The main game involves up to 32 players who control bean-shaped characters and compete against each other in a series of randomly selectedmini-games, such as obstacle courses and survival challenges. Players are eliminated as the rounds progress until, eventually, the last remaining player or team is crowned the winner. There are also many other modes, such as Explore, with different game rules and player counts. The game draws inspiration fromgame shows likeTakeshi's Castle,It's a Knockout,Total Wipeout, and playground games liketag andBritish Bulldog.[6][7]
Fall Guys received generally positive reviews from critics for its chaotic gameplay and visual appearance. The game was a commercial success, selling more than 10 million copies and attracting more than 50 million players after the game went free-to-play.[8]
In the standard "Classic" and "Knockout" modes, up to 32 players compete in matches withbattle royale style gameplay.[9][10][11]Players, represented asjellybean-like figures,[12] move around in a three-dimensional playing field, with abilities such as jumping, diving, dive sliding, piggybacking, and grabbing.[13] Players can also use power-ups in select levels, which grant players unique abilities for either a limited amount of time or until the round ends. The aim is to qualify for subsequent rounds by successfully completing each of the randomly selectedmini-games, many of which have randomly selected variations.[14][15] There are currently seven different types of levels in Fall Guys; Course, Survival, Points, Team, Logic, Invisibeans, and Final.
The winner of the Final level is usually the winner of the match, except in Squads based modes where the winning player scores the victory for their whole team.[13][16][17]
In the "Explore" and "Creator Spotlight" modes, up to 20 players can play continuous creative levels until they choose to finish. Players are able to skip levels and load into the next once qualified, earning 5 crown shards per completed level.
Using anin-game currency, "Kudos", players can purchase single cosmetics, nameplates, nicknames, patterns, faceplates, and colours, for their character to show off in-game.[18][19] Players obtain Kudos by playing the game or progressing in the Fame Pass. Players receive crowns by winning a match.[20] Crowns were a premium currency until 21 June 2022, whereas they now count towards Crown Rank.[21]
Season 1: Free for All added a premium in-game currency called "Show-Bucks", which can be used to purchase full costumes, premium colours, patterns, faceplates, emotes, celebrations and unlock a "supercharged" version of the Fame Pass. Players are only able to obtain Show-Bucks through the Fame Pass or by purchasing them viamicrotransactions.
Season 4: Creative Construction added a level editor titledFall Guys Creative. It allows users to create rounds with various obstacles and objects. Players can choose between making Course, Survival, or Points based rounds. There is a budget of 2500 points, which limits how many objects a round can contain. Players can submit their rounds and can share their rounds to others via share codes. Creative-made rounds can appear in the Discovery tab or the Explore mode.[33]
New content is added to the game through updates. These can bring new tools, modes, bug fixes and Fame Passes. This has been present since 16 August 2023, when Mediatonic announced that they were moving away from Seasons to instead deliver more frequent updates.
Season 2 added banners, nicknames, and the ability to choose different shows with a different selection with the Game Selector.
Season 3 added the Crown Rank system. The same season addedPrime Gaming exclusive rewards which only accessible if the user had anAmazon Prime subscription.
Season 4 added a basic daily challenge system. It also added the "Crown Shards" currency. In a mid-season update, they added to ability to host custom shows.[34][35]
Season 5 added limited time events, and Duos/Trios shows. Later in the season, the main lobby was redesigned.
Season 6 added cross-progression,cross-play, and a game mode called Sweet Thieves, where one team is invisible (only being visible when moving fast) while the other team is not. The invisible team (Thieves) needs to bring sweets to the goals while the other team (Guardians) tries to prevent them by using the grabbing mechanic to capture the Thieves and put them in a jail. A button can be pressed every 30 seconds to remove the jail barrier.[36][37]
Season 1: Free for All introduced Show-Bucks[4] and added Bean Hill Zone, the first collaboration level, withSonic the Hedgehog.[38] On 5 March 2024 the level was removed from the game, including 'The Vault' show, for unknown reasons.[39]
Season 2: Satellite Scramble added a Halloween-exclusive game mode called Treat Thieves, aHalloween themed version of Sweet Thieves, containing unique different gimmicks such aswormholes.[40]
Season 3: Sunken Secrets added dive sliding and aTime Attack show. The maximum lobby size was decreased from 60 to 40 players for faster queue time. The same season also added 'The Vault', which features all levels regardless of vaulted status in one show, only available in Custom Games.[41]
Fall Guys Creative logo
Season 4: Creative Construction added Fall Guys Creative, alongside a revamped Fame Pass system to replace the previous Season Pass.
The Power Party Update introducedpower-ups.[42] The same update also added the Discovery tab, a new tab in the Show Selector that showsCreative levels. Every few hours it refreshes with new levels.
The Survival Update added the ability to create Survival-type levels inCreative.
The Fall Forever Update added the 'Piggyback' mechanic.[43] The same update also added the Explore and Knockout modes.
The Scrapyard Stumble Update added the ability to create Points-type levels in Creative, along with many items to score points. This includes the Rubber Chicken power-up, which can be used to break or move destructible and physics objects.
The November Update added the Creator Spotlight mode, which refreshes on a consistent two-week basis and features specific creator-made levels approved by Mediatonic.
The Ranked Knockout Update introduced the eponymous Ranked Knockout mode. Players must place well in Knockout games, in order to achieve the Superstar rank and earn the highest rewards in each eight-week cycle.[44]
The Yeetropolis Update brought back the ability to earn Kudos at the end of games, a feature absent since Season 1: Free for All.[45]
As of November 2025 all Classic levels (apart from Bean Hill Zone and Sweet/Treat Thieves) have been unvaulted and are available to play in the core shows.[46]
TheFame Pass is an optional purchase that gives players extra cosmetics and in-game currencies. Before Season 1: Free for All, the Fame Pass (known as the Fame Path) only had 40 tiers and was completely free. Season 4 increased the path to 50.
Starting in Season 1: Free for All, the renamed 'Season Pass' was extended to 100 tiers with only half of the rewards being free. Season 2: Satellite Scramble added 100 extra tiers to the Season Pass, offering mostly crown shards and 3 bonus costumes.
Season 4: Creative Construction changed the game's live service model, offering multiple 'Fame Passes' over the course of the season.[47] These passes would have 40 main tiers, with the rest of the 100 tier pass consisting of bonus costumes and crown shards. The same season also introduced the first (and only) collaboration Fame Pass with the gameFinal Fantasy XIV,[48] featuring rewards themed around theWarriors of Light.[49]
After the discontinuation of seasons, Fame Passes would remain constant, but were extended from 100 to 160 tiers. The March '24 Fame Pass was then extended to 300 tiers, but only 70 consisted of proper rewards. The May '24 Fame Pass and subsequent Fame Passes were decreased to just 70 tiers.
Up until 16 August 2023 Fall Guys operated under a seasonal content cycle, which were major updates to the game that each had a unique theme and added new content (rounds, costumes, obstacles, mechanics and music). Seasons lasted for several months, and introduced a new Season Pass (originally called a Fame Path in Legacy Seasons) each time. They could be levelled up by playing shows and completing challenges to obtain a variety of customisation options and currencies such as Kudos and Crowns. On 21 June 2022, the seasons reset for the free-for-all release of the game. Since 16 August 2023 the game shifted away from seasonal content in favour of more consistent smaller updates.
The conception of what becameFall Guys began whenMediatonic was discussing another project in January 2018.[91] Lead designer Joe Walsh said that it reminded him of game shows such asTakeshi's Castle andTotal Wipeout. He drew from that inspiration to create a pitch document for what would becomeFall Guys.[6][92] Originally titledFools' Gauntlet, (also later under development using the name "Stumble Chums"), Walsh's pitch featured 100 players competing in abattle royale composed of physical challenges.[93] Creative director Jeff Tanton, while initially sceptical that creating another battle royale game would be successful, was quickly convinced of the game's potential, and forwarded Walsh's pitch to Mediatonic's founders.[91]
Tanton and Walsh worked on apitch deck, and principal concept artist Dan Hoang created images featuring colourful, bean-shaped characters racing on an obstacle course in the sky. Tanton explained that Hoang's character designs helped shift the focus of the game away from the obstacle course itself, to the characters.[94][95] With the pitch deck completed, Tanton pitched the game to 10 different publishers at the 2018Game Developers Conference. Six months after Devolver Digital agreed to publish the game, development began.[91][94]
Fall Guys began its initial prototyping process with a small team, growing to 30 people during development.[96] Initial progress on individual minigames was slow which caused the team to worry that there would not be enough content for launch. A turning point came when the team made a group of pillars that "took the opinions of people out of the occasion" and allowed the developers to "kill ideas faster". Such pillars include ensuring a minigame was "50-50 chaos and skill" and that a level had to be "different every time".[97] Inspired by game shows, and differentiating from first-person shooter battle royale games, Mediatonic focused on gameplay variety. By presenting the player with several, randomised rounds of game modes, Mediatonic hoped to recreate the experience of being on a game show.[96] To help keep the "spirit of playground games and game shows", Mediatonic created an internal rule that game modes needed to be explained in three words.[96] Over time, the game underwent numerous other changes. The player count was decreased from 100 to 60, as overpopulated games "stopped being readable or fun".[98] In testing, Mediatonic noted that players overestimated the number of players, stating "we didn't need as many players as we thought to create the crowds we wanted the gameplay to include."[99]
It's a Knockout, a game show forcing contestants to dress up in oversized costumes, inspired the idea that the characters should "have that element of being completely uniquely, badly designed for the task that we were gonna put them through".[92] Theragdoll physics is deliberate, to avoid "hyper athleticNinja Warrior characters" and because "falling over is funny".[92] According to Walsh, striking the right balance between funny ragdoll collisions and game performance was critical, because "as soon as you lose the ragdoll-ness of the character, you lose the comedy".[96] The character designs were inspired by the look of vinyl toys.[100]
Mediatonic began working on Season 2 before the game's release with level designer Joseph Juson, noting that it was more of an "expansion" compared to Season 3 where the team tried to bring new ideas.[101]
Cover art featuring the game's old logo with the Ultimate Knockout subtitle
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was announced atE3 in June 2019[102] and was released on 4 August 2020 forPlayStation 4 andWindows.[103][104] Several updates ensued for the first season[105][106][107][108] and on 8 October 2020, themedieval-themed second season was released.[109] The success prompted more hiring.[110][111]
The Chinese companyBilibili announced in August 2020 that it would develop a mobile version forAndroid andiOS that would be exclusive to China.[112][113] The deal expired in 2022 and Fall Guys announced that their exclusive content and accounts on Bilibili would be run by Epic from now on.[114]
In February 2021,Fall Guys was announced forNintendo Switch,Xbox One, andXbox Series X, scheduled for Summer 2021.[115][116] However, in April 2021, these versions of the game were delayed to late 2021, citing greater focus on cross-compatibility among all versions of the game.[117] On 30 November 2021, the release was delayed again to 2022.
In March 2021, Mediatonic and its parent company, Tonic Games Group, were bought byEpic Games.[118] Epic Games later announced that they will focus on addingcross-platform compatibility for all versions ofFall Guys,[119][120] utilising resources from games such asFortnite that became available after acquisition by Epic Games.[120]
On 18 November 2021, Mediatonic announced that Epic Games accounts will be required in season 6 allowing cross-platform progression between PS4 and Steam and the ability to have custom names for Steam players.[121] On 22 February 2022, Mediatonic released an update adding Lobbies and Friends lists. This uses the Epic Overlay system that games likeFortnite orRocket League have to invite anyone on any platform via Epic Games Accounts.[122]
On 15 March 2022, Mediatonic announced that starting on 5 April 2022 there would be a new launcher that all PlayStation players would need to download to keep playing the game.[123] On 9 May 2022, the old PlayStation launcher shut down and became unusable.[124] Both launchers were the same besides the new one being published by Epic Games instead of Devolver Digital. People who downloaded the new launcher would be able to redeem a free DLC Pink Shark costume that was able to be redeemed until the end of season 6.[125]
Mediatonic and Epic Games transitionedFall Guys to afree-to-play system alongside its 21 June release onXbox One,Xbox Series X/S andNintendo Switch.[126] Additionally, a dedicatedPlayStation 5 version also released, featuring enhanced visuals andDualSense effects.[21] The game was also rebranded asFall Guys, without theUltimate Knockout subtitle.[127] The free-to-play version eliminated the need for players to have console subscription services likePlayStation Plus to be able to play.[128] To support the free-to-play model, the game included a newseason pass system with both a free and premium tier of rewards, the latter available to those that purchase the premium pass with real-world funds.[129] For Windows, the game was removed from theSteam storefront and made available onEpic Games Store, though the Steam version will continue to be updated in sync with the Epic Games Store version. The free-to-play versions ofFall Guys also added support forcross-platform play with other platforms.[3] Players who had purchasedFall Guys before this transition were given a "Legacy Pack", which included costumes and the Season 1: Free for All premium Season Pass for free.[130]
On 21 February 2023, Mediatonic announced in a blogpost that Seasons will be longer than 2–3 months for future seasons to allow for more time to work on future seasons. They also announced alevel editor which was originally teased in 2022 calledCreative.Creative launched on 10 May 2023.[131]
As of Season 3: Sunken Secrets, Jukio Kallio no longer composes the game's music.[132][133]
On 16 August 2023, it was announced that Seasons would be phased out in favour of more frequent updates, but that Fame Passes would remain.[138]
The inside of Mediatonic's office on 28 September 2023. The word Mediatonic wasrearranged to spell 'decimation' as a response to Epic Games laying off over 830 employees,[139] with Mediatonic being severely affected by the layoffs. While it is unknown how many employees were fired, many former employees announced their unemployment on Twitter.[140][141]
Tim Sweeney stated thatFall Guys andRocket League will not be discontinued despite mass layoffs, and that Epic Games would continue to invest in them.[139]
On 16 August 2024, Fall Guys was released onAndroid worldwide andIOS devices in theEU via theEpic Games Store relaunch on mobile devices.[142]
The Fall and Fantasy Update announced that aRanked mode would be released with the next update, which came in the form of "Ranked Knockout" on 1 April 2025.[143]
On 23 January 2026 a Fall Guys limited time mode titled 'Crown Jam' was released in Fortnite.[144]
Fall Guys received "generally favourable" reviews, according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[145][146] Aclone game calledStumble Guys was released for mobile devices on 23 September 2020, and became popular.[154]
Tom Wiggins ofStuff magazine praised the game, calling it "Super Monkey Ball for theFortnite generation".[155]Mercury News praised the "controlled chaos" gameplay ofFall Guys, stating it to be utilising a combination of the elements from the battle royale gameFortnite and the party gameMario Party in such a way that made it "tailored to thecoronavirus age".[13] Ollie Toms fromRock, Paper, Shotgun praisedFall Guys for its creative approach as a battle royale game incorporating family-friendly elements rather than resorting to violent themes. He praised the simplicity of the game and the diversity of content added with each season. He argues that the ragdoll physics can be both exciting and frustrating to play: "What really makes and breaks this game is the imprecision of your actions. It's not something many competitive games can get away with in the wayFall Guys does."[156]
The weekend before release during aclosed beta,Fall Guys briefly became the most-watched game onTwitch as well as the sixth-best-selling Steam game where it was available for pre-order.[157]
Fall Guys has been frequently compared toAmong Us, in that both are online games which grew in popularity during theCOVID-19 pandemic. Both also have similar characters, commonly called "Beans" by both communities.[158][159][160][161][162]
The addition of Squad Mode in Season 4 was positively received.Kotaku says it evokes a new perspective on intense gameplay, indicating the importance of teamwork.[35] The addition of Sweet Thieves has been positively received. The websiteDestructoid says "This is the most fun I've had withFall Guys in forever." and "If you care about trophies, Sweet Thieves is worth checking out. But it stands on its own, too."[163]
On 11 October 2022, thehashtag #savefallguys started trending onTwitter.[164][165] This was to elicit Mediatonic's attention to address and resolve numerous problems that players have had with the game including lack of round variety,bugs, sub par events, prices in the in-game shop, implementation ofskill based matchmaking, and more.[166][167] On 15 November 2022, the Fall Guys Twitter account stated that in order for the game to stay stable, some rounds will be "vaulted" and rounds will be rotated in and out of the vault. This meant that some rounds will be temporarily removed to increase stability across all platforms.[168] Players criticised this move, citing how removing pre-existing rounds causes the game to lose itsreplay value. Starting with the Fall Forever Update, the "vault" was officially discontinued and as of November 2025 all levels previously vaulted (apart from Bean Hill Zone) have been unvaulted.
Following the Slime Factory Update, players became concerned with the lack of any new content beyond cosmetics and events scheduled until January 2027. This has led players to believe Mediatonic placed the game onto autopilot or has plans to shut the game down in the near future.[169][170][171] As of 2026 the game hasn't received a major update.
Within 24 hours of release, the game had an active player base of more than 1.5 million players.[172] On 10 August 2020, Devolver Digital announced 2 million copies sold on Steam.[173] During the first day of release, the servers forFall Guys were unexpectedly overloaded due to popularity.[9][18]
The game's popularity brought several brand collaborations for custom content.[174] Shortly after release Mediatonic announced a fundraiser by which the brand that donated the most money to the charitySpecialEffect would have their customskin featured in the game.[175]
By 26 August 2020, more than 7 million copies ofFall Guys had been sold onSteam, and it was the most downloaded monthlyPS Plus game of all time.[176] By November 2020, the game had reached more than 10 million sales on Steam.[177] According to firmSuperdata the game's online revenue for PC in its first month was$185 million from8.2 million players, making it the biggest launch on that platform sinceOverwatch by those metrics.[178] Multiple outlets described the game's popularity as a "phenomenon".[179][180][181][182] In December 2020, Mediatonic confirmed sales of more than 11 million copies on PC.[183]
In June 2022, within two weeks of going free-to-play and its release on multiple consoles,Fall Guys' player count rose to over 50 million.[184][185]
^Additional support provided by Wushu Studios, Red Kite Games, The Multiplayer Group, Room 8 Studio, Super Spline Studios, Lionbridge Games, Bosi, Infinsteam and Rocket Science Games
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