Riot Games said on August 20 that it is ending active development of 2XKO in December 2026. Servers stay online past that date, offline play keeps working, and Riot is refunding recent purchases, but the roadmap is done and the balance patches stop. If 2XKO was your tag fighter, you have a decision to make about where to plant your practice hours next. We spent time with seven 2XKO alternatives on PC that fill the same tag-team, anime-styled, punish-if-you-drop-your-guard slot on desktop.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Team format | Price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guilty Gear Strive | Anime fighter fans who want depth | 1v1 | $59.99 | Rollback netcode, Season 4 roster |
| Dragon Ball FighterZ | Classic 3v3 tag combat | 3v3 tag | $19.99 base | 24-character roster, assist system |
| Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite | Two-character tag with team synergy | 2v2 tag | $29.99 | Infinity Stone mechanic |
| Skullgirls 2nd Encore | 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 flexibility | 1-3 fighters | $14.99 | Custom team ratio system |
| MultiVersus | Free-to-play platform fighter | 2v2 tag | Free | Warner Bros crossover roster |
| BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle | Cross-franchise 2v2 tag | 2v2 tag | $19.99 | Under Night, Persona, RWBY combined |
| Rivals of Aether 2 | Platform fighter with tight controls | 1v1, 2v2 doubles | $29.99 | Rollback, in-depth training mode |
Why 2XKO players are looking now
The August 20 announcement made it clear. Riot spent months trying to save the game: reduced team size, adjusted patch cadence, weighed the business model. None of it moved the metric that mattered — concurrent players. 2XKO shipped in January 2026 with high expectations and a Riot marketing engine behind it, and the fighting-game community’s read (echoed on r/2XKO and by the Kotaku, PC Gamer, and VGC coverage) is that the tag-team fighter market is smaller than Riot bet on.
The concrete impact for players: no new characters after the current roster, no meta shakeup patches, no scene support past this year’s tournament calendar. Tournaments are already switching back to established titles. That’s why we’re pointing to games with either a growing player base, active balance work, or both. A fighting game without new blood dies in ranked queue before the servers go down.
The 7 best 2XKO alternatives on PC
Guilty Gear Strive — Best for the anime-fighter feel with real depth
Guilty Gear Strive is the game most 2XKO players end up on. Arc System Works has kept it in an active season cycle since 2021, rollback netcode is excellent (matches feel local up to about 100 ms of ping), and Season 4 added new characters plus a re-tuned move list that keeps the meta shifting. Combat is 1v1 rather than tag, which some 2XKO players see as a downgrade and others as a relief from managing two health bars at once.
Where it falls short: No tag mechanic, so the team-synergy combo videos that drew people to 2XKO don’t transfer. Newer characters lean into complex install mechanics that raise the execution ceiling.
Pricing:
- Base game: $59.99 on Steam.
- Season passes: About $29.99 per season for four characters. Deluxe editions bundle them.
- vs 2XKO: 2XKO was free-to-play with character purchases; Strive is a paid game with paid DLC characters. Total cost across two seasons is comparable if you’d bought most 2XKO fighters.
Migrating from 2XKO: Controls remap cleanly to fight sticks and pads. Concepts transfer well (frame data reading, oki setups) but the individual character kits are different — expect two to three weeks to relearn a main.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick Strive if you liked 2XKO for the flashy movement and long combos and can live without tag combat.
Dragon Ball FighterZ — Best for classic 3v3 tag combat
Dragon Ball FighterZ predates 2XKO by seven years and still runs healthy lobbies. It’s a 3v3 tag fighter (vs 2XKO’s 2v2) built by Arc System Works, with the assist system and instant character swaps that define the sub-genre. The roster covers 24 fighters across the Dragon Ball catalogue, and the rollback netcode update in late 2022 fixed the connection quality complaints that once pushed players away.
Where it falls short: The active pro scene has thinned since the World Tour ended. New content stopped after Season 3.
Pricing:
- Base game: $19.99 on Steam (frequently on sale to $7-10).
- FighterZ Pass 1-3: About $34.99 each, adding up to 24 total DLC characters (regularly bundled).
- vs 2XKO: A single-purchase price that gets you the whole roster if you buy a bundle.
Migrating from 2XKO: The tag mechanics translate directly. Team composition and assist selection matter as much or more than in 2XKO.
Download: Steam · PlayStation Store
Bottom line: Pick FighterZ if you want tag combat now, don’t need the game to still be getting patches, and don’t mind pre-2020 game systems.
Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite — Best for two-character tag with team synergy
Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite is Capcom’s 2017 entry in the tag-fighter lineage. It uses 2v2 teams (like 2XKO), plus a rotating Infinity Stone mechanic that adds a third resource layer to fights. The roster leans heavily on Marvel characters (Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Ultron) with a Capcom side (Ryu, Chun-Li, Mega Man X) that gives it identity. Rollback netcode arrived via a 2024 update.
Where it falls short: Character models were criticized at launch and the DLC roadmap was cut short. Community counts are smaller than Strive or FighterZ, so ranked queues in off-peak hours can stretch.
Pricing:
- Base game: $29.99 on Steam.
- Character DLC: $7.99 per fighter, or ~$29.99 for the character pass.
- vs 2XKO: A one-time purchase; no gacha or per-character store past the pass.
Migrating from 2XKO: 2v2 team layout is the same. The Infinity Stones add a new decision layer that takes practice to weave into your neutral game.
Bottom line: Pick Infinite if you want 2XKO’s 2v2 pace with an added resource system, and you can accept a smaller ranked pool.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore — Best for team flexibility on a small budget
Skullgirls 2nd Encore is the veteran indie tag fighter. It lets you pick 1, 2, or 3 characters per team and scales their health accordingly, so a solo pick has more HP than a triple team. That flexibility is unique in the genre. Rollback netcode has been in place since 2021 (well before 2XKO shipped), and the roster is now 18 fighters after years of Season Pass work.
Where it falls short: The player base is smaller than Strive or FighterZ (expect longer ranked queues in some regions). The art style is polarizing.
Pricing:
- Base game: $14.99 on Steam (frequently discounted).
- Season Pass 1: About $29.99, adds four fighters.
- vs 2XKO: Substantially cheaper for a game that has been actively supported for over a decade.
Migrating from 2XKO: Ratio-team play is closer to Marvel vs. Capcom than to 2XKO’s fixed 2v2, but tag mechanics feel familiar. Expect to try several team sizes before landing on one.
Bottom line: Pick Skullgirls if you want the most tag-team flexibility for the lowest entry cost.
MultiVersus — Best free-to-play platform fighter
MultiVersus is Warner Bros’ free-to-play 2v2 platform fighter. Season 5 launched in early 2026 with rebalanced mechanics and a wider character rotation, and it remains the best free entry point for players moving off 2XKO who don’t want to pay for a new game while they test the water. The 2v2 tag focus and platform-fighter movement give it a different feel from traditional 2D fighters, closer to Smash than Strive.
Where it falls short: Free-to-play economy: characters unlock with grind or money. The competitive scene is uneven — great in NA, thin in EU and Asia.
Pricing:
- Free: Rotating free character pool, ranked and casual queues, full training mode.
- Paid: Founder’s Pack from $29.99 unlocks all launch characters permanently; individual character unlocks with in-game currency.
- vs 2XKO: Both were free-to-play; MultiVersus is still shipping content while 2XKO winds down.
Migrating from 2XKO: Movement is completely different (platform fighter versus traditional plane). Combos convert as air-strings rather than ground chains. Best treated as a change of genre.
Download: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: Pick MultiVersus if you want free 2v2 team play and are open to platform-fighter movement instead of traditional 2D fighting.
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle — Best for cross-franchise 2v2 tag combat
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is the closest structural match to 2XKO’s 2v2 pace. Two characters, tag mechanics, a simplified control scheme intentionally friendlier to newcomers than Guilty Gear. The roster is a crossover: BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth, RWBY, and (via DLC) Arcana Heart and Senran Kagura. Rollback netcode landed in a 2023 update.
Where it falls short: No new development. Player counts have dropped substantially since 2020. Some DLC bundles are complete, others got quietly abandoned.
Pricing:
- Base game: $19.99 on Steam (Complete Edition bundles all DLC at around $49.99).
- vs 2XKO: A finished game with no per-character shop past the DLC packs.
Migrating from 2XKO: Two-button special moves make the entry cost low. Tag Assist and Cross Combo timings are essentially 2XKO’s assist system with different names.
Download: Steam · Arc System Works
Bottom line: Pick Cross Tag Battle if you want the closest structural clone of 2XKO’s 2v2 tag combat at a low price, and you’re not counting on active updates.
Rivals of Aether 2 — Best for platform-fighter fans who want tight controls
Rivals of Aether 2 launched in late 2024 with rollback netcode, an in-depth training mode, and doubles mode for 2v2 team play. It’s a platform fighter (Smash-style, not traditional 2D), but the doubles queue is the closest 2v2 experience currently getting active development. The 12-character launch roster grew through 2025 and 2026, and the developer (Aether Studios) has been transparent about the patch cadence.
Where it falls short: Not a tag fighter in the 2XKO sense — teams share a life count but characters swap by KO, not on demand. Doubles ranked has a smaller player pool than singles.
Pricing:
- Base game: $29.99 on Steam.
- DLC: Roughly $5.99 per new character.
- vs 2XKO: Paid up front, DLC-driven, and still adding content.
Migrating from 2XKO: Substantially different genre. Movement is faster and airborne; ground combos are shorter. Best if you’re open to changing what “fighting game” means to you.
Download: Steam · Rivals of Aether 2 site
Bottom line: Pick Rivals of Aether 2 if you want the most actively supported 2v2 game and are open to platform-fighter movement.
How to choose the right 2XKO alternative
Pick Guilty Gear Strive if you want the depth 2XKO promised, active development, and a healthy pro scene. It’s the most common landing spot for former 2XKO mains.
Pick Dragon Ball FighterZ or BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle if the tag mechanic is what you loved about 2XKO. Both give you exactly that, cheaper than 2XKO’s own microtransactions and with no more balance patches from Arc but real ranked queues.
Pick MultiVersus if free-to-play matters and you’re open to platform fighting. It’s the only game on this list still being iterated as a live service that mirrors 2XKO’s original ambition.
Pick Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite or Skullgirls 2nd Encore if 2v2 with an added system layer sounds appealing (Infinity Stones or team ratios). Both are cheap, both have working rollback, both have smaller communities.
Pick Rivals of Aether 2 if you want the most actively developed doubles/tag game and don’t mind that it’s platform-fighter movement rather than plane-locked.
Stay on 2XKO through the end of the year if your practice partners are staying too. Offline play keeps working past the December sunset, so the game isn’t gone — just frozen.
FAQ
Will 2XKO servers shut down?
Riot said servers will remain online after active development ends in December 2026. Ranked play, casual matches, and offline modes stay accessible. The change is that no new patches, characters, or balance updates ship.
What is the cheapest 2XKO alternative on PC?
Skullgirls 2nd Encore at $14.99 (frequently $5-8 on sale) is the cheapest paid option. MultiVersus is free to download and play if you’re comfortable with a rotating character pool or grinding unlocks.
Which alternative has the best rollback netcode?
Guilty Gear Strive, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, and Rivals of Aether 2 have the strongest rollback implementations of the group. Dragon Ball FighterZ and BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle added rollback in later updates and it’s serviceable rather than best-in-class.
Are any of these games available on Steam Deck?
Guilty Gear Strive, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, Dragon Ball FighterZ, MultiVersus, and Rivals of Aether 2 are Steam Deck Verified or Playable. Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite and BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle work but may need input remapping.
What 2v2 fighting game is most similar to 2XKO?
BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is the closest structural match — two-character teams, on-demand tags, assist calls. Dragon Ball FighterZ (3v3) and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite (2v2) are the closest tag fighters with active or recent community support.
Should I wait for Marvel Tōkon or Invincible VS?
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls (Arc System Works) and Invincible VS (Skybound/Quarter Up) are both slated for 2026-2027 windows. If tag combat with a big publisher is your priority, they’re worth waiting for — but neither has launched yet, so the games above are what you can play today.
