Important takeaways
- FragPunk's closed beta is open for signups on the Xbox Insider Program and Steam.
- Shard Cards in FragPunk provide unique gameplay elements.
- FragPunk offers 5v5 matches, new heroes like Sonar and Spider, different weapons and cards for strategic play.
Members of the Xbox Insider program can sign up for FragPunkis closed beta now. Gamers have expressed general fatigue with hero shooters, but that hasn't stopped NetEase subsidiary Bad Guitar Studio from going all-in on FragPunkwhich comes just around the corner after another NetEase hero shooter, Marvel Rivalslaunched its beta.
FragPunk announced during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, showcases Bad Guitar Studios' inspired new take on the hero shooter subgenre of FPS games. FragPunk shows similarities to Brainwash Gang's 2023 card-based shooter title Friends vs friends. However, FragPunk seems to offer more to do, with an increased number of players compared to Friends vs friends limit on 3v3 matches, as well as a dedicated competitive scene. As development on FragPunk continues, its closed beta is approaching.
The closed beta for FragPunk is now available for registration in the Xbox Insider Program and on Steam. Question marks closed beta will begin in October, and the team of developers at Bad Guitar have expressed excitement about expanding the game's pool of players. Xbox Insider users can join the beta by going to the Preview tab in the Xbox Insider program menu and selecting FragPunk as it looks. Previously, players in North America were given a chance to test FragPunks closed alpha, and the potential jump in player count could give Bad Guitar insight into more player behavior and necessary tweaks.
Xbox Insiders get access to FragPunk Closed Beta
With its unique game-changing Shard Cards, FragPunk has a chance to set itself apart from many of its contemporaries in the hero shooter genre. Bad Guitar has said that matches are expected to last around two and a half minutes, so there's a chance that Shard Cards will drastically affect the outcome of matches instead of just being something to spice up the game. Cards like Blade Master, which block oncoming bullets from the front, seem to be particularly beneficial.
In addition to Shard Cards, Fragpunk's heroes increase the potential for strategy. Recently announced FragPunk characters like Sonar and Spider have enemy tracking and traps separated into their respective toolkits, compared to characters like Monitorings Widowmaker, who could perform all of these tasks at once. Having characters with limited but still useful abilities is a way to steer players towards figuring out how to best use Shard Cards. Although there is a lot of speculation about it FragPunks gameplay and how much these variables matter, people will get a chance to try the game out pretty soon.
