Solo Leveling: KARMA is Netmarble Neo’s upcoming roguelite spinoff, and its Tokyo Game Show 2026 reveal confirmed the game is built around an original story arc set during Sung Jinwoo’s 27-year war inside the Dimensional Gap, a stretch of his history the anime and webtoon never actually show. Two new trailers dropped September 17, and a livestreamed voice-actor battle followed on September 20.
KARMA Is Not Arise, and That Distinction Matters
Netmarble already has one Solo Leveling game live: Solo Leveling: Arise, the gacha action RPG that retells Jinwoo’s canon story beat for beat on PC, mobile and Xbox. Solo Leveling: KARMA is a different project from the same publisher, built by the same studio, Netmarble Neo, but it is not a gacha game and it is not a retelling. It is a run-based, isometric roguelite, and the story it tells is one the source material has never covered.
What Tokyo Game Show 2026 Actually Showed
Netmarble Neo brought two trailers to TGS, a cinematic trailer and a gameplay-focused “Game Overview” video, both published September 17, 2026. Between them, they laid out cooldown-based combat, a run structure built around three-option “Blessing” upgrades, more than 200 stackable buffs, and the ability to fuse weapon types mid-run, per Niche Gamer‘s breakdown of the reveal. Eight playable characters were shown, including Shadows players can control directly rather than just summon, like Iron and Igris. Cha Hae-in also shows up, but as a boss fight rather than a playable ally.
The Story Hook: 27 Years Nobody Has Actually Seen
Every version of Solo Leveling references the years Sung Jinwoo spent fighting inside the Dimensional Gap during the Monarch War, but none of them show it. KARMA is built specifically to fill that gap, following an item called the “Broken Cup of Reincarnation,” which can only be restored through Jinwoo’s own fragmented memories of that war. It is a smart place for a spinoff to live: the fanbase already knows the 27 years happened, but nobody has actually watched them.
Taito Ban’s Live Time Attack Battle
The reveal’s biggest stage moment came on September 20, when Taito Ban, Sung Jinwoo’s Japanese voice actor, played KARMA live against streamers Bodoka and K4sen in a three-way Time Attack Battle, broadcast on the game’s official channels. Japanese actor Kanata Hongo had already demoed the game’s Story Mode and Survival Mode at the TGS booth on September 17, according to Inven Global‘s on-the-ground coverage. Having Jinwoo’s own voice actor go head-to-head with real streamers, on the record, is a stronger confidence signal than another cinematic would have been.
Platforms, Release Window and Pre-Registration
Solo Leveling: KARMA is confirmed for PC, iOS and Android. Netmarble has not given an exact release date, only a 2026 window. Pre-registration opened on September 16, 2026, about 3 months before that broader 2026 launch window closes, on the Google Play and App Store listings in Korea and Japan, with early rewards including a Predator Outfit and a Monarch’s Box, per the game’s official pre-registration page. Wider regional pre-registration has not been announced yet.
| Solo Leveling: KARMA | Solo Leveling: Arise | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Isometric roguelite action RPG | Live-service gacha action RPG |
| Story | Original arc, the 27-year Dimensional Gap war | Retells the canon webtoon/anime story |
| Structure | Run-based, permadeath-style upgrades reset each run | Persistent account progression |
| Platforms | PC, iOS, Android | PC, mobile, Xbox |
| Release status | 2026 window, KR/JP pre-registration open | Live now |
Why This Is a Good Bet for the Franchise
A roguelite built on a run-and-reset loop is a natural home for a “lost 27 years” story: every run can dramatize a different fragment of a war that’s canonically already over, without KARMA ever needing to contradict the anime’s ending. That is a cleaner pitch than most licensed spinoffs get, and it explains why Netmarble is leaning on TGS live events instead of just another trailer drop to sell it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Solo Leveling: KARMA the same game as Solo Leveling: Arise?
No. Both are published by Netmarble and built by Netmarble Neo, but Arise is a live-service gacha RPG retelling the canon story, while KARMA is a standalone isometric roguelite telling an original story set during Sung Jinwoo’s 27-year war in the Dimensional Gap.
When does Solo Leveling: KARMA release?
Netmarble has only confirmed a 2026 release window, with no exact date yet. Pre-registration opened September 16, 2026 in Korea and Japan.
What platforms is Solo Leveling: KARMA coming to?
PC, iOS and Android are confirmed. No console versions have been announced.
What happened at Solo Leveling: KARMA’s Tokyo Game Show 2026 reveal?
Netmarble Neo published a cinematic trailer and a gameplay-focused Game Overview trailer on September 17, 2026, then held a livestreamed Time Attack Battle on September 20 featuring Sung Jinwoo’s Japanese voice actor Taito Ban against streamers Bodoka and K4sen.
What story does Solo Leveling: KARMA tell?
An original arc set during the 27 years Sung Jinwoo spent fighting inside the Dimensional Gap during the Monarch War, a period referenced in the webtoon and anime but never actually shown.
If you want the full canon story before diving into KARMA’s side of it, our Solo Leveling episode guide covers every season, and our strongest Solo Leveling villains ranking is a good primer on who Jinwoo has actually had to fight.
