The Finals Release Date, Beta, Platforms and Gameplay

Update (October 2026): The Finals launched free-to-play on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on December 7, 2023, as a surprise release during The Game Awards. Embark Studios added a PS4 version in December 2024 but retired it in March 2026. The next season, due October 20, 2026, brings what Embark calls its most significant destruction update since launch.

The Finals is a free-to-play first-person shooter developed and published by Embark Studios. Its big hook is fully destructible arenas that players can use to their advantage.

When we first wrote about it in March 2023, it had no release date. The game was announced for PC, with console versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The Finals release timeline

• March 7 to March 21, 2023: Embark ran a closed beta on PC.
• December 7, 2023: Embark launched the full game without advance notice during The Game Awards, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, as Game Informer reported. Season 1 began the same night.
• December 12, 2024: A PS4 version was scheduled to arrive alongside Season 5, according to Gematsu.
• March 26, 2026: Embark retired the PS4 version at the start of Season 10 to focus on newer platforms, its help center says.
• October 20, 2026: The next season is due.

What if you played on PS4?

Your progress and purchases stay tied to your Embark ID account, so they carry over to other platforms. The Finals is not the only shooter leaving last-generation consoles: Call of Duty: Warzone is retiring its PS4 and Xbox One versions in late 2026.

How a match works

Players compete as contestants in a fictional virtual reality combat game show set in the year 2100. Matches are presented as live spectacles in front of holographic crowds, with an announcer reacting to the action.

Contestants choose a Light, Medium or Heavy build, a body type that sets their size, speed and health. The arenas can be torn apart, so walls, floors and cover all become part of the strategy.

In Cashout, the main mode, four teams of three compete to collect and cash out as much money as possible.

What’s next: the October 2026 season

The game turns three in December 2026. In a September 18 post on the official site, executive producer Christian Aarsrud said the next season arrives on October 20. He said it comes after a year planned around one larger goal rather than three separate seasons.

• Destruction: Structures can stay partly attached as they break, so floors sag and walls lean before they fall.
• Arenas: The oldest arenas get updated lighting, materials and level design, plus their own sponsors and colors.
• More to come: Embark has promised a new playstyle, a new mode and a full UI and HUD rework, with details closer to launch. The HUD is the on-screen display of health, ammo and other information.