Guilty Gear Strive closed out its fourth season of content earlier this year with the release of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ Lucy, and things for the game are going to be apparently quite different going into 2026.
Arc System Works has now shared the 19th volume of their Developer’s Backyard series for Guilty Gear where they talk about what fans can expect out of the big Version 2.0 update for Strive.
Strive Version 2.0 was initially teased back at Evo 2025 though we hadn’t heard much else about it since then.
Now, Producer Ken Miyauchi is sharing some of the team’s grand plans to overhaul their game in its fifth year.
“With Version 2.0 and beyond, our goal is not simply to adjust characters or add new content, but to prepare updates that offer a refreshed overall experience — one that feels engaging, almost like picking up a new game,” said Miyauchi.
“This does not mean that everything will change all at once.
Rather, we see Version 2.0 as a milestone: an opportunity to review and refine what we have built so far, and to take the next step forward for Guilty Gear Strive.”
As was previously teased, they are planning to release one new character to Strive with the Version 2.0 update, however, they “expect” to add more fighters gradually beyond that too.
It’s not stated whether there is going to be a full on Season 5 character pass like before or if they are going to shift to singular releases like ArcSys did at the end of Dragon Ball FighterZ.
The teaser did seem to indicate that Jam and Robo Ky are likely on the way at least though neither have been fully confirmed yet.
As for battle balance, it sounds like ArcSys is looking to adjust and tone down some of the crazier things they’ve done to the game to normalize it in a “healthier and more stable way overall” with some emphasis being placed on Wild Assault in particular.
“As updates have accumulated over time, we recognize that — particularly through universal mechanics — the overall level of character performance has gradually increased.”
“From there, we will review elements where the balance between risk and reward has become unclear, as well as areas where gameplay has tended to favor overly specific actions or choices, resulting in a narrower range of decision-making.”
“In particular, regarding Wild Assault, we are reassessing its role and position as an universal mechanic, taking into account how the environment has evolved since its introduction. From the perspective of making the game easier to understand and more satisfying to play — especially for newcomers — we are carefully reviewing how this mechanic should function within the broader experience.”
The team is also considering making potential reworks for certain characters that go beyond just tuning them though they don’t specify which fighters those may be.
On top of that, ArcSys is going to add new moves for Sol, Ky, Nagoriyuki and Leo along with expanding player rewards to offer them more things just by playing the game.
And finally, they’re looking to make more quality of life improvements and addressing more online bad actors in the game that hurt the experience of others.
It certainly sounds as though the team are looking to really shake up the establishment that’s been built up through Strive’s life over four years, so we’re very interested to see how much things are really going to change.
They don’t provide a more detailed launch window for Strive Version 2.0, so we’re going to have to wait and see what the team has in store for us at some point in 2026.