Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet on PC is a third-person shooter and action RPG set in Gun Gale Online, built around a custom avatar, loot-driven progression, and weapon-focused combat. The Steam storefront still uses the original title rather than a rebrand; Complete Edition is the bundled version, while the base game and Complete Upgrade are listed as separate purchase options.

A third-person RPG built around Gun Gale Online

Fatal Bullet places your created character at the center of an original story in the Sword Art Online universe. Instead of controlling Kirito throughout the main campaign, you create an avatar, choose their appearance, assign attributes, and develop a combat style around firearms, swordplay, gadgets, and active skills.

The core loop combines mission-based exploration with RPG progression. You enter devastated regions, fight monsters and rival players, collect weapons and materials, complete story and side objectives, then return to the SBC Glocken hub to improve your equipment, skills, and party setup.

Combat uses an over-the-shoulder camera and emphasizes ranged positioning. The game includes an Assault Rifle, Submachine Gun, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, Gatling Gun, Launcher, handgun, and photon sword weapon categories. Each changes your preferred distance, reload rhythm, ammunition management, and approach to enemy defenses.

Fatal Bullet also includes an assisted aiming system that makes basic shooting approachable, but stronger enemies still demand movement, target prioritization, and skill timing. Players who want more direct precision can rely more heavily on manual aiming and mouse control, while controller users get a combat layout designed around gamepad play.

Build crafting, skills, and the ArFA-sys partner

Character development is driven by attributes, weapon proficiency, active skills, passive skills, and equipment bonuses. You can build toward a durable front-line gunner, a long-range sniper, a mobility-focused fighter, or a hybrid who combines firearms with the photon sword.

Weapon skills provide the main combat customization layer. Skills can improve damage, apply status effects, create defensive options, or give particular weapons more tactical flexibility. Switching weapons during a mission lets you respond to armored enemies, flying targets, close-range threats, and crowded encounters without locking the character into one class.

Your support AI, ArFA-sys, is more than a story companion. It can be configured through equipment, skills, and tactical behavior, while its in-game functions also support parts of the hub economy and resource management. The result is a progression system that connects party building with the wider Gun Gale Online role-playing structure.

Party composition matters because Fatal Bullet lets you fight alongside familiar Sword Art Online characters as well as your own avatar and ArFA-sys. Allies provide healing, buffs, revives, and additional damage, although the player remains responsible for positioning and most important combat decisions.

Story structure and multiplayer modes

The main campaign follows an original scenario involving your avatar, ArFA-sys, Kureha, Zeliska, and other characters connected to Gun Gale Online. It is designed for players who want a self-insert role within the SAO setting rather than a direct retelling of the anime storyline.

Fatal Bullet includes branching story outcomes and multiple endings, so dialogue choices and progression decisions can affect how the campaign concludes. The game also features a separate Kirito Mode, which shifts attention toward established series characters and events.

Online play is separate from the main story campaign. Cooperative missions support teams of up to four players, while competitive content includes Hero Battle and Avatar Battle formats. The competitive structure includes team-based 4-versus-4 PvP, with players using either recognizable characters or their customized avatars depending on the mode.

This makes Fatal Bullet primarily a solo RPG with optional online activities rather than a fully shared open-world MMO. You can complete the central progression alone, then use multiplayer missions and PvP as additional ways to test builds and equipment.

Complete Edition content and paid expansions

The base PC game is sold separately on Steam. The storefront also lists a Complete Edition that combines the main game with the game's major paid content, while owners of the base game can obtain the DLC through the Complete Upgrade.

The bundled content includes three DLC packs: Ambush of the Imposters, Betrayal of Comrades, and Collapse of Balance. It also includes the larger Dissonance of the Nexus expansion and bonus in-game items.

These additions expand the game with extra story material, characters, missions, weapons, outfits, and progression content. Cosmetic character and equipment packs also exist separately, so the Complete Edition is the most straightforward choice for players who want the broadest available package rather than buying the base game and individual add-ons one by one.

The content model is therefore a traditional paid game with optional paid expansions, not a free-to-play service. There is no need to treat the base game as a trial version, but players interested in the full endgame and expanded story should compare the standalone edition with the Complete Edition before purchasing.

Who should play Fatal Bullet?

Fatal Bullet suits players who enjoy anime action RPGs with character creation, equipment farming, party management, and third-person shooting. Its strongest appeal is the combination of a customizable protagonist and a Gun Gale Online setting where firearms are the primary combat language.

It is also a good fit for Sword Art Online fans who want an original story rather than another direct adaptation. The ability to create an avatar, adjust builds, and play alongside a large selection of series characters gives the game a different identity from more traditional Kirito-led entries.

Players looking for a tightly focused competitive shooter should set expectations carefully. The shooting is part of a broader RPG framework, with stat scaling, loot quality, skill cooldowns, and AI companions influencing encounters. The campaign also spends significant time on dialogue, hub management, and character interactions between missions.

Fans of deeper loot shooters may find the build system more approachable than complex, while players who prefer deliberate melee combat may find the photon sword less central than the game's firearms. For a more traditional anime action RPG with party combat and a fantasy MMO setting, Sword Art Online action RPGs such as Hollow Realization provide a useful contrast.

PC features, controls, and storefront details

The PC version is distributed through Steam and supports single-player play, online PvP, Steam Cloud, achievements, leaderboards, Family Sharing, and Steam Remote Play on Tablet. It also uses Denuvo third-party DRM and requires agreement to a third-party end-user license agreement.

Keyboard-and-mouse controls are available alongside controller support. The PC version is best approached as a conventional desktop action RPG rather than a platform conversion that removes the game's shooting focus. Steam Deck and SteamOS compatibility information is available through the storefront ecosystem, although small text and controller-selection behavior can vary by setup.

Steam lists interface and subtitle support for English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Japanese is the listed full-audio option, while the other supported languages provide interface and subtitle localization.

There is no separate launcher requirement identified on the Steam listing beyond Steam itself. The combination of mouse aiming, gamepad controls, cloud saves, and portable Steam features makes the PC edition flexible for both desk-based and handheld play.

Comparable PC games

Fatal Bullet occupies an unusual space between anime RPG, third-person shooter, and loot-focused character builder. Players who want a more conventional multiplayer loot shooter can compare its equipment loop with first-person loot shooters such as Borderlands 2, although Borderlands uses a different camera, tone, and character-class structure.

For another Bandai Namco anime action RPG with customizable combat parties, cooperative manga-inspired action games like SD Gundam Battle Alliance offer a closer publisher and genre connection, but they focus on mobile suits and mission-based melee action instead of Gun Gale Online firearms.

The closest comparison is still within the Sword Art Online catalog. Fatal Bullet stands apart because its avatar creation, third-person gunplay, ArFA-sys progression, and PvP modes make it substantially more shooter-oriented than the series' sword-focused entries.

Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet FAQ

Is Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet rebranded on PC?

No. The current Steam product continues to use the name Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. Complete Edition identifies the bundled content package, not a replacement title or renamed remaster.

What is included in the Complete Edition?

The Complete Edition includes the base game, Ambush of the Imposters, Betrayal of Comrades, Collapse of Balance, the Dissonance of the Nexus expansion, and bonus in-game items. The Steam Complete Upgrade is intended to add this major content to an existing base-game purchase.

Can you play Fatal Bullet entirely solo?

Yes. The main story, exploration, character progression, and campaign missions can be played solo with AI companions. Online multiplayer is optional and focuses on separate cooperative missions and PvP modes.

Does Fatal Bullet have online co-op?

Yes. Online cooperative play supports parties of up to four players for dedicated multiplayer missions. It does not turn the full story campaign into a shared open-world adventure.

Does the PC version support controllers?

Yes. The PC version supports keyboard and mouse as well as controllers. Steam also provides cloud features and Remote Play on Tablet for compatible setups.

Is Fatal Bullet a shooter or an RPG?

It is both. The moment-to-moment combat is a third-person shooter, while character attributes, weapon proficiency, skills, loot, companions, branching outcomes, and party customization provide the RPG structure.