A customizable Action RPG without predefined heroes
If the first teaser suggested a game Sword Art Onlinesome doubts remained. It must be said that the aesthetic seemed to be moving away a bit. And that’s quite normal: in addition to adopting a style Echoes of Aincrad will abandon a hero imposed as the main character to give you free choice of your avatar. No Kirito by default therefore, even if the customization tool will undoubtedly allow you to imitate his style.
You will be able to shape your own hero by playing entirely on his physique. A protagonist in your image therefore, who will be the perfect pretext to attack the flying fortress and try to climb the 100 floors of Aincrad. A logical choice for series producer Yosuke Futami, who said it was not necessary to know the manga or anime to immerse yourself in this new original story.
For the rest, we are heading towards a fairly traditional action RPG based on real-time combat, a solo adventure involving several companions controlled by the computer (and therefore with a system of combos and synergies), and many skills to personalize. We are also promised a tailor-made progression, where we will have to play on our equipment, our weapons, our statistics and our companions to structure a build rather centered on speed, intelligence or endurance.
Return to Aincrad
For exploration, no open world mentioned, but the possibility of “travel between cities and through dazzling environments, from serene plains to perilous dungeons shrouded in mystery » and a map that evolves at the pace of your adventure. And if it will not be necessary to know the original universe, we can of course imagine some references hidden in the world.
However, if we will not play Kirito or an imposed hero, that will not prevent the game from introducing us to some familiar faces. This is the case of Asuna, who shows her face on several occasions. Other characters are covered in another trailer made in a short film style, which gives a few additional crumbs of story.
When is the Echoes of Aincrad release date?
Immediately announced, immediately dated: this new game Sword Art Online will be released on July 10, 2026 worldwide, the day before in Japan. Echoes of Aincrad will be available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Seriesand will therefore not be released on the old generation of consoles. And since the ambitions seem a little higher than usual (and the license is still selling), Bandai Namco is well aware that they can make a few extra coins with the announcement of several editions.
If the standard edition will be billed at €69.99 (and offers a weapons pack as a pre-order bonus), two Deluxe and Ultimate editions are presented:
Deluxe Edition (€89.99)
- The game
- The expansion pack with future DLC and a starter pack
- Early access to a Deadly game mode
Ultimate Edition (€109.99)
- The game
- The expansion pack with future DLC and a starter pack
- Early access to a Deadly game mode
- A butterfly armor pack
- An anime short film
- The digital soundtrack
- a digital Artbook
Note that the DLC mentioned should be released before December 31, 2026.
A first preview
Our colleagues from the IGN media also had the opportunity to preview the game to provide a first quick opinion. Above all, the opportunity to see a few additional images. A first handling which seems relatively convincing, with some certainly classic aspects, but where we feel more means offered.
We won’t have to wait long to see if this new Sword Art Online game will live up to expectations, on July 10.