For its 10th anniversary, Killer Instinct has gone free-to-play on all platforms
Plus, a brand new Anniversary Edition.
The 2013 Killer Instinct reboot is 10 years old now, and to celebrate its anniversary the game is getting a whole new edition, as well as being free-to-play everywhere.
Earlier this week, Killer Instinct turned 10, as much as that might age some of you. And developer Iron Galaxy shared in a recent blog post all of the big changes coming to the game, including the base game being free for everyone. Previously, on Xbox One, the game was available as a free-to-play title, but on PC you had to buy it outright. Now, the base game will be free-to-play on all platforms, including Xbox One, Series X/S, and PC. The Definitive Edition of the game will also no longer exist, instead being replaced by the Anniversary Edition.
This new edition is a "premium upgrade" for those that want to unlock all 29 fighters and things like skins and accessories; don't worry about those of you that already own the Definitive Edition, as you'll get an upgrade to the Anniversary Edition free of charge. This new version also comes with VIP double XP booster, specialty holiday accessories, and more. For some reason, the Definitive Edition app with developer interviews, concept art, and the soundtrack, as well as Xbox KI Classic 1 & 2 are being removed from the Anniversary Edition, though you can still download them if you owned the Definitive Edition.
Those of you that might want to try out the game for the first time with the free base game will have access to one fighter which rotates weekly, same as it did on Xbox, only now that's the case for all platforms. As a note, you won't be able to buy individual fighters anymore, you'll have to buy the whole Anniversary Edition, which costs $30.
Killer Instinct launched back in 2013 as an Xbox One launch title, the console that had a vision that's finally become a reality.