It has been over a decade since the release of the last Inazuma Eleven game, Inazuma Eleven 1-2-3, and that one was a Japan-exclusive release. Fans of the series have been starving as a result, but Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road looks to reignite the old flame of this franchise.
This highly anticipated game brings forward a new story and thousands of new characters that each have their own uniqueness. Like every modern major game release, there’s also a digital deluxe edition, so which one should you buy? We’ll be breaking down and comparing the standard and deluxe editions to see if the latter is worth the price.
Standard Vs. Deluxe: Is The $10 Upgrade Worth It?
Inazuma Eleven gained its explosive popularity through the 2008 anime, so it’s only right that the legendary studio MAPPA is handling the animated cutscenes. The art style looks excellent, and the game seems to incorporate some JRPG elements alongside the soccer gameplay.
On to the editions, the Standard edition of the game will be available for $70 USD, while the Deluxe Edition sees a price jump of $10, bringing the total up to $80 USD. Getting the Deluxe Edition gives you early access to the game, meaning you can play it 3 days in advance. The Standard edition releases on November 13, 2025, but you can play early with the Deluxe Edition on November 10.
Other benefits of the Digital Deluxe Edition include:
- Legendary Player Unlock: Choose-a-Character Crate: This consumable item allows you to choose 1 player from 8 different Legendary players, which you can use in Chronicle and Competition modes.
- Extra XP-Boosting Gear: Promise Pendant: A piece of equipment that provides you with a permanent boost to experience points earned by a certain character wearing it.
- Exclusive Cosmetic: Rewards you with a distinct and exclusive goal celebration: Victory Jump!
- Bond Objects: Grants you two objects, which can be placed in your Bond Town, boosting character relationship and stats: the Football Club Room (Raimon) and Rai Rai Noodles (Inazuma Town).
The Standard Edition looks to be the better choice here for most people, as I personally wouldn’t take a risk with a franchise that hasn’t seen a game in over a decade. However, I’m sure more enthusiastic fans wouldn’t mind spending $10 more for the Deluxe Edition goodies. You don’t really miss out on anything by going with the Standard Edition, though.
Regardless of which edition you choose, pre-ordering the game gets you the Advanced Booster Bundle, which includes:
- Bracelet of Victory: An XP boosting equipment that can stack with the Promise Pendant to make the boost more effective.
- Complete Set of Training Beans: These are consumable items that boost various character stats like Kick Strength and Finesse.
- Dark Emperors Kit: A unique uniform kit.
Platform & Beta Rewards
There are two other sets of bonuses relevant for fans who were involved in the beta and those playing on different platforms.
- Beta Test Rewards: The players who participated in the WorldWide Beta Test Demo and completed certain objectives unlock exclusive items, including EXP boots (XP boosting gear), Ray Dark (Manager), and Bond objects (Royal Academy Armored Carriage, Inazuma Tower, Muddy Football).
- Platform-Based Character Rates: Though all characters are available to each platform, Level-5 provides rotating bonus acquisition rates for specific teams:
- Group A (Switch/Switch 2): Prominence, Diamond Dust, Zanark’s Domain
- Group B (PS4/PS5): Protocol Omega, Protocol Omega 2.0, Protocol Omega 3.0
- Group C (Xbox Series X|S): Zeus, Little Gigantes, Dragon Link
- Group D(PC/Steam): Team Ogre, Eternal Light, Ancient Darkness
