Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League - Gameplay, Release Date, And Everything We Know

When Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches in early 2024, it'll have been almost a decade since Rocksteady's last major PC and console game, Batman: Arkham Knight, was released. The final chapter in Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy still holds up well to this day, and expectations are high for the studio to deliver a new action-packed experience that trades the mean streets of Gotham for the glittering skyscrapers of Metropolis.

The only problem here? The city of tomorrow is suffering from a small alien invasion problem, with millions of its citizens being transformed into cannon fodder footsoldiers and the Justice League switching sides. When you're dealing with superheroes who have gone rogue, you're going to need some super villains to take care of that problem. Unfortunately, all we've got is Task Force X, a motley crew of incarcerated ne'er-do-wells with an axe to grind against the Justice League and an attitude problem that can only be rectified with the threat of the world's worst headache.

As the game's release date draws closer, we're gathering up all the information on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and how it's shaping up so far. From its cast to its final release date, here's everything that we know about it so far.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League release date and platforms

Since its first official reveal in 2020, Suicide Squad has seen a few delays along its development cycle. Currently, the game is scheduled to release on February 2, 2024. Originally slated for a 2022 release, the latest delay was, according to Rocksteady, needed to release Suicide Squad in the best state possible. When it does arrive, you can pick up Suicide Squad on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC. It won't be available on last-gen Xbox One or PS4 platforms, but when you see it in action, you'll understand why.

Suicide Squad: The story so far

Set in Metropolis, Suicide Squad throws the gang of misfits into an alien invasion that has broken out in the iconic city that Superman calls home. Brainiac has arrived, kidnapped the populace, and turned Metropolis into a warzone thanks to the help of the brainwashed Justice League. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the Flash have all fallen under the influence of the alien super-genius and the streets are full of gruesomely converted Metropolitans serving his will.

Left with no other option, the black ops government group Argus sets out to restore order. While its operatives are infiltrating the city, Argus commander Amanda Waller recruits Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark to serve as an expendable spec ops team to keep the Justice League at bay. Officially known as Task Force X and unofficially referred to as the Suicide Squad, the group is given the choice of reducing their prison sentence by aiding Waller as she retakes Metropolis. If the Suicide Squad wants to survive, they're going to need to learn to work together and put their differences aside.

A few other familiar faces from DC Comics can also be spotted in the game, such as Batman villain the Penguin and Teen Titans antagonist Gizmo. These two villains serve as weaponsmiths and vendors in the game, providing the Suicide Squad with weapons that'll give them a fighting chance against Caped Crusaders and Emerald Knights. Set five years after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight, you can also expect a few story elements from that game to crop up in Suicide Squad.

On a somber note, this game marks the final performance of late voice actor Kevin Conroy as Batman, after he passed away in 2022.

Suicide Squad gameplay

Rocksteady rewrote the action rulebook with Batman: Arkham Asylum, and for Suicide Squad, the studio is putting its stamp on run-and-gun gameplay. Each member of Task Force X has unique strengths that complement the base gameplay, and by making use of iconic DC tools and gadgets, they can move around Metropolis at breakneck speeds. Deadshot is one of the more traditional action-genre characters, a jack-of-all-trades who specializes in assault and sniper rifles while using his jetpack to gain a vertical advantage in the skies.

Harley Quinn will feel very familiar to Arkham fans as she uses her stolen Bat Drone to acrobatically swing across rooftops, while her pilfered Bat Grapnel lets her quickly climb vertical structures. King Shark is pure brute force who can use leap attacks to close the distance, and when he's airborne, he can use his demigod powers to come crashing down to the ground and turn enemies into chum. Lastly, Captain Boomerang makes use of a Speed Force gauntlet to move at Flash-like speeds, seemingly teleporting to locations where he throws his signature weapon.

One of the unifying gameplay factors in Suicide Squad is a melee system that can be used to open up enemies to devastating juggle attacks. Getting close and unleashing one of these attacks can break their shields and make them drop energy cores that you can use to restore your defenses. Overall, you can expect a game that builds on the sense of momentum that defined the Batman Arkham games and gives you the tools to dig into those movesets as you level up each character.

Suicide Squad also features a gear system, as you will be able to steadily increase their power with a variety of common, rare, and legendary weapons. These are fairly typical of the genre, come with some interesting perks, and will be very interesting to anyone who gets a kick out of seeing damage numbers pop out of enemy heads. For anyone looking to specialize in the carnage that they can unleash, each character has three distinct skill trees for you to explore and configure to suit your playstyle.

Suicide Squad Beta

Rocksteady is stress-testing the game with a closed alpha that'll run from November 30 through December 5, but don't expect to see any NDA-breaking gameplay from this from anyone who doesn't want to risk incurring the wrath of Warner Bros. and its legal team. There hasn't been any mention yet of an open beta, but it wouldn't be surprising to hear of one going live before the game's launch so that Rocksteady can drum up interest in its supervillain playground while putting the game servers through some rigorous testing.

Suicide Squad co-op

You'll never be locked to any specific character, as you can swap between them at any time outside of active combat while bots take control of the other three. If you'd prefer a human element in your Suicide Squad, the game also has online matchmaking for some four-player co-op chaos. You can even have any squad configuration that you want, and while it is advised that you have a varied roster, there's a thrill to the idea of unleashing a quartet of Harley Quinns or Deadshots on Brainiac's army. Or gods forbid, a foursome of Boomerangs unleashing mayhem on the drongos around them.

The single-player campaign can be experienced in either single-player or multiplayer, and the choice is up to you as to how you want to approach the game. Suicide Squad also supports full cross-platform and cross-progression play as part of the online component.

Suicide Squad battle pass

Like many other live-service games, Suicide Squad will have its own battle pass for players to grind through. Rocksteady says that the battle pass will offer zero gameplay benefits, but it will provide new outfits, emotes, and other items to customize playable characters. Each new season of Suicide Squad will come with a new battle pass, and it'll be divided into a free tier that's available to all players and premium tiers that require an optional in-game purchase.

Some of the character customization that we've seen so far looks like a fine example of Rocksteady flashing its comic book nerd credentials, as classic costumes for the gang have been on full display in several trailers.

Suicide Squad post-launch plans

Rocksteady isn't spilling the beans on what Suicide Squad players can expect after they've completed the main campaign of the game, but it has mentioned that there will be regular post-launch seasonal updates, earnable at no additional cost through playing the game. Updates will include new story content, playable characters, missions, gear, weapons, cosmetic items, in-game events, and more.