Remedy Entertainment is acknowledging player complaints about FBC: Firebreak, and the development team seems to be making no excuses for the elements that have drawn criticism at its launch. The developer certainly isn't giving up on FBC: Firebreak and is already working to fix some problems, but some other aspects may take some time to resolve.
As the first attempt from Remedy to develop a co-op multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak was released on June 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There was already plenty of excitement from Remedy's fan base prior to the release, as the game serves as a follow-up to the developer's well-received 2019 action-adventure game, Control, set six years after the events of its story. But the reception hasn't been flawless, with the game currently sitting at a mixed review rating on Steam.
FBC: Firebreak Players Aren't Happy About Major Missing Feature
FBC: Firebreak is missing a feature that's a staple of modern co-op games, prompting some vocal player complaints on social media.
In a prepared statement on Steam, which accompanies a hefty patch, the development team had bittersweet words about the game's launch, filled with a mix of excitement and disappointment. Remedy is planning to fix several issues that players have made complaints about. One of the biggest among these is FBC: Firebreak's confusing opening hours, which has earned the game criticism for its lack of explanation about many key game mechanics. "The game's first hours do not provide a great experience," Remedy admits, and the development team has plans to make onboarding more understandable, though it may be one of the features that take longer to implement.
Remedy has noted that players seem to be enjoying the gameplay experience more if they can make it past the first few hours, but another problem with the opening is the lack of a power fantasy. The new patch balances this out a bit by letting players start their first job at Clearance Level 3, though they can opt to start at one of the lower levels if they choose to do so. Players have also been frustrated with the lack of power of FBC: Firebreak's weapons in the early stages, and the patch will alleviate this somewhat by removing the requirement to unlock unrelated items before players can access weapons or augments. There are more changes related to gear progression planned for future updates, though Remedy is still deciding on how to approach the subject, given that most players seem to have rejected or ignored its Lost Assets system.
Additionally, the new patch includes a variety of other changes, including making the Stapler Corrupted Item easier to follow and a decrease in the amount of time required to craft the BOOMbox and Swivel Cannon. Remedy has already announced plans for two major content updates coming to FBC: Firebreak in the future, so fans should expect many more changes as the development team works to get past the game's bumpy release.
FBC: Firebreak Version 1.2 Patch Notes
Overview
We have overhauled core systems to make progression faster and more rewarding. Economy changes improve how you earn and spend currencies; the Requisition store now separates gear from cosmetics, and Job progression has been restructured to allow players to play full Jobs (all three zones) more quickly.
On top of that, there are many visible and under-the-hood improvements to the game included in this patch.
Read our extensive blog post about what is included in this patch and what improvements we are looking at bringing to the game in the near term.
Economy Changes
- Upgrade currencies (Lost Assets and Research Samples) are now visually highlighted in the Jobs to make them easier to spot.
- All unlockable costs have been rebalanced to better match actual player currency earnings.
- Players will now earn and spend Lost Assets at a healthier pace, enabling smoother progression and gear unlocks.
Job Progression & Clearance Levels
- New players now start at Clearance Level 3 (CL3) for the first Job, Hot Fix.
- Players can still choose to play at CL1 or CL2, but it's no longer a requirement
- To unlock the next Job, you must complete a full three-zone run at CL3.
- Completing a Job at CL3 also unlocks the Corruption modifier for that Job.
- These changes provide faster access to full Job experiences and improve matchmaking and onboarding.
Requisitions
- The Operational Requisition has been split into two categories:
- Essentials: Weapons, gear, Improvised Devices, Altered Augments.
- Expressions: Cosmetic unlocks, like sprays and armor sets.
- You no longer need to unlock unrelated items (e.g., gloves) to access key gear like weapons or augments.
- Overall, gear progression is now significantly faster and more focused.
Balancing
- Decreased the time it takes to build the BOOMbox and Swivel Cannon
- Increased Hiss Trooper health and stagger threshold
- The Fix Kit’s Wrench now does damage at every Tier
- Increased the health pool of Powerful Enemies (the ones with names)
- The Stapler Corrupted Item is now less elusive and easier to follow
Audio
- Fixed missing third-person perspective sound effects for Shock enemies that were not being played properly
- Fixed music transition issues when moving from the Main Menu to gameplay
- Shield recharge sound effects are now properly audible, with a new implementation for out-of-range scenarios
- Fixed a bug preventing harmful condition sounds from other players (such as fire effects) from being heard properly
- Added a sound effect when exiting weapon or grenade selection in Loadout menu, and added transition sounds for lobby Quick Kit selection
User Interface
- Fixed Crisis Kit XP level indicators in the Results screen display
- Fixed player reputation overlapping XP progress in the post-match results screen
- Fixed a crash issue when inspecting weapons in the Loadout menu
- Fixed a misleading error message shown when the host leaves or disbands a party. It now correctly indicates that the party was disbanded
- You can now ping ziplines
- Temporary change: Removing the active Perks list from the top right of the in-game HUD due to performance issues (We will fix this urgently and bring the Perk list back)
Gameplay & Performance
- Fixed an issue with the Humidifier where the water level changing was only visible to the player who placed the Humidifier
- Enhanced DualSense haptic feedback in different parts of the Main and other Menus
- Jump Kit Impactor Tool can now be charged while sprinting.
Visuals and Rendering
- Performance improvements
- Entering or exiting a teammate’s Resonance Shield range no longer triggers blue screen flashes.
- Added a glowing highlight to Lost Assets and Research Samples to make them more attractive
- Improved blood visual effects
- Implemented distance fade for distortion effects inside fans
- Freezer Duty – Added a ramp to the top of one of the buildings in Zone 2 so that Hiss can now get there. Sorry.
- Ground Control – Fixed a wall in Zone 2 so players can no longer see through it
- Updated various props and environmental elements
FBC: Firebreak
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 65 /100 Critics Rec: 25%
- Released
- June 17, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak— the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- PC Release Date
- June 17, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- June 17, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- June 17, 2025
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
