Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 80 | 169 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 84% | 77 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 76% | 71 | 33 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 93 reviews sampled · 92 total reviews in window · weighted 48.7 up / 15.2 down · computed 3h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (105)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 65
“The King of Fighters XV is a fun fighting game all around. Solid gameplay base, complex mechanics, a massive roster, it may take a while to get into, but it’s a fun journey along the way.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV is definitely an intriguing fighting game where nothing comes easy. If you’re the type of player who enjoys a good challenge, I highly recommend this title. The visual style, dynamic combat, and fantastic electronic soundtrack give the game a unique charm.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“For new players and veterans of The King of Fighters series, this is the finest entry yet.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Despite King of Fighters XV's quality-of-life shortcomings, there's no arguing that it's still a good fighting game. It's just as fast and entertaining as previous entries in the franchise and brings the series into a new era with vastly improved netcode, but it puts up so many barriers of entry that it's hard to recommend to newcomers to the genre or franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“With the release of King of Fighters XV, SNK has done what they always do with the King of Fighters series of late: provided a complex, difficult, engaging, and satisfying team fighter. It offers incredible levels of depth to those who really delve into its systems, but vitally presents them in a way that’s still approachable, even if it’s not quite as approachable as the latest entries of its contemporaries.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“KOF XV is what you want from a series that's getting a second wind in a post-pandemic fighting game world: mandatory rollback netcode, great online fighting, a good roster that caters to old-school fans and a few new characters that add a bit more flavour, and all-around breakneck speed and depth.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“If you want something to play almost exclusively as a standard person vs. person fighter, particularly if you’re focused on doing so online, then KoF XV is one of the better options available today. If you’re more interested in a title with a variety of options and gameplay modes, then this isn’t it.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“As a brand-new mainline entry that follows the previous iteration after over five years, The King of Fighters XV feels a little "by the numbers" in a similar way to how Dead or Alive 6 didn't push on from DOA5. Everything is too familiar, too safe, and lacking those key elements that truly give the impression of the next proper game in the series. The 3D character models still look a bit out of place, the story mode is awful, and there isn't enough done to ease newcomers in. Solid online modes and a large roster, with the addition of cross-play to look forward to, mean there is plenty to like for series fans, though.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While it may not have managed to keep up with the times in every regard, The King of Fighters XV doubled down on the fundamentals and released a technically worthy successor to the series.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“This is definitely the best KOF has ever been in 3D, and as a newcomer to actually learning how to play well, I’ve had a blast.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Fighting game fans can't really go wrong with King of Fighters XV - a sequel that doesn't shy away from the technical depth of its predecessors. It's obviously still early days, but it feels like SNK has improved upon King of Fighters XIV in all of the ways that matter. Better visuals, expanded mechanics, and, perhaps most importantly, smooth online netcode make for fighter that's hard to fault - even if it's lacking the cutting edge of its peers.”
read full review ↗ - 84
“The King of Fighters XV is a solid and very fast fighting game that tests your skills. It shows how such a long-lived saga can evolve without losing its essence. Although it offers little content for casual players, the graphical upgrade, new mechanics, and rollback netcode makes the difference. All these changes are noticeable and put the franchise in the right direction.”
read full review ↗
cublikefoot
Gaming Professors
Seasoned Gaming
Paste Magazine
Gamer Escape
Kakuchopurei
VGChartz
Cubed3
Nexus Hub
Prima Games
Push Square
LevelUp…and 93 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.32May 21, 2024
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.31Feb 20, 2024
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.30Jan 30, 2024
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.21Dec 7, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.20Nov 14, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.10Sep 12, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.2.00Aug 8, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.93Jun 28, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.92Jun 20, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.80May 16, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.71Apr 13, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.70Apr 4, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.63Jan 27, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.62Jan 17, 2023
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.53Nov 1, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.52Oct 20, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.51Oct 4, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.40Aug 8, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.34Jun 10, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.33May 20, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.32May 17, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.21Apr 23, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.20Apr 14, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.14Apr 5, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.12Mar 21, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.11Mar 17, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Patch Ver.1.02.1Mar 9, 2022
- THE KING OF FIGHTERS XVFeb 18, 2022