As Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse prepares to launch Zenless Zone Zero, the third piece of its RPG trifecta alongside Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, several contenders are shaping up to match. Alongside the likes of the upcoming Wuthering Waves and more traditional anime RPGs such as the recent hit Granblue Fantasy Relink comes Solo Leveling: Arise, the inevitable adaptation of the hit Korean web novel all about leveling up and taking on powerful foes in fast-paced action combat. As it sets a global launch date, developer Netmarble announces a huge milestone, with more than 12 million pre-registrations already coming in.
Solo Leveling: Arise is an anime RPG game with gacha mechanics that lets you spend in-game currency or real money to roll the dice for new and better weapons, equipment, and characters. Unlike most games that use the gacha format, however, series protagonist Sung Jinwoo is very much the lead character in Arise, meaning you’ll spend the bulk of your time playing as him and upgrading him with stat boosts, new skills, and the various weapons you’ll collect as you progress, each bestowing new combat prowess upon him.
Your fellow hunters join you through the game’s main story campaign as assist characters you can call on in battle, but as more modes unlock you’ll be able to take them into a range of dungeons and trials, controlling them directly to earn more powerful gear and take advantage of their unique skills and abilities.
As Jinwoo progresses, he’ll even be able to unleash his signature Army of Shadows, much like in the manhwa (and the corresponding anime). It’s a series that has always felt pre-built to slot perfectly into a videogame adaptation, and now that we finally have the global Solo Leveling Arise release date it’s time to look forward to playing it ourselves.
Solo Leveling: Arise launches Wednesday May 8 globally. While some territories have already had access to the game – and the initial response to its fast-paced boss battles and narrative tie-ins has been rather positive so far – the global launch means you will finally be able to play regardless of where you are. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date with all the latest Solo Leveling Arise codes for bonus materials on day one, too.
If you want to get one step ahead right now and join in on those 12 million people already lining up to play, you can head over to the Solo Leveling Arise pre-registration page on the official website to do so. Sign up before launch, and you’ll get a number of bonus limited-time rewards along with the opportunity to get Jinwoo’s partner Yoo Jinho as a member of your party.
You’ll also want to check in with our Solo Leveling Arise tier list to get a feel for the best characters to watch out for at launch, along with a Solo Leveling Arise reroll guide so you know how to ensure you start off ahead. And now go check our best anime games list.