Guilty Gear Strive Season 3 Details Revealed as It Reaches 2.5 Million Players Globally - EVO 2023

Alongside revealing Season 3 details for Guilty Gear Strive and that the Jellyfish Pirates captain Johnny will be the next DLC fighter, Arc System Works has confirmed Guilty Gear Strive has become its first game to exceed 2.5 million players worldwide.

Announced at EVO 2023, Guilty Gear Strive's third season is packed with a ton of new content and it will all kick off with the Johnny DLC on August 24, 2023. There will be three more DLC characters added in Season 3 and that will bring the roster size to 28 when it's all said and done - 15 from the start and the additional 13 from DLC.

【お知らせ】　
新プレイアブルキャラクター「ジョニー」参戦決定❗️

「ジョニー」はリーチに優れた高速の居合斬り「ミストファイナー」と、斬ることで攻撃が発生するカードを使って戦うキャラクターです。

▼キャラクタートレーラーはこちらhttps://t.co/oN8BiOoCEF#GGST#ギルティギア pic.twitter.com/EdLDW9NW3H

— GUILTY GEAR OFFICIAL (@GUILTYGEAR_PR) August 6, 2023

"With Katana in hand, the daring and debonair pirate Johnny and his crew are dedicated to caring for and defending those less fortunate around the world," Johnny's official description reads. "Players will experience Johnny’s mastery of swordsmanship showcased through his swift attacks and notable strength."

Season 3 will also bring with it two new systems in the Wild Assault offensive mechanic and the Deflect Shield defensive mechanic. Wild Assault is a "rush attack move with powerful effects" while Deflect Shield "creates a large distance between you and your opponent after blocks."

These will surely change up the game a bit, especially considering they both consume 50% of the Burst gauge.

If you have yet to jump on the Guilty Gear Strive train, August 24 will also see the release of the Guilty Gear Strive Daredevil Edition. This $99.99 version includes the base game, Season Passes 1-3, digital sound and artwork, and more.

We encourage you to give it a shot as we very much enjoyed Guilty Gear Strive and recently ranked it as our second favorite fighting game of all time.

In our Guilty Gear Strive review, we said it "sets a new standard for anime-like fighting games with its visuals, stellar netcode, and flexible fighting system that encourages and rewards creativity."

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.