Why bring Virtua Fighter 5 to PC after all these years? Producer talks about Sega’s project to rekindle the franchise 

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. was released on PC (Steam) today. AUTOMATON spoke to Legacy Virtua Fighter Project producer Seiji Aoki to find out why the fighting game is coming to PC now, almost 19 years after Virtua Fighter 5’s initial debut and 4 years after its PS4 port. 

Launched in the arcades back in 2006, Virtua Fighter 5 was subsequently released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2007, with an enhanced remaster of the updated Final Showdown version of the game getting a PS4 release in 2021 under the title Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. Aoki explains that Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is a port of the PS4 version, with the implementation of rollback netcode to reduce waiting times in online matches being a major addition. But why did the Virtua Fighter team decide to bring the fifth mainline entry to the PC almost two decades after its original release date? 

Although the Virtua Fighter series has had PC ports in the past, it has mostly been centered around arcades and console releases. Aoki explains that bringing Virtua Fighter to PC is part of Sega’s project to revitalize the world’s first 3D fighting game franchise. 

He adds that “When the previous game came out on PS4, we received many requests from people who wanted to play it on PC. We also got lots of feedback calling for rollback netcode, balancing adjustments and (customization) items to be added to the game, so we started thinking about making this a reality someday.” Spurred on by Virtua Fighter’s 30^th Anniversary, the developers at RGG Studio (of Like a Dragon fame) began concrete work on the Steam version early last year. 

Announced at The Game Awards 2024, the New Virtua Fighter Project (a brand-new untitled game from RGG Studios) is also in the works. Reflecting on the reactions to Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. and the new in-development title’s announcement, Aoki reveals that they received a lot of positive feedback. “I feel like the Virtua Fighter community has become very active.” Aoki comments. Although he is feeling the pressure from fans’ rising expectations, he seems pleased to be receiving such positive comments both from Japan and abroad. 

Sega has been making greater efforts to promote Virtua Fighter overseas, launching official global Discord, X and YouTube accounts. “I feel like these initiatives are gradually bearing fruit, with people from overseas also playing Virtua Fighter and steaming it,” Aoki adds. 

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. was released for PC (Steam) on January 28, 2025. At the time of writing, it is available at 20% off.