"Im usually pretty resilient to Koei Tecmo greed but this is too far." That's the top Steam review for DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Last Round, and it's hard to argue with the sentiment. The game launched with 440 pieces of DLC totaling $1,707.60, no rollback netcode, no crossplay, and no upgrade path for players who already owned the original. The result: 79% negative reviews out of 709 on Steam, and a fanbase that feels like it's been asked to pay twice for the privilege of paying more.
What Last Round actually is (and isn't)
Dead or Alive 6 originally launched in 2019. Last Round is positioned as the "definitive" edition for the series' 30th anniversary, and on paper that sounds like a reason to get excited. In practice, the additions are a photo mode and new costumes. That's it. The core game underneath is identical to the 2019 release, fighting system and all.
Here's the thing: missing rollback netcode and crossplay were already questionable omissions back in 2019. In 2026, when games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 have set the standard for online play, shipping a "definitive" edition without either feature isn't just a disappointment. It reads as a statement about priorities.
The $40 base price stings on its own. What makes it worse is that the original version has been delisted from Steam, and Koei Tecmo has confirmed there is no upgrade discount for existing owners. Players who bought Dead or Alive 6 years ago and accumulated DLC have to spend $40 again just to access whatever new content comes next. Old DLC purchases do transfer, which is something, but the lack of any bridge pricing has been a recurring complaint across the Steam reviews.
The $1,700 number, put in context
That $1,707.60 DLC total is worth examining carefully. The figure includes both individual costumes and bundle packs, meaning there's overlap between standalone items and sets. New players aren't necessarily looking at a $1,707 bill to feel complete. But the number still reflects something real: years of costume content being re-listed at original prices with zero discounting on launch day.
The free-to-play version of Dead or Alive 6 has existed for years as a lower-barrier entry point, letting players sample the game before committing. Doubling the character unlock prices undercuts that entirely. A second Steam review that's been upvoted heavily puts it plainly: “$40. No new content, just the privilege of being able to spend more money on unrevealed DLC later.”
What the anniversary was supposed to signal
The 30th anniversary framing matters here. Koei Tecmo positioned Last Round as the start of a comeback arc, with new DLC characters and updates promised post-launch. The idea being that the existing game gets a second life while a new entry presumably waits in the pipeline.
The key here is that players were willing to engage with that premise. Dead or Alive 6 is a genuinely entertaining fighter, and the series has a dedicated audience that has stuck with it through years of aggressive costume monetization. The franchise has always sold costumes aggressively, going back to Dead or Alive 5. That's not new information for anyone who has followed the series.
What's different this time is the combination of factors landing at once: a paid re-release with no meaningful new content, no upgrade path, no modern netcode, and a DLC catalog that hasn't been discounted to reflect its age. Any one of those on its own might have been manageable. All four together is what's generating a 79% negative rating within hours of launch.
If you're new to the game or want to get set up on PC before deciding whether to invest, the PC setup and system requirements guide covers what you need to know before spending anything. The full Dead or Alive 6 Last Round guides collection is worth checking as more content rolls out post-launch, particularly if Koei Tecmo follows through on the promised DLC characters and updates in the months ahead.
