Almost a full year after it was taken offline, MultiVersus is finally returning to PS5 and Xbox. As confirmed by game director Tony Huynh, the final MultiVersus release date is Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Sporting a new engine, new netcode, a new PvE mode, and more, a lot has changed from the popular fighter’s open beta.
Announcing the fighting game’s return, Huynh states the team has “learned a lot from our open beta,” and was informed by player feedback when making the “variety of changes and updates” coming to the full launch. And, judging from Huynh’s rundown, MultiVersus is set to be a completely different beast from the one you played last year.
“From day one we set out to make a game that not only packs a punch, but makes a mark on the game genre we love,” Huynh expresses, and this revamped MultiVersus could very well be it. Rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, character visuals and lighting have been demonstrably improved in the multiplayer game. From the snippet of Wonder Woman shown in the full video below, it’s clear that the lighting and shadows are more dynamic than before.
Of course, good visuals don’t make a great fighter. More importantly, it needs to have solid, responsive netcode if it’s to stack up against the best in the genre. MultiVersus received flak in the past for hit registration issues and other server-side problems, but Huynh believes the new netcode will provide “consistent, world-class online play.”
The love for MultiVersus’ vibrant roster of characters doesn’t end at visuals, either. “There’ll be new attacks and combat mechanics for each character, putting more skill expression in your hands,” Huynh explains. Oh, and the studio will be adding “some really exciting, brand new personalities to the roster, along with more stages from worlds we have yet to explore” – look forward to those.
To top it all off there’s even a “brand new PvE mode that’ll offer a new way to play outside of PvP.” According to Huynh, “this new mode will introduce additional ways of playing, with unique rewards.” While it’s unclear what said rewards will entail, we’re excited to see a less-sweaty PvE option come to what’s already shaping up to be one of the best games of the year. Of course, dunking on players in PvP will always reign supreme, but it’s nice to have a more casual alternative.
With an official date now in the book, the final countdown until MultiVersus returns has now begun. In the meantime, acquaint yourself with the latest news from some of the other best PS5 games and best Xbox games. For example, check out this incredible Dune 2 Timothée Chalamet recreation in Dragon’s Dogma 2’s character creation tool.