BlazBlue: Central Fiction Comes to PS5 With Rollback Netcode and PC Crossplay

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BlazBlue: Central Fiction Comes to PS5 With Rollback Netcode and PC Crossplay
Image: Arc System Works

BlazBlue: Central Fiction, the 2015 finale of Arc System Works‘ BlazBlue 2D fighting game series, is getting a PlayStation 5 port with rollback netcode (a delay-based online netcode system that rewinds and re-simulates inputs to hide lag) and crossplay with the PC version, the developer confirmed on October 10.

The PS5 version was announced via the Arc System Works Europe X account. The new build targets current-gen hardware specifically, with rollback netcode replacing the older delay-based netcode, cross-play with the existing Steam release, four new text languages, and expanded Training Mode features. The original Central Fiction launched in Japanese arcades in 2015. It has since shipped on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Switch, PC via Steam (since April 26, 2017), and arcades, but never on a current-generation Sony console.

Trinity Glassfille is a new DLC character Arc System Works recently confirmed for the existing PS4 and PC versions. The publisher has now said Trinity Glassfille’s release date will differ from the PS5 version and language update launch. No release window for the PS5 port has been announced.

The news broke during Evo France 2026, which is the European leg of the Evolution Championship Series, the largest annual fighting game tournament circuit. Central Fiction has been a long-requested BlazBlue entry for a current-gen port among fighting game fans, given the 2D fighting game community’s shift to rollback netcode over the last several years.

Our read: Central Fiction wrapped up the original BlazBlue storyline when it launched in Japanese arcades in 2015, so this is a long-overdue next-gen upgrade rather than a sequel. Pairing rollback netcode with PS5-to-PC crossplay is the part that matters for the competitive scene, since Central Fiction has stayed in the Evo rotation on PS4 even as the wider 2D fighting game scene has moved to rollback-native titles. A free upgrade path for existing PS4 owners has not been confirmed, which is the one open question BlazBlue fans are most likely to push Arc System Works on. The same fall-week news cycle has been busy for fighting games: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves just locked its final Season 3 DLC for December, and our Modern Warfare 4 crossplay guide walks through how crossplay progression works in another big cross-platform shooter. See the full release calendar for the other 2026 and 2027 launch dates we are tracking.

Correction (October 10, 2026): An earlier version included background claims about the series' story and the fighting game scene that our sources didn't support. They've been removed.

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report

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