increasingly prioritized single-player modes over the years, something evidenced by Street Fighter 6’s World Tour, Tekken 8’s cinematic story mode and Arcade Quest, and the campaigns NetherRealm Studios helped popularize in its Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles. And 2XKO has a nifty suite of tutorials and combo trials that do a solid job of teaching players the fundamentals, as well as the possible combo routes they can experiment with. But that’s mostly all of what the game has to offer those who don’t want to jump online.

2) A Currency Rework

2XKO, as is the case with every other free-to-play game (and most premium games these days, too) has multiple currency types. And, thankfully, players can buy characters, stages, and some costumes with the money they slowly accrue from fighting, completing tutorials and combo trials, and ticking off daily and weekly challenges. It has some takes a lot of time to scrape together the cash to buy something since everything is thousands of Credits, though, and this currency shouldn’t be artificially capped at 12,000 to discourage players from banking points (which seems to exist solely to boost engagement over a longer and more consistent period of time). Despite these flaws, it’s great that most items can be unlocked simply by playing.

“Most,” however, is the operative word there since the battle pass and all of the best costumes can only be purchased with KO Points, its premium currency. This currency cannot currently be unlocked in any other way, which is frustrating for those who don’t want to just be unlocking palette swaps of the base skins. Other games like Mortal Kombat 1 and Overwatch 2 added alternate ways to unlock their premium currencies later on and, even though these methods are sluggish, they still are acceptable because they let players eventually work up to a nice skin they want without dropping a ridiculous sum of real-world money. With some way to earn KO Points for free and a slight tweak to the Credits cap, 2XKO‘s economy would feel more fair.

1) Menu-Based Matchmaking

Consoles helped kill the arcade scene that was crucial to the golden era of fighting games in the 1990s. But now many modern fighting game developers have felt the need to emulate the communal aspect of arcades through virtual lobbies where players can run around with their avatar, chat, and throw down. 2XKO has that arcade system and it works relatively well. However, this shouldn’t be the only way to get into an online match.

As it stands now, there is no way to get into an online battle without going through the lobby where players have to physically walk to a cabinet once one has been found. This is a laborious process that adds more fluff to the experience. Only ranked play has the option of practicing while queuing and even that still requires moving an avatar to an arcade cabinet. 2XKO should adopt Street Fighter 6‘s approach, as it has a whole lobby mode where players can go toe to toe, but also a traditional menu-based matchmaking system for those who want to cut the fat and just jump straight in while being kicked to a practice mode between sets.

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