Passes and editions, decoded

The words on the store page

Character pass, year pass, season pass. A bundle of fighters released over a set period, usually four to six. You pay once and each fighter unlocks on their release day. Some passes add stages, and a few add early access to a fighter a few days before everyone else.

Ultimate pass. Capcom's name for a character pass with extra outfits and in-game currency for cosmetics. The fighters are the same as in the cheaper pass.

Deluxe and Ultimate editions. The base game with one or more passes already inside. Handy if you know you are staying; poor value if you might drop the game after a month, because the pass part is paid up front.

Upgrade. A key that turns the edition you own into a bigger one. Useful if you bought the base game, liked it, and the upgrade costs less than the passes on their own.

Single fighters. Most games also sell each pass fighter alone. If you want one character, this is nearly always cheaper than the pass.

Four rules we buy by

1. Base game first, pass second. A pass bought on day one is money spent before you know whether the game is yours.
2. Buy the fighter, not the year. If one character in a pass is the reason, check whether they are sold alone.
3. Check what an edition holds before paying for it. Editions sold years after launch can hold an old pass and miss the newest fighters.
4. Older passes drop furthest in sales. Season passes for games a few years old regularly fall by half or more in the big Steam sales.

Game by game

Every add-on that adds fighters, as listed on Steam UK on 4 November 2026. Outfit packs and soundtracks are left out to keep the tables readable.

Street Fighter 6

Capcom sells one Character Pass a year, four fighters each. Years 1 to 3 are complete. Year 4 has Yasmine and Arjun out now, with Tifa Lockhart and Bosch due in 2027. The Ultimate Pass for each year (£39.99) adds outfits and Fighter Coins but no extra fighters. Any single pass fighter can also be bought alone with Fighter Coins.

Tekken 8

Season 1 (Eddy, Lidia, Heihachi, Clive Rosfield) and Season 2 (Anna, Fahkumram, Armor King, Miary Zo) are complete, each sold as a Character Pass or as a Character & Stage Pass for £32.99. Season 3 has Kunimitsu and Bob out, Roger Jr. due on 17 November 2026 and Yujiro Hanma in early 2027. Every pass fighter is also sold alone for £6.49.

King of Fighters XV

The cast is complete: SNK's last fighters, Mature and Vice, arrived in December 2024. On Steam the four DLC teams come in two Team Passes, six solo fighters in the Fighter Pass, and Mature and Vice as their own pack. Every team and fighter is also sold alone.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

Season Pass 1 brought Andy Bogard, Ken, Joe Higashi, Chun-Li and Mr. Big. Season Pass 2 added Kim Jae Hoon, Nightmare Geese, Blue Mary, Wolfgang Krauser, Mr. Karate and Kenshiro. Season Pass 3 has Rick Strowd, Duck King, Kim Kaphwan and the two Tokyo Revengers guests out, with Laocorn due in November and Reina in December 2026.

Marvel Tōkon

One pass so far: Phoenix Cyclops (out since 2 November 2026, also £6.49 on his own), Jane Foster Thor (winter), Venom with a Klyntar stage (spring 2027) and Jubilee (summer 2027). Steam also sells upgrades from the Standard (£35.00) and Deluxe (£15.00) editions to the Ultimate edition.

Rivals of Aether II

There is no pass. Every fighter added since launch has been a free update, and the guest Mina the Hollower is announced for 2027. Outfits are sold in a rotating shop for earned coins or for Aether Bucks bought with money, always at a fixed price.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2

There are no fighter add-ons. The only extras on Steam are soundtrack albums, which change nothing in the games.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.

There is no season pass. The only paid fighter is Dural, the chrome boss, at £6.49; she is not allowed in Sega's official tournaments. Three costume packs, including Yakuza and Tekken 7 collaborations, are sold at £7.99 each.

Under Night In-Birth II

The Season Pass covers Uzuki, Ogre and Izumi with their stages and unlocks Kuon straight away. Zohar, added in September 2026, is sold on her own for £3.99. The 25 Announcer Characters pack (£15.99) changes voices only.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore

The Season 1 Pass holds Annie, Umbrella, Black Dahlia and Marie, each also sold alone. No second season has been announced.

Invincible VS

The Year 1 fighters so far are The Immortal, Universa and Angstrom Levy at £4.99 each, with Agent Spider due in winter. Steam also sells a Digital Deluxe Upgrade and many outfit packs; check the upgrade's contents before buying it for fighters.

SoulCalibur VI

Support ended in December 2020, so the cast is complete. Season Pass 1 holds Tira, 2B, Amy and Cassandra with a creation set; Season Pass 2 holds Hilde, Haohmaru, Setsuka and Hwang with four more creation sets. Every fighter is also sold alone.