Solo Leveling: KARMA’s June 2026 combat trailer was the clearest look yet at Netmarble’s follow-up to ARISE, and the reactions were mostly variations on “finally.” The problem is the release window still points at some hazy point later this year, and if you got hooked on Sung Jinwoo’s power-fantasy loop, waiting eight to ten more months is a lot to ask.
The good news: the anime action RPG space on PC is unusually deep in 2026. Between the big Chinese gacha hits, the Solo Leveling games already out, and a few classic action titles that share the same combo-driven feel, there are seven strong Solo Leveling: KARMA alternatives to play right now.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE | Direct predecessor | Free-to-play | Free | Same universe, same combat DNA |
| Zenless Zone Zero | Stylish urban combat | Free-to-play | Free | Best hit-feedback in the genre |
| Wuthering Waves | Skill-based open world | Free-to-play | Free | Parry-heavy combat, huge map |
| Genshin Impact | Longest content runway | Free-to-play | Free | Five years of expansions |
| Honkai: Star Rail | Turn-based RPG lovers | Free-to-play | Free | Story-first, low APM |
| Devil May Cry 5 | Pure stylish action | Paid | $29.99 | Deepest combo system on PC |
| Nier: Automata | Story and vibes | Paid | $39.99 | Yoko Taro at his peak |
Why fans are hunting for Solo Leveling: KARMA alternatives
Three complaints show up over and over in the KARMA subreddit and the Netmarble Discord. First, no confirmed date. The trailer landed but the release window is still a shrug. Second, the mobile-first legacy. ARISE was a mobile game with a PC port, and readers are still worried KARMA will make the same choices, hero draws and daily energy caps included. Third, the gacha uncertainty. Netmarble hasn’t confirmed the monetization model for KARMA, and until it does, players who got burned by ARISE’s banner rates are hesitant to commit.
Each of the seven picks below sits at a different point on those three axes. Some are gacha-heavy. Some are one-time purchases with a full ending. Pick based on which of those trade-offs you can live with.
The alternatives
Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE — Best if you want the same universe now
Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE is the direct predecessor and the closest thing to KARMA you can play today. The PC version runs natively through Steam, the story adaptation is faithful to the webnovel, and the combat borrows heavily from character-action games. Sung Jinwoo’s shadow army mechanic is genuinely fun once you unlock a few marshals.
Where it falls short: It is a gacha game with a banner and a stamina system. The power gap between free and whale accounts widens fast past the mid-game. Some story chapters are locked behind account level walls.
Pricing:
- Free: Full campaign, all characters obtainable through gacha
- Paid: Optional monthly card at around $5, banner pulls scale up from there
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: No migration needed. Progress will not carry over to KARMA, so treat ARISE as the game itself, not a warm-up.
Bottom line: Play this if you want the Solo Leveling universe and can tolerate gacha economics.
Zenless Zone Zero — Best for tight, punchy combat
Zenless Zone Zero from miHoYo is the pick when combat feel matters more than anything else. Hit stops are chunky, parries have real weight, and the visual language borrows from urban action anime like Akira and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Runs are short, mission-based, and easy to fit into a lunch break.
Where it falls short: The overworld between combat is thin, the daily grind is heavier than Genshin’s, and the roster is smaller than the other miHoYo titles.
Pricing:
- Free: Full campaign, all characters obtainable through gacha
- Paid: Optional Battle Pass at around $10 per patch
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Easy pickup. The combat mental model of dodges, parries, and chain attacks transfers directly.
Bottom line: Play Zenless if your favorite part of ARISE was the boss fights.
Wuthering Waves — Best for skill-based open-world play
Wuthering Waves from Kuro Games is the closest thing to a modern Devil May Cry inside an open-world gacha shell. Parry timing matters. Combo strings feel intentional. The world is genuinely big, with real verticality and traversal mechanics that resemble Zelda: Breath of the Wild more than Genshin.
Where it falls short: Launch was rocky, patches are still stabilizing performance on mid-range GPUs, and the story pacing in early chapters is slow.
Pricing:
- Free: Full campaign
- Paid: Battle Pass at $10 per patch, character banner pulls sold separately
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Cleanest jump from ARISE. Similar hit-based combat with more parry emphasis.
Bottom line: Play Wuthering Waves if you want an open world and combat that actually punishes lazy inputs.
Genshin Impact — Best for the longest content runway
Genshin Impact is still the elephant in the room. The world is now five years deep, the story spans multiple regions each with hours of quests, and the co-op mode makes it easy to team up with friends. The character diversity is unmatched in the genre.
Where it falls short: Combat is the shallowest of the miHoYo trio. New player onboarding is now a slog because there is so much game to catch up on. Gacha rates are strict.
Pricing:
- Free: Full campaign, all playable characters obtainable through gacha
- Paid: Welkin Moon subscription at around $5/mo, Battle Pass at $10
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Learning curve is genre-wide, not game-specific. Combat here is slower and more elemental than ARISE.
Bottom line: Play Genshin if you want a game you can sink hundreds of hours into without hitting a content wall.
Honkai: Star Rail — Best if you want a break from real-time combat
Honkai: Star Rail is the odd pick, a turn-based JRPG with the same production values and character quality as miHoYo’s action titles. The story-first pacing, the party-building depth, and the low APM make it a good option for anyone who liked the Solo Leveling story more than the button-mashing.
Where it falls short: No real-time combat, so it will feel completely different from ARISE. Grind-heavy relic system past level 60.
Pricing:
- Free: Full campaign
- Paid: Express Supply Pass at around $5/mo, banners sold separately
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Big mental shift. If you play Star Rail expecting action, you will bounce off in an hour.
Bottom line: Play Star Rail when you want the anime storytelling but not the reflexes.
Devil May Cry 5 — Best for pure stylish action
Devil May Cry 5 is where the character-action genre lives in its purest form. No gacha, no dailies, no live-service creep. You buy the game once, you get three playable characters with completely different combat styles, and the combo system rewards hundreds of hours of practice. This is what Sung Jinwoo’s fight scenes were animated to look like.
Where it falls short: No open world. Missions are corridor-shaped. The story is silly in a way ARISE fans might find jarring.
Pricing:
- Free: Demo available on Steam
- Paid: $29.99 base game, DLC characters around $5 each
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Combat depth spikes hard. Expect to feel bad for an hour, then feel great forever.
Bottom line: Play DMC5 if you want to actually get good at action-game combat, not just clear content.
Nier: Automata — Best for story, vibes, and one-of-a-kind design
Nier: Automata is the deep cut. Yoko Taro’s action RPG is not trying to be a Solo Leveling clone, but the combat is fluid, the world is memorable, and the multiple endings unfold a story that gets talked about the way people talk about the best novels in the genre. The soundtrack alone justifies the purchase.
Where it falls short: Combat is not as deep as DMC5. The first playthrough only shows a fraction of the story. Frame pacing on some PC configs is still spotty seven years in.
Pricing:
- Free: No demo
- Paid: $39.99 base game, often on sale for under $15
Migrating from waiting for KARMA: Skill floor is lower than DMC5, ceiling is lower too. Expect a story-forward six to twelve hours per playthrough.
Bottom line: Play Nier: Automata for the story and the atmosphere more than the fights.
How to choose
Pick ARISE OVERDRIVE if you want the same universe now and can tolerate gacha economics. Pick Zenless Zone Zero if punchy combat feel is the whole thing. Pick Wuthering Waves if you want an open world with combat that punishes bad inputs. Pick Genshin Impact if you want years of content ahead of you. Pick Honkai: Star Rail if you want the anime story without the reflexes. Pick Devil May Cry 5 if you want to actually master a combat system. Pick Nier: Automata if you want a game to remember for the story.
Wait for KARMA if you specifically want the sequel to ARISE with better visuals and you have the patience to sit on your hands for eight to ten months.
FAQ
When does Solo Leveling: KARMA release? Netmarble has not confirmed a release date as of July 2026. The June combat trailer signaled a later-2026 window without committing.
Is Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE the same as KARMA? No. ARISE OVERDRIVE is the current live game and the direct predecessor. KARMA is a separate follow-up with new characters, a new story arc, and a rebuilt combat system.
Which Solo Leveling: KARMA alternative is free? The four gacha titles on this list, ARISE OVERDRIVE, Zenless Zone Zero, Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Rail, are all free-to-play with optional monetization.
What is the best action RPG for combat depth? Devil May Cry 5, by a wide margin. Wuthering Waves is the deepest of the gacha titles. Zenless Zone Zero is the best middle ground between depth and accessibility.
Can I play these on Steam Deck? ARISE OVERDRIVE, Wuthering Waves, Genshin, Star Rail, and Nier: Automata all run on Steam Deck with varying degrees of tinkering. DMC5 runs beautifully. Zenless Zone Zero requires a workaround.
