Fall Guys goes free-to-play and arrives on Switch and Xbox June 21st

The battle royale bean simulator Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is going free-to-play and finally coming to the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles on June 21st. The game, which first launched on PlayStation and PC, was initially set to be released on Switch and Xbox last summer, but it will finally be arriving on those platforms soon. A dedicated PS5 version of the game will be released on June 21st as well. Progression will be shared across platforms, and you’ll be able to make cross-platform parties.

Developer Mediatonic, which is now owned by Fortnite maker Epic Games, revealed the move to free-to-play, the new versions, and a whole host of updates on the way for Fall Guys in a video published Monday. These changes include an upcoming map editor, free skins for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and that players will be able to exchange crowns for kudos, which can be used in the in-game store.

Existing players who have played the game before its free-to-play change will get a Legacy Pack of perks, including three outfits, a title and nameplate, and access to a premium season pass. Also, preregistering on the Epic Games site will unlock communal milestone perks for the game.

Owners of the paid versions of Fall Guys on PC can continue using the Steam version once the game goes free-to-play, but Mediatonic indicates on its blog post that new PC players will have to download and play the game on the Epic Games Store. As of this writing, the Steam version is still up for sale with no indication when it will be delisted.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has made its fair share of cultural impact, both as a family-friendly, feel-good live service game that released at just the right time and as nightmare fuel via viral social media posts. But long after peaking with 172,213 concurrent players on Steam back in 2020, the game currently has about 7,000 people playing it on PC, according to SteamDB.

The switch to free-to-play could bolster that player count, meaning more people might spend money in the game directly on things like new bean skins of Ezio from Assassin’s Creed and ones based on Pusheen the cat. And it could be a lucrative move — PUBG: Battlegrounds went free-to-play earlier this year and has earned a lot more money since then. Epic also made Rocket League free-to-play after buying developer Psyonix and has seen huge success operating the free-to-play battle royale shooter Fortnite.