Anime and video games have a long and successful history together. Japan, the birthplace of anime, also created many of the most popular games ever made. Because of this, there’s now a huge selection of games that draw inspiration from anime.
A major problem with anime games is that many require a constant internet connection or are subject to licensing deals that can expire. This means several games, like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and Sword Art Online: End World, are now difficult or impossible to play.
Dragalia Lost Lives up to Its Name
I’ve been playing Dragalia Lost, and it’s set in this kingdom called Alberia, where the royal family can actually transform into different forms. You play as Euden, one of the royal princes, and his big job is to team up with this incredibly powerful dragon, Midgardsormr, and his friends. Together, they’re trying to save Alberia from all sorts of nasty, magical threats.
Launched in 2018, Dragalia Lost unfortunately closed down in 2022. It’s a real shame, as the game had a wonderfully developed world and memorable characters. For a mobile game, it was surprisingly complex, offering players a huge variety of powerful attacks.
Sword Art Online: End World Has Ended up Offline
Released in 2012, Sword Art Online: End World was the first video game in the series. Unfortunately, the game suffered from numerous technical issues at launch, making enjoyable features like progressing through floors and the gacha system unusable for many players.
The game Sword Art Online: End World stopped running in 2017, only five years after its release, and that was the final blow. While newer Sword Art Online games have come out since then – and many of those are still playable – the original game’s shutdown was still a big disappointment for fans.
Black Clover: Phantom Knights Is Now a Ghost
Black Clover: Phantom Knights was a tower defense game inspired by the popular Black Clover manga. Players control Jiba as he commands an army to fight against evil forces. Like the manga, Jiba and his troops use powerful magic in battle.
Surprisingly, Black Cover: Phantom Knights stopped being available in the U.S. just one year after its release. While it launched in Japan in 2018, it was eventually shut down globally in 2020. With so many similar mobile tower defense games already available, it’s likely the game simply couldn’t compete.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Online Has Been Taken Offline
Yu-Gi-Oh! Online was a game where players battled using cards, inspired by the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and trading card series. Players could compete against each other online.
For a time, this game was hugely popular with Yu-Gi-Oh fans, who could expand their card collections by buying more online and battling each other. However, it didn’t appeal to many other gamers, and it was eventually shut down in 2012, leaving fans with fewer options for playing Yu-Gi-Oh games.
J-Stars Victory VS+ Has Failed Completely
J-Stars Victory VS+ is the version of J-Stars Victory VS released outside of Japan. It’s a fighting game featuring popular characters from the famous Weekly Shōnen Jump manga anthology, similar to JUMP FORCE. You’ll see characters from series like Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Bleach battling it out.
It’s not surprising that Bandai Namco couldn’t hold onto the licenses for all of those IPs. Over the past decade, some characters from those franchises have been removed from games as their licenses expired. While J-Stars Victory VS+ is still available, it’s lost much of what made it special.
Tales of Mobile Is Immobilized
Tales of Mobile isn’t a single game, but a collection of games within the larger Tales series. These mobile games were primarily released in Japan through services like i-mobile, and each one featured familiar characters from the main Tales games in unique stories.
I was really bummed when i-mobile shut down in 2026! It meant losing access to all the games on the platform. I was particularly hoping to still be able to play the Tales of Mobile games, but unfortunately, they went with it – assuming they’d even lasted that long, of course. It’s just a reminder that these mobile services don’t always stick around forever.
Tokyo Revengers: Last Mission Has Been Decommissioned
Tokyo Revengers: Last Mission was a free mobile game based on the popular Tokyo Revengers manga. Players could step into the world of the series and control characters like the main hero, Takemichi Hanagaki.
Given the huge popularity of Tokyo Revengers when the game came out, many expected it to stay successful for a long time. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Tokyo Revengers: Last Mission will be shutting down in January 2026, just under two years after it launched in November 2024.
Bleach: Soul Resurrección Has Been Wiped
Bleach: Soul Resurrección is a fast-paced action game that came out alongside Bleach: Hell Verse, and the two games complement each other. It’s structured like a manga, with the game divided into chapters. Players control popular Bleach characters like Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida as they battle various villains.
The game Bleach: Soul Resurrección was first launched exclusively on the PlayStation 3, and it remains unavailable on any other platform. It’s particularly frustrating that, due to a licensing disagreement between publisher Sony and the owners of Bleach, Shueisha, the game hasn’t even been re-released digitally.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Has Been Trapped on the Wii
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is a fighting game where characters from Capcom franchises like Street Fighter (featuring Chun-Li) battle characters from Tatsunoko anime series like Yatterman (featuring Doronjo). This game offers a wide range of playable characters and is considered the most action-packed entry in the VS. Capcom series.
A major challenge with large crossover fighting games like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars is that many characters rely on licenses that can expire. This has unfortunately kept the game exclusive to the Wii, with no way to purchase or play it digitally. Adding to this, the game’s online multiplayer no longer works because the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service has been discontinued.
Blue Protocol Is Stone Cold
Blue Protocol was an online multiplayer role-playing game initially available only in Japan. Players explored the planet Regnus, choosing from four different character classes – the Aegis Fighter, Twin Striker, Blast Archer, and Spellcaster – and worked together to defeat a mysterious power that destroyed an earlier civilization.
Many players are now aware of the game’s follow-up, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, which was released internationally. However, the original Blue Protocol has largely been forgotten; it was discontinued in 2025, and very little remains known about what it once offered.
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2026-05-06 04:14