Echoes of Aincrad, an action RPG set in the Sword Art Online universe, launches July 9 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S and July 10 on PC via Steam, with a demo available June 16.
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced Echoes of Aincrad as a new action RPG that reboots the Aincrad arc from the original Sword Art Online light novel. The game places the player as a beta tester trapped in the death game, rather than following Kirito. Character creation lets players customize their avatar's real appearance, which is revealed during Kayaba Akihiko's death game declaration. Kirito voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka recorded new lines for the game, and the original anime audio is used for Kayaba's announcement.
A demo launches June 16 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam version June 17). The demo covers the beta test period and takes three to four hours to complete. Players control a fixed young swordsman avatar, with full character customization reserved for the main game. Combat mechanics include light and heavy attacks, sword skills, guarding, evasion, a parry system, and a severance system for limb destruction. A partner character named Iori assists in battle, with a Switch Mode for coordinated attacks and a Free Mode for independent action. The demo's data carries over to the full game.
The full game launches July 9 in Japan on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and July 10 on PC via Steam, with a Western release on all platforms July 10. Difficulty options include Story and Normal in the demo, with Hard and Very Hard available in the full release, plus a permadeath Death Game Mode unlocked after clearing the story. Aimer performs the theme song.
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2h ago
Bandai Namco Entertainment will release a demo for Echoes of Aincrad, the upcoming action RPG set in the Sword Art Online universe, on June 16, 2026. The demo, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam version on June 17), covers the beta test period of the death game and takes roughly three to four hours to complete. Players control a fixed young swordsman avatar, with full character customization reserved for the main game. The demo introduces combat mechanics including light and heavy attacks, sword skills, guarding, evasion, and a parry system. A partner character named Iori assists in battle, with a Switch Mode for coordinated attacks and a Free Mode for independent action. A severance system allows limb destruction when conditions are met. The demo's data carries over to the full game, which launches July 9 (July 10 on Steam). Difficulty options include Story and Normal in the demo, with Hard and Very Hard available in the full release, plus a permadeath Death Game Mode.
1d ago
Bandai Namco Entertainment released a second story trailer for the action RPG Echoes of Aincrad, set in the original Sword Art Online death game world. A demo arrives June 16. The game launches July 9 in Japan on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and July 10 on PC via Steam, with a Western release on all platforms July 10. Aimer performs the theme song.
4d ago
Bandai Namco Entertainment announced on June 11 that a demo version of the new Sword Art Online action RPG Echoes of Aincrad will be released on June 16 for PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The full game launches July 9 on consoles and July 10 on Steam. Echoes of Aincrad reboots the Aincrad arc from the original light novel, placing the player as a beta tester trapped in the death game. Character creation lets players customize their avatar's real appearance, which is revealed during the iconic death game declaration scene by Kayaba Akihiko. The demo covers the early first-floor quests Summon and Going Ahead, where players meet partner character Iori and experience the moment logging out becomes impossible. The game offers four difficulty levels plus a permadeath Death Game Mode unlocked after clearing the story. Kirito voice actor Yoshitsugu Matsuoka recorded new lines for the game, which uses the original anime audio for Kayaba's announcement.