Everything you need to know about Rocksteady's 'Suicide Squad' game

Everyone's favorite team of villains is finally getting the game they deserve.

The rumors are true. Rocksteady Studios has confirmed that it is working on a Suicide Squad game. The developer behind the Batman: Arkham series gave us our first glimpse of Suicide Squad at DC FanDome in August 2020. We'll run through everything we know about the game so far as we get closer to its release.

Jump to:

• What is the Suicide Squad?
• What's the gameplay like?
• What's the story?
• Do I need to watch the movie?
• Is it coming to Xbox Series X and PS5?
• When does it release?

What is the Suicide Squad?

The Suicide Squad is a team of supervillains from DC Comics. There have been several iterations of them over the years, but they usually take the form of a task force employed by the government, under the leadership of Amanda Waller, to perform operations that were considered to be suicide runs or secret missions that the government otherwise wanted off the record. These were done in exchange for reduced sentences and parole, and members were implanted or fitted with bombs to ensure obedience. Disobey Waller and she wouldn't hesitate to set off the bomb.

Notable members of the Suicide Squad over the years have included Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Rick Flag Jr., King Shark, Deathstroke, Black Manta, Duela Dent (Joker's Daughter), Enchantress ... well, there are a lot.

In Rocksteady's version, the squad will be comprised of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and Boomerang.

Suicide Squad: What's the gameplay like?

Judging from Rocksteady's previous work with the Batman: Arkham series, you can likely expect brutal melee combat. We've heard that it is a loot-based game similar in style to Marvel's Avengers, but this is unconfirmed. It will feature 4-player co-op, but you can play the game entirely in singleplayer. In this case, the rest of the spots will be filled with AI. Players will be able to switch between characters at any moment during gameplay.

Suicide Squad: What's the story?

You can probably guess what we'll be doing by its title. The Suicide Squad looks to be on a mission to kill the Justice League. Particularly, we saw the group hunting Superman under the apparent control of Braniac in Metropolis. It's unknown which other heroes are planned to show up, but you can probably expect more than just Superman.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the Justice League, they're a team of superheroes who protect the Earth. Founding members include Batman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Over the years members like Green Arrow, Hawkman, Black Canary, Zatanna, Cyborg, Blue Beetle, and many more would join.

Other than that, we have very little to go on. Rocksteady will likely create an original story for its game that takes inspiration from some of the franchise's most beloved comics. DC Comics ran a series called Justice League vs. Suicide Squad from 2016, which follows the League's discovery of the secret Suicide Squad and their effort to take them down as they see them as a threat to society.

Rocksteady has confirmed that Suicide Squad takes place in its Arkham universe, so you may see some references and crossovers between previous storylines. Batman: Arkham Knight ended with the apparent death of Batman, but as we've learned time and time again in comics, no one is ever really dead.

Suicide Squad: Do I need to watch the movie to play the game?

There are two Suicide Squad movies now: Suicide Squad (2016) and The Suicide Squad (2021). The first one is trash. If you value your time and money at all, do not watch the Suicide Squad movie from 2016. I don't care that it won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It's awful. Go watch the Birds of Prey movie with Harley Quinn instead. You don't need to in order to understand the game; it's just a good movie.

Now when it comes to The Suicide Squad (2021), that actually is a good movie, and I highly recommend watching it. This R-rated version from director James Gunn is exactly the type of movie the DC universe needed. It has a ton of heart, humor, and loads of action. You won't need to watch it to understand the game; it's just a good movie. The game shouldn't be related to either of the movies.

Suicide Squad: Is it coming to Xbox Series X, PC, and PS5?

Suicide Squad is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, and PC. Rocksteady made no mention of an Xbox One or PS4 release. Given Xbox's plans for cloud gaming on consoles, it is possible we could see Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League on Xbox One through Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming. We don't know until Microsoft or Rocksteady elaborates on their plans.

Suicide Squad: When does it release?

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will hit Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and PS5 in 2022. This is the same year that Warner Bros. Montreal plans to release its next Batman game, Gotham Knights, which was originally set for a 2021 launch before being delayed. There's no word on whether Suicide Squad will be delayed, but we're expected to learn more at DC's next FanDome event on Oct. 16, 2021.