FragPunkwas one of the more strikinggames revealed at the 2024 Game Awards, set to be released later in 2025. Developed by Bad Guitar Studio, this game is a 5v5 hero shooter featuring a visually stunning art style and fast-paced gameplay that will definitely keep players on their toes. Despite the countless other big titles that exist in the genre, there is actually a lot that makes it unique from many hero shooters of the past, which is sure to catch people’s attention.
FragPunkis set to release on August 08, 2025, for free on Steam, Playstation 5, and Xbox, making it immediately accessible to countless people around the world. Its recent open beta led to some fairly positive reactions from players, proving that this newcomer certainly can make a name for itself. However, although there is a lot to be excited about regarding FragPunk’s release, it is sure to face some stiff competition as it is forced to compete with other popular hero shooters.
FragPunk’s Unique Card Mechanic Makes Gameplay Stand Out
A Unique Way To Change Up The Rules
Besides its visually distinct art style and interesting roster of characters, the most interesting aspect ofFragPunkis its gameplay. On top of being able to shoot enemy players with guns and utilizing each of the 12 characters' unique abilities,FragPunkincludes the opportunity to use various cards during every round of matches. Each one of these cards can have a completely different effect, from decreasing head sizes to reduce the chances of getting headshots, to even flipping the entire arena upside down.
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This card mechanic will undoubtedly help to make gameplay far more fun and exciting, asit helps to change what fans of hero shooters are used to. Depending on which cards players choose to take with them into matches, they will help to add more of a challenge in a unique way that hasn’t been seen in many hero shooters previously, by changing the rules every round. There is so much to be excited about gameplay-wise withFragPunkthat it should not be overlooked once it comes out.
FragPunk Will Struggle Against Marvel Rivals
FragPunk Is Going Up Against An Already Massive IP
Undoubtedly, the most popular hero shooter title at this time is NetEase Games' smash hitMarvel Rivals, which released on June 12, 2025. In only a short span of just a few weeks, this game has already overshot the current player base ofOverwatch 2, with over 400,000 players online at its peak and exceeding 200,000 concurrent players frequently. These massive numbers prove that this game certainly isn’t getting overshadowed anytime soon, especially with more content updates already coming out, including an adorablecostume for Jeff the Land Shark.
Much likeFragPunk,Marvel Rivalsalso has a very visually striking art style that immediately helped catch people’s attention. However, the biggest contributor to the success of this game is the massive Marvel IPs that are attached to it, as the game allows the opportunity to play asnumerous iconic charactersfrom across the entire franchise, with each of them having their own unique playstyle. Considering the fact thatFragPunkdoes not have a big IP to fall back onto, it will undoubtedly have a much harder time convincing people to try it out for themselves.
Concord’s Failure Serves As A Warning
FragPunk Needs To Get People’s Attention
BeforeMarvel Rivalsreleased, FireWalk Studios was pushing forConcordto be the next biggest hero shooter to dominate the industry earlier this year. However, due to a failed marketing campaign and the fact that many people simply found the game’s characters to be unremarkable,the game ultimately failed and was shut down after less than two weeks. IfFragPunkwants to avoid meeting the same fate asConcord, then Bad Guitar Studio needs to grab people’s attention with its marketing to really highlight what makes the game special compared to all the rest.
Based on the trailer that was shown at the 2024 Game Awards, Bad Guitar Studios has already proven what makes their game stand out. Although there is no big IP to fall back onto, the card mechanic will surely help to add further intrigue and entice players to try it out for themselves. Ultimately, only time will tell as to just how successfulFragPunkwill be, but it will definitely be exciting to see the matches once it finally is released to the public.
