Fall Guys May 16 announcement: PS5, Xbox & Switch, free-to-play, course builder

Fall Guys transforms into a free-to-play, cross-platform party game with new level creation tools on June 21

The Cross-Platform Revolution Begins June 21

Mark your calendars for June 21, the date Fall Guys undergoes its most significant transformation yet. This isn’t just an update; it’s a full-scale relaunch designed to break down barriers between gaming communities. The party is expanding to Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles, joining its existing home on PlayStation. Crucially, the PC version is moving exclusively to the Epic Games Store, marking its departure from Steam. This strategic shift to Epic’s ecosystem is the backbone enabling the sweeping cross-platform features that follow.

Developer Mediatonic is orchestrating this next phase to fundamentally change how players connect, introducing seamless crossplay, adopting a free-to-play model, and injecting a massive amount of new content into this battle royale party game.

The June 21 launch shatters the old platform silos, making Fall Guys available on Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via the Epic Games Store. While leaving Steam may disappoint some, the developers are compensating with groundbreaking social and creative features. The vision is a unified player base where the platform you own becomes irrelevant.

Mediatonic’s vision is a single, massive party where anyone can play, regardless of their device.

The cornerstone of this update is the implementation of full cross-play and cross-progression. Mediatonic is merging the Fall Guys servers into a single, interconnected ecosystem. Your platform of choice no longer dictates who you can play with or against.

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  • Practically, this means forming a squad with friends on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch simultaneously is now possible. All players will need to link their platform account to an Epic Games Account, which acts as the universal passport. Your cosmetic unlocks, Kudos (the in-game currency), and Fame (battle pass progress) will travel with you across every device. For PlayStation 4 players, ensure you download the latest mandatory update to maintain access when the new season goes live.

    Free-to-Play Model: What It Means for You

    The free-to-play transition on June 21 opens the doors to millions of new players on Switch, Xbox, and Epic Games Store. The May 16 announcement stream confirmed the removal of all upfront costs. This dramatically lowers the barrier to entry, promising a much larger and more vibrant matchmaking pool. For the community who supported the game from the beginning, Mediatonic is offering a generous ‘Legacy Pack.’ This thank-you gift is automatically granted to anyone who purchased the game before June 21 and includes a unique nameplate, several exclusive skins, and a full Season Pass for the inaugural free-to-play season.

    Navigating a free-to-play game requires a slight mindset shift. While the core gameplay—running, jumping, and diving through chaotic obstacle courses—remains completely free, the business model will now focus on the in-game store and battle passes. Expect a regular rotation of cosmetic items, emotes, and celebration animations available for purchase with Show-Bucks (the new premium currency) or earned through the free and premium battle pass tracks. The key for new players is to engage with the seasonal challenges to earn Kudos and free reward track items, maximizing value without spending.

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    Pro Tip for Existing Owners: Log in after the June 21 update to immediately claim your Legacy Pack. The included Season Pass is a significant value, granting immediate access to a premium reward track. Prioritize equipping the exclusive Legacy nameplate to showcase your veteran status in the new, expanded crowd of beans.

    Unleash Creativity with the Course Builder

    Beyond playing levels, you’ll soon be building them. Mediatonic has teased an ambitious ‘Course Builder’ feature, a powerful toolkit that hands creative control to the community. This isn’t just a few preset options; early looks suggest hundreds of customizable objects. Imagine placing giant blimps, spinning hammers, slippery ice floors, treacherous disappearing blocks, and even complex moving platforms to craft your ultimate obstacle course nightmare—or masterpiece.

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  • While the level designer is still in active development, the team’s priority is to release a robust version to players as soon as possible. The goal is to empower fans to ‘cook up’ devilishly clever maps to challenge friends and share with the global community. This feature has the potential to endlessly extend the game’s lifespan, as player creativity constantly furnishes new challenges.

    To design engaging courses, think about pacing. A good map should have a mix of skill-based obstacles, chaotic RNG (random number generator) elements, and spectator-friendly ‘fail moments.’ Use the iconic yellow slime as both a timer and a hazard. Test your creations with a variety of bean counts to ensure they’re fun for full 60-player lobbies and smaller private matches alike. The most popular community maps will likely be those that are challenging but fair, creating hilarious moments rather than pure frustration.

    Common Creator Mistake to Avoid: Don’t just create an impossibly difficult gauntlet. The most shared and replayed levels in similar builder modes are often those that are visually creative, tell a small story, or create unique social deduction moments (like a maze where you have to trust others). Focus on fun and shareability over pure difficulty.

    Pro Tips for the New Fall Guys Era

    The June 21 update is more than new features; it’s a new meta. To thrive, you’ll need to adapt your strategies. With cross-play enabled, you’ll encounter players from all platforms. Remember, PC players may have a slight precision advantage with mouse and keyboard in certain aiming-based levels, but console players often excel with consistent analog movement for running sections. The key is to play to your platform’s strengths and learn from others.

    Optimization Checklist:
    1. Link Your Epic Games Account Early: Do this before launch day to avoid login queues and ensure your Legacy Pack is ready.
    2. Review Control Settings: With the new launch, revisit your dive, grab, and jump sensitivities, especially if moving to a new platform.
    3. Form Cross-Platform Squads: Use the new system to play with friends you couldn’t before. Communication via Epic’s built-in voice chat or external apps will be key.
    4. Focus on Seasonal Challenges: In the free-to-play model, daily and weekly challenges are your primary source of free currency and cosmetic rewards. Complete them consistently.

    Avoid These New Player Pitfalls:
    Ignoring the Slime: Newcomers often focus only on the obstacles ahead, not the rising slime behind them. It’s your constant timer.
    Overusing the Grab: Grabbing other players is fun but often slows you down. Use it strategically in final moments, not throughout the race.
    Spending Show-Bucks Impulsively: The store will have rotating items. Wait for a skin or emote you truly love instead of buying the first thing you see.
    Playing Solo Only: Fall Guys is a social experience. Playing in a squad, even with strangers via matchmaking, increases your chances of winning and is significantly more fun.

    The sheer volume of content arriving with Season 1 on June 21 is designed to reignite the viral ‘bean craze’ that captivated the world in 2020. By removing price and platform barriers and adding deep creative tools, Mediatonic is not just updating Fall Guys—they’re rebuilding its foundation for the future.

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