2XKO is more complex than it looks

2XKO serves as Riot Games’ first foray into the Fighting Game Community, and the studio is taking no half measures when it comes to making it a success. Based in League of Legends’ world of Runterra, 2XKO puts LoL’s champions in a more intimate arena to battle it out, and with its free-to-play build, it is theoretically one of the most accessible fighting games in 2026.

League of Legends is also known for being one of the most accessible MOBAs on the market, thanks to its free-to-play model, and it seems that 2XKO is following suit. Still, if you’re new to fighting games, or perhaps a veteran wondering if the game has enough meat on the bone for high-level play, you should know that 2XKO is a lot more complex than it seems.

So, let’s have a look at why 2XKO is approachable and seems easy on the surface, where the difficulty comes from, and the pros and cons of the game’s complexity.

2XKO is not a ‘legacy fighter’, as it is new and hasn’t got decades of titles predating it. This has its pros and cons, but for approachability, it’s a major pro, since 2XKO can put in a bunch of modern mechanics without upsetting a pre-established FGC audience. These mechanics include easy inputs for specials, auto-combos, and extensive combo training modes.

This means that beginners don’t have to learn movement inputs, like quarter and half circles, which you wouldn’t be able to take out of Street Fighter, for instance, as they have been a part of that franchise for decades. This also means that beginners don’t have to learn combos right away, and can thus ensure that they learn the basics first, like movement, the neutral game, and utilising assists.

As a 2D tag fighter, the 2XKO characters also share a fair few universal mechanics. This, along with easy specials and auto-combos, aren’t unique to 2XKO, but when combined, does make the game theoretically good to get players into the FGC. In a 3D fighter, this is something that Tekken 8 suffers from, since each character has dozens of unique moves; learning a character is a huge time sink.

The 2XKO roster is also from League, and thus, people want to play these iconic characters, yet there isn’t the preconception of who they should play, unlike legacy fighters. Still, learning the game might be a lot tougher than League of Legends players probably hoped for.

As a League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO largely follows a similar model to LoL, being free-to-play, offering paid cosmetics, and built to be one of the most approachable titles in its genre. This doesn’t mean 2XKO lacks complexity or difficulty.

When players graduate from auto-combos, they’ll quickly find there is a lot to learn. Despite the 2XKO release date being reasonably recent, pros have already discovered elaborate combo strings which can last for dozens of hits. Learning combos is often an intimidating yet exciting process for newcomers, although it’s already clear that there is a lot to master to get the most out of these combos, especially with the assist mechanic.

Then, there’s the movement aspect of the game. 2XKO is fast and frenetic, likely built to be as visually exciting as possible for esports purposes. It involves dashing almost constantly, yet if you dash at the wrong time and don’t get your spacing right, you’ll quickly find yourself open to a combo. The speed of movement will be something newcomers will likely struggle with when trying to climb the 2XKO ranks for the first time.

With 2XKO’s approachable mechanics and increased complexity when taking the game more seriously, it gives players an easy entry point into the fighting game genre. The obvious pro is that LoL fans can get involved without much experience, and play their main in two games. The con is that this could prove to be a bit of a red herring.

While they feel confident, they could quickly find that 2XKO’s layers are beyond what initial experiences portrayed, and climbing the 2XKO ranks is going to be gruelling. Then again, if you want to sell a gruelling grind to the top for anyone, League fans aren’t a bad audience.

A major pro about this approach is that complexity often leads to longevity for fighting games. While Mortal Kombat is a massive name in the genre, the games aren’t known for long life cycles, usually lasting two years competitively, largely because of how simple the games end up being and how that can lead to issues with balancing zoning. 

By contrast, Street Fighter 6 is approaching its third year and seems to be hitting its competitive peak, and even though it has had a rough road, Tekken 8’s second anniversary continues to bring competitive success. With 2XKO having a mix of approachability, yet a lot of complexity beneath the hood, and a free-to-play model, it’s a great way to get into FGC esports.

The flashy nature of the 2XKO roster and its speed might make it hard for beginners to play in ranked, but it does make the game a great watch. This design will hopefully help the game’s longevity and FGC esports success.

2XKO is very much a modern fighting game. It’s about speed, flashy visuals, and approachability to get Riot Games’ considerable existing fan base involved. Theoretically, everything about 2XKO’s approach should result in a strong casual audience and a healthy, competitive scene, especially because mechanics like auto-combos were a feature of another widely successful tag fighter, Arc System Works’ Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Fun, fast, and furious, 2XKO has the complexity necessary under the hood to keep players hooked and esports athletes competing. It’s important that Riot continues to add to the 2XKO roster to keep the game fresh, but since launch, things have been looking reasonably strong. Improving balance is another important step, but the foundations should be strong enough for the rest of 2026.

2XKO is easy to learn, hard to master, and this casual-friendly yet competitive complexity has become Riot Games’ approach. Hopefully, it can add another online giant to its roster.