Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition and fighter balance patch will launch Nov. 28

On Wednesday, Microsoft and developer Iron Galaxy announced plans to release the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition, which will include a big balance update for many of the fighting game's characters. However, a release date for the new version was not announced last week.

Today, the official Killer Instinct X (formerly Twitter) account stated the Anniversary Edition and update will go live for Xbox, Windows Store, and Steam users at noon Pacific time (3 pm Eastern time).

If you missed the announcements last week, here's what you need to know about the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition and balance patch:

• First, the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition will be available for new buyers on Tuesday for $29.99 and will include all of the game's 29 characters, plus extra content like the VIP Double XP Booster, holiday character accessories, and more.
• If you already own the Killer Instinct Definitive Edition on your Xbox console or got it from the Windows Store for PC, you will get the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition for free.
• The Definitive Edition App and Xbox KI Classic 1 & 2 will not be included in the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition, but if you own the Definitive Edition you will still be able to download that content even after the release of the Anniversary Edition.
• If you own any purchased version of Killer Instinct from Steam, you are also getting the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition for free on Tuesday, along with the Permanent VIP Double XP Booster and Gargos’ Golden God and Argent Shroud colors.
• The free version of Killer Instinct will now be available to play on Steam for the first time. All three (Xbox, Windows Store, and Steam) free versions will let players access one character to play each week, and all 29 fighters will now be a part of the free rotation.

The patch notes for the Anniversary Edition show that the majority of fighter characters will get balance updates, but 10 characters will not receive any balance updates.