Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization slashes onto Steam next week

News
By published

Action-laden RPG based on Japanese light novel series.

You wait four years for a Sword Art Online game on PC and then two come along at once. Fresh off the news that Bandai Namco is bringing the next game based on the Japanese light novel series to PC, the publisher has announced that the formerly PlayStation exclusive Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization is slashing onto Steam as early as next week.

A deluxe edition of the action-heavy RPG featuring all the DLC (including the Abyss of the Shrine Maiden story expansion) is coming to Steam on Friday, October 27. No word on how much it will cost yet, and the Steam page has not gone live.

I've never played one of the Sword Art Online games but I know they've attracted quite a following. The light novel series they're based on started in 2009 and focuses on characters living in virtual reality-driven MMORPG worlds. 

From what I've read, Hollow Realization is a long game: 40 hours or more, packed with dialogue and combat. You form a party (you can recruit from more than 300 NPCs), kit them out with gear and strike out into the game's combat zones, fighting bosses and running up combos by switching between characters. Check out the trailer above for more.

For more on the next Sword Art Online game that's coming to PC in 2018, read Joe's story.

Samuel Horti
Samuel Horti

Samuel Horti is a long-time freelance writer for PC Gamer based in the UK, who loves RPGs and making long lists of games he'll never have time to play. 

Latest in RPG
Minthara BG3 looking upset
Another round of Baldur's Gate 3 unearthing reveals Minthara can end up living in a sewer, an unused beach ending, and more
Person battling bizarre four-eyed monster with stylish UI elements surrounding them
Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio's UI designer is open to accessibility options for players who find the stylish menus overstimulating: 'That is something we understand we'll need to work on and provide in the future'
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth money farm - Super Crazy Delivery
Like a Dragon series director sums up why sidequests are essential to a great RPG with a single metaphor: 'a good main dish alone will not earn you a Michelin star'
Image of a sweetroll with a candle in it
Bethesda marks Oblivion's 19th with a sweetroll, a candle, and absolutely no happy birthday gift for fans eager for the still-unannounced remaster
Fallout 76 ghoul screenshots
Getting to level 50 in Fallout 76 to become a ghoul actually isn't as daunting as it seems, which is why I created a new character
Koana, a main character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, stares thoughtfully at a book in his hands.
After a controversial coding slip-up fed stalkers info on their victim's alts, FF14 wipes the slate clean to try and fix its mistakes
Latest in News
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.
One of Valve's original executives shares a very simple secret to its success: 'You can't use up your credibility' by trying to make bad games work
The Razer Huntsman Mini 60% gaming keyboard floats in the teal PC Gamer deal void. The per-key RGB lights are on.
The most adorable Razer keyboard features not only an almost half-size form factor, but an almost half-size price at only $70
Inzoi
Ultra-realistic life sim Inzoi has officially shoved Hollow Knight: Silksong and Deadlock out of the way to become Steam's most hotly-anticipated game
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
Decorations in TCG Card Shop Simulator
TCG Card Shop Simulator finally adds the ability to decorate our stores, and suddenly all my profits are being spent on adorable Pigni posters
bulky headphones on black made using x rays
'We essentially created a virtual headset': Scientists transmit inaudible sound using ultrasonic beams to create single person 'audio enclaves'
More about rpg
A lineup of heroes from Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard gets a crumb of support as EA offers free weapon skins to coincide with a 50% discount
Minthara BG3 looking upset

Another round of Baldur's Gate 3 unearthing reveals Minthara can end up living in a sewer, an unused beach ending, and more
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.

One of Valve's original executives shares a very simple secret to its success: 'You can't use up your credibility' by trying to make bad games work
See more latest
Most Popular
The Spy from Team Fortress 2 holds up a folder with an accusatory expression.
One of Valve's original executives shares a very simple secret to its success: 'You can't use up your credibility' by trying to make bad games work
The Razer Huntsman Mini 60% gaming keyboard floats in the teal PC Gamer deal void. The per-key RGB lights are on.
The most adorable Razer keyboard features not only an almost half-size form factor, but an almost half-size price at only $70
bulky headphones on black made using x rays
'We essentially created a virtual headset': Scientists transmit inaudible sound using ultrasonic beams to create single person 'audio enclaves'
Inzoi
Ultra-realistic life sim Inzoi has officially shoved Hollow Knight: Silksong and Deadlock out of the way to become Steam's most hotly-anticipated game
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
A promotional image for the Compal Adapt X modular laptop, as presented by the iF Design Foundation
If you've ever wanted to upgrade a laptop with 'modular AI units' then Compal might just have the very thing you're looking for
Decorations in TCG Card Shop Simulator
TCG Card Shop Simulator finally adds the ability to decorate our stores, and suddenly all my profits are being spent on adorable Pigni posters
Dune Awakening
Dune: Awakening system requirements are here, complete with Razer Sensa HD haptic support to 'feel the rumble of your ornithopter's seat'
Gabe Newell in a Valve promotional video, on a yacht.
Gabe Newell had his eyes on a social network in the '90s that 'was not in a games context at all'—meaning Valve-owned social media could've been a very real thing
An image of a MSI power supply unit against a circular gradient blue background
MSI has gone so heavy with 12V-2x6 power sockets in its latest high-end PSUs that many AMD and Intel graphics cards have no way of being powered