Everything you need to know about Guilty Gear Strive

Originally announced at Evo 2019 — the annual esports competition focusing exclusively on fighting games — the upcoming Guilty Gear -Strive- will deliver more of the heavy metal rock and flashy style that the Guilty Gear series is known for.

Drawn in a style inspired by anime, the Guilty Gear franchise is set in the 22nd century during an era when limitless energy has brought about the Age of Magic. Traditional technology is outlawed, and during the ensuing wars, a mad scientist hilariously called "That Man" infuses human and animal DNA to create biological weapons called Gears. The Gears leader, called Justice, wages a war on mankind for a hundred years before they're defeated and imprisoned. Five years later, the first game picks up as a martial arts tournament meant to find the one fighter who can defeat Justice for good.

Yes, it's a totally bonkers world, even more so when you consider that every character has unique powers and fighting styles — and that heavy metal rock is a major source of inspiration behind it all. Guilty Gear Strive will be the seventh mainline installment in the 24-game series, the first since Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator's release in 2015. So where will the next game take the franchise?

Here's everything we know about Guilty Gear Strive.

When is the Guilty Gear Strive release date?

As of this writing, Guilty Gear Strive will be released on June 11, 2021.

Was the Guilty Gear Strive release date delayed?

Yes. Guilty Gear Strive's development team at Arc System Works announced in a March 3, 2021 Twitter post that the game would be delayed to June.

“Since we have received valuable feedback after the recent open beta test, we would like to make the most of this opportunity to provide the best game possible," the post reads. "We need extra time to polish some aspects of the game, such as the online lobbies and the server’s stability. We believe it best to use the extra time to improve the game’s quality and provide a better experience to all our players. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

This decision was made based on the beta that ran from February 19 to 23. Online lobbies and overall server stability emerged as noticeable issues with the game, and these aspects seem to be the major reasons behind the delay.

The game was originally slated for release in late 2020 but the first major delay was announced in October.

Is there a Guilty Gear Strive trailer?

The official Arc System Works YouTube channel has a plethora of different "trailers" for the game mainly consisting of character-focused trailers detailing their various backstories and movesets. But the very first, revealed during EVO 2019, is a teaser trailer focusing on Sol and Ky, two series mainstays who wield unique swords with fire and lightning powers, respectively.

Later in the trailer, we meet the newcomer Nagoriyuki, who is a noble vampire samurai. Many of the other trailers that have been released since focus on one or two characters each with a mix of cinematics and combat.

Is there a second Guilty Gear Strive beta?

The first open beta test for Guilty Gear Strive ran from February 19 to 23, which prompted the delay. AnimeFGCNews reported during the New Game Plus Expo on March 4, representatives from Arc System Works had said “another beta test is being considered with improvements.”

Thus far, we haven’t heard more about it. But since the game’s release was delayed until June, there’s plenty of time for Arc System Works to reopen the beta for another long weekend.

What characters are in the Guilty Gear Strive roster?

Leading up to the February 21, 2021 release of the final character trailer, Arc System Works had been revealing characters gradually in the form of new videos. In total, "15 characters will be available in the initial roster," which of course implies that there will be more characters added after launch.

For now, however, we're looking at the following 15 fighters:

1. Anji Mito
2. Giovanna
3. Leo Whitefang
4. Zato-1
5. Faust
6. Chipp Zanuff
7. May
8. Sol Badguy
9. Ky Kiske
10. Axl Low
11. Potemkin
12. Millia Rage
13. Ramlethal Valentine
14. Nagoriyuki
15. I-no

What platforms will Guilty Gear Strive be available on?

Guilty Gear Strive will be released on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Outside of PC, it’s a Sony exclusive. At this point, it seems highly doubtful that Xbox owners will ever be able to play on that family of consoles.

Barring any more delays, Guilty Gear Strive will be released on June 11, 2021.