2026 has largely been a disappointing year for fans of Solo Leveling. While 2025 gave us Solo Leveling Season 2, and 2027 is set to deliver a new Solo Leveling movie, titled Solo Leveling: Beyond the System, this year has been left rather dry. That is why, despite the lack of anime content, many Solo Leveling fans were still looking forward to one big project that’s coming later this year to expand the canon lore of the series, called Solo Leveling: Karma. This is a new video game that expands on the already established lore of this universe by expanding the epilogue of the original novel and manhwa with direct involvement from Chugong.
Solo Leveling: Karma had been teased for a 2026 release date. However, new Netmarble reports indicate the 2026 release of the game has been officially cancelled, even for Japan and South Korea. In other words, Solo Leveling Karma has been pushed back and will now be released next year. For international fans, specifically those in the US, the wait could potentially be even longer.
Solo Leveling Karma Cancels 2026 Release Plan And Is Rescheduled For A 2027 Release
Solo Leveling’s popularity has been expanding over the last few years. While its novel and manhwa have been popular for years in South Korea, the global reach of the series multiplied in 2024 when it finally received its stunning anime adaptation by Japanese studios Aniplex and A-1 Pictures. The Solo Leveling anime was immediately a big hit upon release, and it even went on to become Crunchyroll’s most popular anime of all time. Thanks to that, the Solo Leveling series has been locking down more projects than ever before.
At Anime Expo 2025 on July 3, Solo Leveling’s biggest video game was unveiled. Indeed, Netmarble Studio revealed Solo Leveling: Karma, a new game, which they also labelled their most ambitious one yet. Since its initial tease, and based on what Netmarble Studio had reported, we were all under the impression that this video game would be released in the latter half of 2026. That seemed even more so the case when taking into consideration the fact that on the Apple Store, the release date was locked in as December 31, 2026.
However, new information confirms the delay of Solo Leveling’s new video game. This new information is based on the Q3 earnings results of Netmarble Studio for 2026, which were first unveiled to the public on November 5, 2026. In it, they list their video games and their anticipated release dates. For Solo Leveling: Karma, it is noted that, for Korea and Japan, the game is coming out in the first half of 2027.
This is largely disappointing for fans who were eagerly waiting for a release this year, but, in retrospect, this was to be expected at this point. For a game supposed to release sometime in the next month, to still have no official release date was a worrying sign of a big delay. Since the Netmarble report only states that the game is anticipated in the first half of 2027, it means that, most likely, Solo Leveling: Karma is releasing in East Asia anytime between January and June 2027. Most likely, however, it’s going to be released in the first few months of 2027, unless further delays are announced later down the line.
Solo Leveling Karma To Be Delayed Even Further In The US And Internationally
Solo Leveling: Karma being delayed in South Korea and Japan is already terrible news. However, what this delay means for international and specifically U.S. fans is even worse. This is because Solo Leveling: Karma is mainly focusing its attention on its East Asian demographic. Netmarble themselves have previously stated that their main focus target audience is the East Asian region, where the series is the most popular.
When Netmarble was specifically asked previously about the international release of Karma, they stated that it would only come after the Korean and Japanese versions. This delay would be attributed to the extra time required for localization, server setup, and translations. In other words, the international version of Solo Leveling: Karma is going to be delayed significantly compared to what fans previously estimated.
Initially, we believed that for international fans, Solo Leveling: Karma would be released sometime in early 2027. But now, this no longer seems possible. At the very least, it will take a month or two for Netmarble Studio to wrap up the international version after the Korean and Japanese versions are out. It seems Solo Leveling: Karma will be released for U.S. fans in mid-2027. Hopefully, this is the last of the delays, but for further information and better estimates of the international release, we have to wait for the exact release date in East Asia.
Solo Leveling’s Future Heading Into 2026 and 2027
Thousands of fans are greatly disappointed to see Solo Leveling: Karma cancelling its 2026 release and pushing it back to 2027. This is especially because this year has seen a dearth of Solo Leveling content all across the board, making it a very underwhelming one overall.
Anime-wise, we received no new content, and we were hoping that, beyond the simple gameplay offered by Solo Leveling: Karma, we could learn more about the Solo Leveling universe through the newly established lore. Karma is, after all, written with the input of the original creator of Solo Leveling, Chugong, and is set to explore the 27-Year Monarch War, which is a canon arc that takes place in the epilogue of Solo Leveling, where Jinwoo turns back the clock and fights all Monarchs in a difficult and long war to prevent all human casualties.
This arc was unexplored in the Manhwa and novel, and it will deliver huge insight into Jinwoo’s finale, including his final power level. We’re set to learn more about our MC, but also the Monarchs and the Itarim. Sadly, with the release delay, we’ll have to wait longer. At the very least, we finally got the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Manhwa back. Previously having gone on hiatus due to Jin’s military enlistment on January 7, 2026, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is now back with Season 3 and has already released three new chapters, those being chapters 69, 70, and 71, with more on the way with weekly releases on Tapas. We’re excited to see Sung Suho’s story progress under the new penmanship of artist Sanjimseung, while we wait for the grand return of Sung Jinwoo in 2027 with Solo Leveling: Karma, as well as the new movie, Solo Leveling: Beyond the System.
Solo Leveling: Karma is scheduled to be released in East Asia and internationally in 2027. Upon the release of the game, it will be available on PC and mobile for a rogue action RPG adventure following Sung Jinwoo.