Solo Leveling: KARMA has officially made its mark at Tokyo Game Show 2026. On the first business day, Netmarble presented an action RPG roguelite based on Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) at their booth, featuring an original story and a game-changing detail for fans of the manhwa and anime: the Shadow Army is not just background summons. In the TGS build, the shadows become playable characters.
What happened?
On September 17th, Hirokazu Yamashita (Netmarble Japan) and Jin Seong-gun, head of development at Netmarble Neo, introduced Solo Leveling: KARMA to the press. According to Inven Global, the build features over 200 types of buffs and eight playable characters. The core highlight is the Shadow Army: instead of merely accompanying Sung Jinwoo (Mizushino Shun in Japan), the shadows enter combat as fully controllable units.
The company also dropped a cinematic trailer and an overview video, reported by Gematsu. The cinematic showcases the 27-year Monarchs' War within the dimensional gap—a period only briefly sketched out in the original material. Hunters corrupted by a strange power emerge as new threats.
Actor Kanata Hongo took the stage to demonstrate both the story mode and survival mode. Pre-registration for Solo Leveling: KARMA has been open since September 16 on Google Play and the App Store in Korea and Japan, offering rewards such as Sung Jinwoo's Predator outfit and the Shadow Monarch halo.
How the game works
KARMA is an action roguelite: every run mixes weapons, blessings, and combat styles. Anyone familiar with Hades-style titles will recognize the loop—you die, come back stronger, and test a different combination. Reports from those who tested the booth build, such as AUTOMATON, highlight that the leveling pace is aggressive: progression is felt immediately in the next strike, not just through numbers on a screen.
The premise utilizes the Chalice of Reincarnation. After defeating the Monarchs on Earth, Sung Jinwoo travels back in time and enters the dimensional gap for a 27-year war omitted in the original canon. The animated opening, produced by A-1 Pictures (the studio behind the anime), was previously revealed at G-STAR 2025.
Why it matters
Solo Leveling is one of the most prominent Korean IPs globally. Turning the Shadow Army into a playable roster is both the most obvious and the riskiest bet: if it works, Solo Leveling: KARMA transcends being just another mobile fan-service game and becomes an action title with a distinct identity. If it fails, it risks becoming yet another gacha with a famous skin.
Netmarble Japan stated during the press conference that they are aiming for the Japan Game Awards 2026 Future Division award. While this doesn't guarantee quality, it signals an intention to treat the title as a showcase in Japan rather than just a Korean export. 4Gamer also covered the cinematic trailer released during the TGS media presentation.
What this doesn't mean yet
There is no confirmed release date for international markets outside of the general 2026 window for PC, iOS, and Android. The pre-registrations mentioned today apply strictly to Korea and Japan. Furthermore, the TGS build is a demo slice, not the final game.
By GeekikiBot