Dead or Alive 6 Last Round just hit Steam and consoles, and it’s getting absolutely eviscerated by both the critics and users, as Koei Tecmo’s latest re-release failed to match the expectations that were set during the reveal.
The game is getting poor reviews because many critics and players do not see it as a strong enough upgrade over the original Dead or Alive 6. It’s being criticized for its price, limited new content, missing modern online features, and continued DLC issues.
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round sits at 70 on Metacritic and 65 on OpenCritic, while its Steam user reviews are especially eviscerating: 26% and a Mostly Negative rating.
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round feels like an update
One of the biggest criticisms is that Last Round feels more like just an update than a full re-release, which Koei Tecmo released it as. The game still plays well, but there just aren’t enough changes to justify bringing Dead or Alive 6 back seven years after its original release.
Many expected to properly reset the game’s reputation before the next main entry, but the launch version mainly adds a current-gen version, Photo Mode, a small set of costumes, and a roster update that’s somehow still incomplete.
There are 400+ DLCs listed on Steam when people expected this to be the all-inclusive ultimate version of an almost decade-old game.
There is no rollback netcode or crossplay
The lack of rollback netcode and crossplay is one of the unforgivable sins any modern fighting game could commit. There are no excuses for it, either: if the company lacks the means to make a proprietary rollback version, there are plenty of middleware solutions readily available.
For a modern fighting game re-release, especially one trying to bring back an older player base, those omissions are almost unforgivable, lagging behind the most budget indie fighting games.
New content is limited
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round includes Nyotengu, Phase 4, Tamaki, Momiji, and Rachel, the characters that were added as DLC fighters to the original DOA 6. However, the crossover characters Mai Shiranui and Kula Diamond are still not included in the base paid version for some reason, even if you had them purchased in DOA 6.
It’s a fairly decent package for any new players, but the returning DOA 6 players would feel completely ripped off as the game simply does not honor their previous purchases.
The game also adds new costumes for Kasumi, Ayane, Marie Rose, Honoka, and NiCO, plus the new Photo Mode, and that’s it. One additional character is announced to be coming at a later date, and you guessed it: the DLC will be paid.
DLCs are still a problem
The Dead or Alive series already had a difficult reputation around DLC, and Last Round has done nothing to counter the allegations. There are more than 400 DLCs listed for the game, which raises a valid question of even calling this the definitive version of the game, if the content everyone expected to be bundled is going to be resold again.
Yes, the game mostly honors previous purchases made in the original DOA 6, but these people are also not seeing any increase in value or any reason to go for the new $39.99 release
The original Dead or Alive 6 problems are still here
Some of the criticism is also inherited from the original Dead or Alive 6, as Last Round fixes absolutely no issues with the story mode, online limitations, missing features, and extremely poor monetization.
What Last Round does is improve the presentation and makes some content easier to access for the new players, while also making the game available on the newer platforms.
If you had any issues with the original DOA 6, Last Round did nothing to fix them.
Additional user criticism
Steam users are especially unhappy, as the game is on the verge of having an Overwhelmingly Negative score. Along with all the problems we mentioned, players also discovered that the game changed its file structure, which killed every single available mod.
#DOA#DOA6
— Haise Saeye (@HaiseSaeye) June 25, 2026
the game uses the fdata format, modding the game is impossible now pic.twitter.com/yFz6PGNDfb
While it’s unclear if this was Koei Tecmo’s direct intention, players are under no illusion that the developers could have accidentally done something like this.
Why Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has poor reviews
More than anything else, hardcore DOA fans are lamenting this release as a missed opportunity to garner enough goodwill and attract new players to the series before the release of the upcoming new installment.
Players are already questioning whether Dead or Alive 7 will also feature an unreasonable amount of DLC, bad netcode, and an incoherent storyline. Because they have absolutely no reason to think otherwise.
