DEAD OR ALIVE 6

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,430 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
DEAD OR ALIVE 6 Game Cover
Dead or Alive 6 is a great game that is easy for anyone to pick up and has the depth to last fighting game fans a long time.
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"Dead or Alive 6" is a 3D fighting game with fast-paced action and stunning graphics. The story continues from the previous installment, focusing on the conflict between Ninja and DOATEC and M.I.S.T led by Donovan. The game features updated combat systems and multi-tiered stages for an entertaining competitive experience. In-game purchases are available.

  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,430 reviews
gameplay177 positive mentions
story75 negative mentions
  • story452 mentions

    The story mode in "Dead or Alive 6" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players describing it as a disorganized and incoherent mess that fails to engage. Critics note that the narrative is often nonsensical, poorly presented, and lacks depth, with many characters receiving minimal development or screen time. While some appreciate the attempt at a more interconnected storytelling approach, the overall consensus is that the story is a weak aspect of the game, overshadowed by its fighting mechanics and character roster.

    • “The game features a comprehensive story mode, as well as a robust online multiplayer component that allows you to compete against players from around the world.”
    • “The story mode was enjoyable for me... really loved how it was done in little vignettes... even if it was kind of jumping around a bit.”
    • “The doa6 storyline system, however, connects stories together, and actually reveals all the scenes on a board as you find them, letting you get a better view of the overarching and connected story.”
    • “The story mode is a confusing mess, like it's bad, really bad.”
    • “The story was scattered and a mess.”
    • “The story mode was really confusing for me.”
  • gameplay423 mentions

    The gameplay in "Dead or Alive 6" is widely praised for its solid mechanics, fluid combat, and engaging systems like the break gauge and fatal rush, which add depth and strategy to fights. While many players appreciate the game's accessibility for newcomers and the complexity for veterans, concerns about the lack of content and the monetization practices surrounding DLC have overshadowed the overall experience. Despite these issues, the core gameplay remains enjoyable and is considered one of the best in the series, making it a worthwhile choice for fans of fighting games.

    • “The new break gauge and fatal rush systems add an extra level of strategy and excitement to the battles, and the new hold and throw mechanics make for more dynamic and satisfying fights.”
    • “The gameplay is updated and fun as hell, but what good is that when there's practically nothing to unlock without forking over more money?”
    • “The core gameplay is solid and really fun.”
    • “The content is bare-bones even in the deluxe version, and if you're used to games like Street Fighter, this game will leave you wanting more with its button-mashing fighting mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay changes they've added in Dead or Alive 5 have been removed in favor of the 'break gauge' system, which essentially functions exactly as any other fighting game's gauge does and fails to integrate the unique aspects that set apart the series from its competitors.”
    • “Some of the new mechanics are poorly implemented, and the changes from 5 are also lackluster in my opinion.”
  • graphics327 mentions

    The graphics in "Dead or Alive 6" have received widespread praise for their high quality and visual appeal, often described as some of the best in the fighting game genre. Many players appreciate the detailed character models, vibrant colors, and improved effects, although some have noted that the graphics options are limited and that online play can suffer from automatic downgrades. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, there are mixed feelings about the game's optimization and the balance between graphics and gameplay performance.

    • “Easily among the best graphics for a fighting game.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the different characters all have a different fighting style to accompany them which is a lot of fun.”
    • “The graphics continue to be impressive and far ahead of their time with this latest installment--seriously no other game has looked graphically good among its generation (and the next) than Dead or Alive.”
    • “The graphics have barely improved over DOA5 and the story is half-baked trash that is presented in a cluttered mess.”
    • “My friends and I got this to play it online together, and the game throttles the graphics and makes them look as bad as possible to ensure the game runs at 60fps.”
    • “They downgraded the graphics in online mode to the point that it is just a big laggy mess.”
  • music94 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as a significant improvement over previous entries, featuring a blend of new tracks and legacy songs. While some players appreciate the upbeat and catchy tunes, others find the music to be generic or lacking in memorability. Additionally, the ability to unlock and customize music adds replay value, though some users express frustration over the need to unlock tracks individually.

    • “The music is great, the stages are reactive to the action (breakables, corner break leads sometimes to a second stage, etc).”
    • “The soundtrack is also very good, and you can unlock songs and set which ones play on which stage or when you're up against certain characters.”
    • “The music is upbeat and catchy.”
    • “The music is subjectively terrible.”
    • “Nothing has changed from past games; it's the same character poses, same idles, mostly the same soundtrack.”
    • “You have to unlock each song individually by playing each character one by one, leveling them up.”
  • optimization50 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews from users. While some players report smooth performance and good graphics on lower-end systems, others experience significant issues such as crashes, frame rate drops, and poor high-resolution support. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary widely depending on individual hardware configurations, with some praising it as well-optimized while others find it lacking.

    • “With the least amount of input lag, more graphics customization than what the consoles can offer, automatic optimization for online play, and a thriving, dedicated modding community, this is a fighting game I can personally enjoy for years to come.”
    • “The game seems to be well optimized.”
    • “Great optimization and overall gameplay.”
    • “PC optimization options are still bad; the game crashed as soon as I started it, and then when it finally started working, there were significant FPS drops.”
    • “Boring stages, bland new characters, poorly optimized for PC; the esports stench lingers within this title. Clearly, this title flip-flops between who it wants to please. Does it want to be a serious fighter or does it want to be the 'she kicks high' game again? The lack of tag mode ruins any creative interaction between the characters.”
    • “Very poorly optimized for high resolutions.”
  • monetization45 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been widely criticized as exploitative and excessive, with many reviewers labeling it a "cash grab" due to the overwhelming presence of microtransactions and expensive DLCs. While some players acknowledge that the game can still be enjoyed without spending additional money, the intrusive monetization practices and grindy unlock systems have left a negative impression, overshadowing the gameplay experience. Overall, the monetization model is seen as detrimental to the franchise's reputation and player satisfaction.

    • “Monetization practices aside, the fighting is fun and easy enough to mash buttons at each other, but clearly has a rewarding combat system for those who are looking to go deeper and learn all the mechanics of the game.”
    • “The cosmetic differences operate on a similar economy to Tekken, Mortal Kombat, etc. - in-game purchases unlock style options, but there is a caveat: you must first make them available through earned experience playing each character.”
    • “Of course, there is the fact that the season pass is really expensive, which sucks, but it's pretty much the same thing that many games are unfortunately now doing with microtransactions - the difference being that DOA 6 makes it clear up front that it's expensive to get a lot of DLC, whereas many other games sell it all piecemeal so that it doesn't look expensive, but it adds up over time.”
    • “This feels like a lazy cash grab which can't justify the price or memory storage.”
    • “Everything about this game feels like a horrible cash grab and its somewhat fun fighting mechanics and pretty characters are grossly overshadowed by this robbery.”
    • “The costume unlock system is ridiculous, and it reeks of potential microtransactions in the future.”
  • grinding44 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the costume unlock system excessively tedious and frustrating. While some appreciate the challenge, the majority feel that the grind is unnecessarily prolonged, often requiring players to invest substantial time or money to obtain desired outfits. Recent patches have attempted to address these concerns, but many still view the system as a major drawback that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You don't know what you will unlock by beating a mission, so you just need to be lucky, and this makes the game grindy and frustrating.”
    • “However, I do have to point out that grinding to get more outfits in this game is a massive chore.”
    • “The grind for costumes is more than tedious, maybe painful, especially considering I can't focus on collecting parts for one costume, or even one character.”
  • humor16 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely described as unintentional, with players finding the story mode's poor writing, awkward voice acting, and disjointed narrative to be hilariously bad. Many reviewers noted that the characters often act out of character in dramatic moments, leading to comedic outcomes, while the overall pacing and absurdity of the story contribute to its unintended hilarity. Despite its flaws, some players appreciated the humor, finding it entertaining in a way that was not originally intended.

    • “I don't think a game has ever made me laugh so hard completely unintentionally as this one.”
    • “The writing for the story isn't just bad, it's hilariously abysmal.”
    • “The voice acting and lines they say in the story mode are bad, like so bad it's funny.”
  • stability15 mentions

    The stability of the game is highly inconsistent among users; while some report smooth performance and no crashes, others experience frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs that significantly hinder gameplay. Complaints about unplayable training modes and issues with online connectivity further highlight the game's instability. Overall, the experience varies widely depending on individual setups and updates.

    • “Runs great for me, I got it on sale, it's very smooth but I have a good GPU (3080). I read some reviews and nearly didn't get it, but I'm very happy as it was cheap for the deluxe version. No tearing, stuck on 60 fps, but my monitor runs at the same, so it's silky smooth. My CPU is an old Intel i7 8700.”
    • “Game runs great and looks great.”
    • “Runs great in 1080p even on something like a 960 GTX and an i7 from 2012.”
    • “DoA6 only lets you wait for players in training, yet training mode is unplayable while waiting to connect to an opponent because every time a connection is established, the game freezes!”
    • “8 attempts, 8 freezes or crashes.”
    • “Horrible crutch mechanics, questionable balance changes which are decided via dice rolls, many bugs and glitches, an incompetent publisher who already killed the Nobunaga and Romance of the Three Kingdoms series and a community worse than the Smash Bros one.”
  • character development13 mentions

    Overall, character development in the game is praised for its impressive and varied designs, with many users highlighting the balance and aesthetic appeal of the character roster. While some find the designs to be overly exaggerated, the majority appreciate the improvements made to character proportions and the overall artistic quality. The character designs contribute positively to the gameplay experience, enhancing both combat mechanics and player engagement.

    • “I am loving the character designs; the hair movement is on point.”
    • “Excellent mechanics, character design, art, and selection of martial arts.”
    • “On top of that, the character designs are on point and the roster is very balanced.”
    • “Very over-the-top and silly in both story and character design.”
    • “I really like the rework for the character designs to make their proportions seem less cartoony.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game offers high replayability, appealing to both single and multiplayer fans through character mastery, costume unlocking, and soundtrack collection. However, some players express concerns about the story mode's brevity, lack of certain features, and the grind associated with unlocking content, which may affect overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the game remains visually impressive and well-balanced, encouraging players to return for more.

    • “The replayable value is very high, whether you prefer single-player or multiplayer gameplay.”
    • “This is a gorgeous fighting game that is well-balanced, easy to master, and infinitely replayable.”
    • “Mastering every character, obtaining their costumes, and collecting the soundtrack was a major part of the series' replay value.”
    • “Overall this is still solid and I appreciate the free play option and being able to unlock everything later, but because of the high price point, I suggest either waiting for a sale to save $20 or getting DOA5LR first as it's $20-40 less and currently has 5-6 more playable characters, although both have some different playables.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is largely negative, with players finding the story nonsensical and reminiscent of a comedy drama, while also expressing feelings of discomfort due to perceived sexism from the developers.

  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its immersive quality and the overall positive experience it contributes to gameplay. The combination of engaging controls and detailed tutorials further enhances this captivating environment.

    • “There is so much good stuff about this game... the atmosphere is awesome, the controls, and the tutorials which help you learn all the combos in the deepest of details.”
    • “And then there's the atmosphere....”
    • “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to get immersed in the game.”
    • “Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is flat and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
    • “The overall ambiance is dull, lacking the tension and excitement that one would expect from this genre.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

Buy DEAD OR ALIVE 6

Play time

56hMedian play time
128hAverage play time
10-286hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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