FragPunk is solid—mostly. Ditching ultimates was a bold (read: questionable) move, but Shard Cards bring enough chaos to keep things interesting. What really sells it is the swagger. In a sea of same-y shooters, FragPunk kicks the door down with something fresh and flashy. It won’t dethrone the genre’s giants, but it’s no flop either.

FragPunk is a 5v5 tactical action shooter where you decide what goes in every round using powerful, rule-changing cards. Read our review to learn what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth buying. 

FragPunk Review Overview

What is FragPunk?

FragPunk is a 5v5 tactical FPS from Bad Guitar Studio and NetEase, where players step into the boots of unique Lancers and engage in fast-paced, high-stakes skirmishes in a world infused with a powerful, reality-bending element called Glunite. In addition to an assortment of firearms, players have access to powerful Shard Cards—game-changing modifiers that can alter the rules of battle in unexpected ways.

With multiple game modes like Shard Clash, Ranked Mode, and a rotating selection of arcade-style challenges, FragPunk blends the precision of tactical shooters like Valorant with its own rebellious, high-energy twist. In this game, it’s not just about winning—it’s about winning with style.

FragPunk features:
　⚫︎　13 playable Lancers on launch, with more on the way
　⚫︎　100+ unique Shard Cards to unlock and deploy
　⚫︎　20 unique weapons available to all Lancers
　⚫︎　Expansive weapon customization system
　⚫︎　Distinctly colorful street punk style
　⚫︎　Rotating arcade game modes
　⚫︎　Ranked mode with ranking matches

FragPunk Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Vibrant and Striking Punk Design  Bumping Beats and Astounding Audio  Great Lancer Kits and Design  Better Shard Cards Than the Beta	Slim Pickings for Lancers  No Ultimate Abilities  Yet Another Freaking Battle Pass

FragPunk Overall Score – 84/100

FragPunk is a solid game across the board—keyword: most. The devs made the bold (read: questionable) choice to ditch ultimate abilities entirely, but the sheer chaos of Shard Cards almost makes up for it. What really sets it apart, though, is its undeniable swagger. In a genre drowning in semi-futuristic, same-y shooters, FragPunk kicks the door down with something fresh, flashy, and genuinely fun. Just don’t expect it to outshine the genre’s titans—but also, don’t expect it to be a flop. It’s a punk, not a poser, afterall.

FragPunk Story – 7/10

FragPunk’s world-building is solid in terms of detail and cohesion, and its characters are genuinely compelling—both in design and writing. The problem isn’t the quality of the narrative itself but how little of it actually comes through during gameplay. The core mechanics take center stage, leaving the story feeling more like background noise than a driving force. That said, I’d love the chance to engage more directly with this world. FragPunk is almost there—it just needs that extra push to make its lore feel as integral as its gunplay.

FragPunk Gameplay – 7/10

There’s nothing wrong with FragPunk’s gameplay—it’s well-designed, well-balanced, and even brings some genuinely creative ideas to the table. But in a crowded FPS market, it doesn’t quite feel like the biggest fish in the pond. The absence of ultimate abilities is a noticeable downside, making fights feel less like they can turn on a dime compared to games like Marvel Rivals or even Valorant. That said, the Shard Cards are a fantastic addition, giving FragPunk its own identity amid the sea of F2P shooters. If it can find a different way to wow me gameplay-wise, I’m willing to fall headfirst into its rabbit hole. 

FragPunk Visuals – 9/10

FragPunk’s visuals were designed to be striking, and I can confidently say it nailed that goal—literally with flying colors. Its distinct aesthetic sets it apart in a crowded market of semi-futuristic shooters, a feat I didn’t expect it to pull off so well. Every character oozes style, and the weapon customization system lets players crank up the drip to their liking. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but hey—that’s punk, baby!

FragPunk Audio – 9/10

Music and punk go together like Green Day and guyliner, and FragPunk absolutely understands the assignment. Its soundtrack is loud, proud, and dripping with attitude—from the beats in the main menu to the sheer swagger of the end-of-match screens. The energy is completely unhinged, as you’d hope from a game with punk in its name, and it delivers in all the best ways.

FragPunk Value for Money – 10/10

FragPunk is free, and that alone makes it a solid value proposition—but beyond that, it offers a surprising amount of content for such a generous price. Sure, there’s a battle pass to grind through, and not all Lancers are unlocked from the start (Marvel Rivals still holds the crown there), but the monetization feels fair. Everything you need to pay for is purely optional, and nothing about it comes across as predatory. In fact, it feels like yet another solid offering from NetEase, following an already impressive streak from last year.

FragPunk Review: Punk Ain’t Dead Yet

To be perfectly honest, now isn’t the best time to launch a new shooter—Marvel Rivals has the market in a stranglehold, and Overwatch 2 is still fighting to stay afloat. Any game trying to carve out a space in the middle of this brawl risks being drowned out. But if anyone could make a splash, it’d be NetEase—and FragPunk might just be the game to do it.

This game is loud, unapologetic, and dripping with style. It makes an immediate impression through sheer attitude, backed by solid ideas that set it apart. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves—let’s break FragPunk down piece by piece and see exactly why punk, in gaming and beyond, isn’t going anywhere.

Valoran’ts Very Own Marvel Rivals

That header might have been a bit dramatic—FragPunk isn’t exactly a Valorant killer, just like Marvel Rivals didn’t singlehandedly bury Overwatch 2 (though it certainly helped hammer in a few extra nails). However, the similarities between FragPunk and Valorant may be enough to get players crossing over comfortably and, at the very least, enjoying both games.

At its core, FragPunk is a 5v5 tactical shooter, much like its contemporaries. It doesn’t quite fit the hero shooter mold of Marvel Rivals—the power fantasy isn’t as over-the-top, and the gameplay leans more methodical than bombastic, even with its unique mechanics in play. It sits closer to Valorant, CS2, and Apex Legends, where gunplay and precision take precedence over game-changing abilities—especially since, as I’ll touch on later, there aren’t any tide-turning ultimates.

Players take control of various characters called Lancers, each with their own abilities and specialties, but they all share the same weapon pool. If you’re a Valorant player, the similarities will feel uncanny—the skill transfer is almost seamless. Even the game modes feel familiar, with sites to attack and defend, planting mechanics, and the standard tactical shooter staples of smokes, flashes, and area denial. In short, it’s everything you know and love from Valorant, just reimagined with its own distinct twist.

That brings us to FragPunk’s biggest twist: Shard Cards. Without these, the game would feel mechanically identical to Valorant, but this system sets it apart in a way that keeps every round fresh and unpredictable.
Shard Cards are powerful modifiers that teams choose from at the start of each round. Each team gets a selection of three cards and votes on which one to activate—provided they have enough Shards, a currency earned by performing well. Once a card is infused with Shards, its effects kick in for the round, and these can range from minor buffs to game-altering chaos.

For example, the Ricochet Shard Card causes bullets to bounce unpredictably, potentially racking up extra damage if enemies are clustered together. Meanwhile, the Health Club card is much simpler—it just grants every player 25 extra health for the round. Then, there are the more extreme effects, like Clear Path, which removes all doors from the map, or Big Heads, which—unsurprisingly—makes everyone’s head hitbox comically larger.

The system is fun, unpredictable, and massively boosts replayability across FragPunk’s game modes. It’s easily the game’s most unique mechanic outside of its vibrant punk aesthetic, and compared to its beta, it feels even more refined and impactful this time around.

100% Punk Vibes Across the Board

Keeping FragPunk’s accolades pumping, let’s talk about its vibes—the way it embraces chaos, anarchy, and style through its distinct visuals and audio. There really is no punk like FragPunk, because everything about this game screams rebellion in flashing fluorescent lights and a pounding soundtrack.

The game has an in-your-face attitude about its core design principles, with a UI that’s equal parts tactical and stylized. Even small details, like the spray-painted damage numbers that pop off enemies when you dome them from downtown, add to the aesthetic. The weapons strike a great balance between futuristic and punk, and the weapon customization system lets players push that even further.

From stickers that can be slapped onto literally any part of a weapon to charms and kill counters, FragPunk gives you everything you need to turn a standard AA-12 into a waifu rifle—complete with seven anime girls on one side and an 8-bit kill counter displaying 42069 kills on the other. Not that I would ever do that myself, of course… but, hey, the option is there, especially with how much free cosmetics the game gives just from playing normally.

But the real showstoppers are the characters. If Concord’s failure proved anything, it’s that a game’s identity hinges on how well it designs its main cast. FragPunk absolutely delivers, with Lancers that stand out in both silhouette and personality. The roster is diverse in nationality, style, and function, with each character bringing something unique to the table. Even the poster boy, Broker, dodges the usual generic hero trope—he’s decked out in some of the most flamboyant, glitzy swag this side of A Site, and the game’s all the better for it.

Lastly, there’s the music, which is some of the best I’ve heard in a shooter in a long time—Marvel Rivals’ theme sung by Jeff the Land Shark notwithstanding. It’s exactly the kind of high-energy, rebellious sound you’d expect from a game with punk in its name, and it absolutely delivers.

I’d be more than happy to leave it running in the background while waiting in queue for five minutes at a time. It’s the final piece of the vibe puzzle that ties FragPunk’s entire identity together.

Whose Idea Was It To Not Add Ultimate Abilities?

Every great piece of media has its pitfalls, and unfortunately, FragPunk’s can be found in its gameplay. For all the flawless vibes it delivers, the core mechanics feel just a bit incomplete.

Don’t get me wrong—Shard Cards are fantastic, and each Lancer’s kit is distinct and effective, but there’s a glaring omission that holds the experience back from feeling fully fleshed out.

I have to ask—who thought removing Ultimate abilities was a good idea? Because it decidedly wasn’t. Without powerful abilities to shake up the battlefield, matches can snowball hard, leaving the losing side little room for a comeback. Even Valorant balances its gunplay with impactful Ultimates, ensuring every round has the potential for a big momentum shift.

I get the design logic—FragPunk likely omitted Ultimates to keep Shard Cards as the main game-altering factor. But honestly? I think the two systems could coexist. Ultimates could work alongside Shard Cards, adding another layer of strategy while maintaining the game’s core identity. 

Now that I really think about it, Ultimate Abilities do way more than just shake up gameplay—they define a character. Without them, FragPunk’s Lancers feel a little… unfinished, even if they’re cool on paper.

Think about it. Someone says McCree, and your brain instantly goes “Hiiiiiiigh noon”—right before someone gets deleted. You hear “Armed and dangerous”, and instinctively yell “Again!”. And if you’re a Valorant player? The second Jett shouts “Watch this!”, your heart rate spikes.

FragPunk? Yeah… it just doesn’t hit the same. The linchpin isn’t there, and it shows.

Another Battle Pass? Really?

And now, we reach the part of FragPunk I hate the most—even if it’s not as egregious as in other games. Another battle pass in the year of our lord 2025. Like we haven’t already established that nobody likes this monetization scheme.

Even Marvel Rivals had this marring its otherwise stellar launch, but at least that game was good enough to justify it, with a generous enough system that made it worth considering. FragPunk, on the other hand? Less so.

You actually have to use in-game currency to unlock Lancers, making it less generous in comparison. The battle pass itself feels stingy, offering little in the way of free rewards or an exciting reward pool. It’s just barely worth looking into, and that’s being charitable.Sure, it’s mostly inoffensive, since it’s just cosmetics—but man, am I tired of seeing this in every single free-to-play game out the gate.

Big Fish in A Much Bigger Pond, But A Big Fish Nonetheless

FragPunk is a good game released at a bad time. In today’s FPS landscape, players have better options at the same price point of free-fifty—and those options come with far stronger footholds in the genre. Marvel Rivals and Valorant already dominate this space, and while FragPunk is creative and stylish, it’s unlikely to measure up, especially with such an abysmal roster of 13 Lancers on launch.

Its biggest shortcoming lies in a one-sided gameplay decision—the omission of Ultimate abilities, a staple of the genre. Without them, matches often snowball too hard with little room for comebacks. But outside of that, its core gameplay is solid, and the Shard Cards system is downright genius.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Would I have fun playing it? No doubt. But do I think it’ll top the charts and challenge the big names? Not a chance.

Punk ain’t dead, but FragPunk won’t be the one to drag it back into the spotlight.

Is FragPunk Worth It?

It’s Free. It’s Fun. That’s All You Need.

FragPunk is a free-to-play game that actually lets you, you know, play the game—no nonsense, no locked content, just pure, unfiltered FPS action. Sure, there’s a borderline acceptable battle pass lurking in the corner, but it’s all cosmetics, so you can ignore it like that gym membership you swore you’d cancel.

At its core, FragPunk is dripping with style, packed with quality, and loaded with Shard Card-fueled chaos.There’s plenty of game modes to spice things up, and they rotate to keep things fresh weekly, and I don’t imagine the abysmal pickings for Lancers would last for very long.

You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not at least giving it a spin—worst case scenario, you lose 30 GB of hard drive space; best case? You find yourself knee-deep in some genuinely fun shootouts against enemies with heads the size of footballs. Not a bad deal in my book.

Digital Storefronts
Steam		PSN		Xbox		Epic Games
Price		Free-to-Play

FragPunk FAQ

When Will the Console Version of FragPunk Be Released?

According to the game’s official release FAQ, the game’s console version will be released sometime within 2 months of its PC release, at least according to the developers’ current estimations.

Will I Be Able to Sync Up My PC Account with the Game’s Console Version When It Comes Out?

According to the game’s official release FAQ, yes. Once the game’s console version is available, players can sync their accounts on both platforms.

FragPunk Product Information

Title	FRAGPUNK
Release Date	March 7, 2025
Developer	Bad Guitar Studios
Publisher	Bad Guitar Studios, NetEase
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam, Epic Games)
Genre	Action, Shooter
Number of Players	1-10 (5v5 Online Multiplayer)
ESRB Rating	ESRB Teen
Official Website	FragPunk Website