You play as a contestant on a virtual combat game show in THE FINALS, a free-to-play team shooter from Embark Studios. Teams fight in arenas that can be torn apart as a match goes on, so cover can disappear in the middle of a fight.
Before each match, you pick a loadout: one Specialization (a special ability), one weapon and three gadgets. Every loadout belongs to one of three builds: Light is fast and built for stealth, Medium supports the team, and Heavy is slow but tough. New players start with ready-made loadouts called Playstyles. In Cashout, the main mode, vaults are spread around the arena, and opening one releases a Cash Box after a short countdown. You carry that box to a Cashout Station, where depositing it earns your team a share of its value right away, and the rest goes to whichever team holds the station when the timer runs out.
Your goal is to bank more cash than the other teams before the match ends. If you are knocked out, you can respawn or wait for a teammate to revive you, which is why sticking together matters. Playing also earns XP for cosmetic rewards, and steady results move you up World Tour ranks and Ranked Cashout leagues.
- Developer
- Embark Studios
- Publisher
- Embark Studios
- Release
- Global: 2023-12-07
- Platforms
- Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Game data
Weapons
THE FINALS weapons cover pistols, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, launchers, bows, a flamethrower and melee weapons, spread across the Light, Medium and Heavy builds. Each one suits a certain kind of fight, from close quarters to long sightlines. Weapons unlock through playstyles and Playstyle Tokens, and the default inventory holds the rest. Each build carries only its own weapons, so picking a build also sets the list of guns you can choose from.
Gadgets
Gadgets are the active tools each contestant brings into a match, such as grenades, traps, shields and healing devices. Each loadout carries a set of them at once, plus a Reserve of backup items you can swap in at set moments. Gadgets are split between Light, Medium and Heavy builds, with some shared between two of them and a group of grenades working on every build. Playstyle Tokens are the main way to unlock them as players progress.
Specializations
Specializations are the signature abilities that come with THE FINALS' Light, Medium and Heavy builds, and each build has its own set. Each set is built around a specific job, like stealth, support or demolition. Most run on charges, cooldowns or energy, and they're bundled into Playstyles that players unlock with Playstyle Tokens earned through play.
Arenas
THE FINALS features maps and arenas built to recreate real places such as Seoul, Monaco and Kyoto, along with fictional settings like SYS$HORIZON. Structures can be broken during a match, which can open new routes or expose new sightlines. Arenas can also come in variants that change the layout or add a hazard, and the active variant is shown before each match begins.
THE FINALS gameplay tips
- Learn with Cashout (Bots) before you queue against other players. It pits you against AI opponents, so you can get used to opening vaults, carrying boxes and depositing them without the pressure of a live team.
- Keep a teammate on the station until the timer ends. Stealing takes several seconds of uninterrupted interaction, so a teammate standing close enough to break that interaction can stop a steal before it finishes.
- Don't add a second box to a station that's already depositing unless your team can hold it. If your team doesn't own the station when the timer ends, it loses half of its current cash. This is called Double Jeopardy.
- Revive downed teammates as soon as you reach them. In tournament rounds, respawn credits are limited, so a player who runs out has to wait for a teammate's revive or a full team wipe.
- Use destruction to block sightlines. Toppling a building by hitting its supports or dropping smoke can cut off the view of a station that an enemy wants to steal. Steals take setup, and blocking their view makes that setup harder.
- Play Medium if your team needs revives. Only Medium builds can use the Defibrillator, which revives a downed teammate at half health, so a Medium on your team gives people a second chance.