I love The Finals, but over the past few months, I've fallen out of love with it. Maybe grinding more than 220 hours to reach Emerald One in World Tour burned me out, but Season 9 also played a role. It just didn't land. The Finals Season 10 changes that immediately. Within five minutes, I feel that pull again and the urge to sink hours back into the game. And that matters, because this isn't just another update. It's the tenth season since launch, a major milestone for Embark Studios.
When I last sat down with Embark Studios for The Finals Season 6, we spoke about evolving the meta and, more importantly, where the next map could take us. The studio told me that it "would love to do a medieval season at some point", following teases in the game's Discord in April 2025. The following months came and went, with that notion seemingly lost to the abyss. Instead, maps like Fangwai City join the roster, alongside The Finals' Chinese regional launch last November.
But we are here. Season 10 delivers in a big way, with the first new specialization since Season 3 and the long-teased medieval theme finally brought to life. Season 10 is an all-out assault on the senses. Starlight Hollow throws you right into an idyllic village, complete with a farmstead, a looming castle, and of course: chaos. Our preview begins on Point Break, Embark's spin on modes like Conquest from the Battlefield series.
As the team features former Battlefield talent, you can feel that DNA coursing through The Finals' veins. That's been the case since it first launched in December 2023. On Starlight Hollow, it feels like Point Break is coming into its own. Preparing an enormous siege of marketplaces, village homes, and towering town halls is a perfect fit for The Finals' unrivalled destruction mechanics. The map is also coming to Team Deathmatch, but I'm hoping it'll find a place on the World Tour circuit. Paired up with two Embark devs, our charge into the action sees us revel in the dust, the dirt, and the danger.
It can take a while for some maps to feel natural, but out of the 11 existing maps and one Las Vegas remake, this already feels like it's part of the furniture. In firefights, I'm experimenting with the Shockwave ability, a specialization exclusively for Medium players. It doesn't inflict damage, but it acts as a fantastic tool to steer the tides of battle. I find it extremely useful to defend myself from Heavy players wielding Sledgehammers, as I send them reeling into the distance. There's a lot of potential for the Shockwave strategically, and not just to ward off a bonk to the head.
The Shockwave can push objects, too, giving it some serious heft if a building is crumbling around you. Where it truly excels is by interrupting rival teams during a Cash Out steal or the planting stage during Point Break. Because it doesn't deal any health damage, it doesn't feel unfair or overpowered. It functions as a helpful deterrent, encouraging me to make different decisions about my playstyle and loadout choices. That's what the best specializations in The Finals do. I just hope we don't have to wait six seasons for the next one.
Embark is keen to give the Medium class a revamp, marking the Aerialist play style as a shift forward. That brings us the Hover Pad, a gadget that does exactly what it says. It's a platform that floats in the sky. It may seem a little leftfield at first, but these pads can be devastating if deployed cunningly. You don't want to be on the receiving end of a trio blasting you with bullets in the clouds. I'm still finding my feet with the Hover Pad across the preview, as it doesn't necessarily suit my play style. However, there is big potential for it when it's combined with a Jump Pad. If you're playing as a Medium, then you'll know the lack of the Grappling Hook can suck.
Sure, the Zipline is helpful, but there is massive height to gain, literally. To bring down a capture point at the tippity top of the town square, our team propels itself into the air with a mighty Hover Pad + Jump Pad combo. It's a glorious sight seeing goblins, knights, and fair maidens converge in the name of the land. Some of them, like me, are using the Chimera-XB, a crossbow that's dying to make a point. Like some of the harder weapons, accuracy is key, as it finds a place among the marksmen's rifles in The Finals.
While Starlight Hollow and an overdue specialization are doing some of the heavy lifting for Season 10, we both know there's one aspect Embark needs to slam dunk here: the Battle Pass. Thankfully, after finding Season 9's offerings middling personally, we're back to cosmetic glory. Customization is one of the slickest elements The Finals has to offer, with a confident suite full of options to truly make your competitor singular. In Season 10's royal banquet of rewards, it's an excellent selection of fantasy goodies.
From ghoulish goblins to fiendish gods and brave warriors, there's just about everything you need to create your ideal knight of the Round Table. Like any friend group, we've all got inside jokes and silly voices, we do. It's almost like our own shared language, just bouncing movie lines back and forth. For The Finals, we started putting on a medieval accent almost two or three seasons ago. "A most excellent victory, squire," for the World Tour victories never fail to make us laugh.
I bring it up because The Finals is in this rare space for shooters that stimulates your imagination. From how you approach firefights, squad tactics, or loadout choices, no game of The Finals is ever the same. Season 10 is a return to that feeling. It reminds me of why I loved it in the first place. The Finals is still the best free-to-play FPS game you can run on a handheld PC like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck, and right now it feels better than ever.
If you've been out of the loop, Embark Studios continues to push support on Linux for the shooter while improving overall performance on Windows handhelds. With AMD frame generation support and solid optimization, The Finals doesn't have a problem handling medium to high graphics at around 45-50fps. If I'm playing it docked on my ROG Ally, I tend to opt for 30W TDP, which keeps it steady. Even at 15W in handheld mode, The Finals doesn't falter too much, despite the game's hectic nature.
Season 10 brings more quality-of-life changes, too. During the pre-game briefing, creative director Gustav Tilleby informs us of a complete pass across controllers, making it far more responsive than before. "Season 10 is about follow-through. We've spent months tracking player feedback and analyzing how the meta has settled, and this update is the result of that work," Tilleby says in a statement ahead of Season 10's release. He adds that "our goal from day one has always been tactical consistency and meaningful chaos. With the first new specialization for the Medium class and release of Starlight Hollow, we're giving players new tools to compete in ways they couldn't before."
As someone who favors controllers, Season 10 is a big dub. The update introduces a complete controller rework that gives you smoother interactions without holding buttons, and expanded aim assist settings give console players precise control over magnetism and slowdown to suit their playstyles. I think the revamped match recap screen is great, too. It gives the end-of-match experience a bit more flair, with a top-three players selection that designates the game's MVP. Paired with detailed states, it gives you bragging rights if you're playing with friends.
There's improved matchmaking for Ranked Mode, making it easier to determine your placement, odds of success, and how the game handles queuing. For the first time, Embark Studios is also outlining a Year 3 roadmap, as the game garners momentum toward major milestones in 2026. I've been playing The Finals since day one, and like any game worth its salt, there are a few stumbles along the way.
I didn't care much for Season 5 or Season 9, but in between them all, it keeps giving me unpredictable moments of greatness I can't find in any other shooter. Whether it's the gnarly destruction, moment-to-moment tactical choices, or its gorgeous presentation, The Finals should be way bigger than it is. Season 10 is already off to a flying start, and I can't wait to give it another 220 hours of my time.