History VideoGame / TheFinals

Players assume the role of contestants in the titular virtual reality game show, battling it out in digital recreations of iconic real world locations and competing to bank enough money to reach a cash goal in one of several game modes:

The game boasts a variety of weapons, equipment, and special abilities to suit a plethora of play styles, further emphasized by its class system, which has players assume one of three basic builds: Light, Medium, and Heavy, which respectively specialize in mobility, support, and survivability. Most prominent of all, however, is its [[EverythingBreaks fully destructible environments]] -- explosives and heavy weaponry can punch holes through walls and ceilings to create new points of entry, fires can spread and consume their surroundings, and entire buildings can be brought to the ground once they become structurally compromised, introducing a dynamic element to gameplay that encourages players to use the arena to their advantage.

* Since the game's release, the Stun Gun has seen its effect duration reduced from 5 seconds to 3.75 and its ability to prevent enemies from crouching, aiming, or using gadgets and specializations removed.

* UnorthodoxReload: An alternate reload animation can be unlocked for the AKM which has the user toss a fresh magazine upwards, then eject the old magazine and catch the new one with a single sweeping motion before inserting it.

* ShoutOut: The "Sandstorm" variant of Las Vegas resembles its depiction in ''Film/BladeRunner2049'', dark orange haze and all.

* '''Tournaments:''' A competitive mode with a starting bracket of eight or sixteen teams, in Unranked and Ranked respectively. The initial knockout rounds are played on Cashout, with the two teams that have the most cash when the timer runs out qualifying for the next round. The final round consists of a Quick Cash match between the last two remaining teams.

* '''Terminal Attack:''' A more competitive attack/defense mode introduced partway through Season 2. Attackers, assuming the role of hacker collective CNS, must deliver a decryption key to a terminal in the arena, while the defenders, on behalf of the cybersecurity firm VAIIYA, must defend the terminal at all costs. Healing, reviving, and respawning are prohibited in this mode, giving players only once chance per round to contribute to the fight.

** Other notable nerfs during Season 1 include the Mesh Shield, which had its health reduced from 1,250 points to 1,000, the Stun Gun, which saw its effect duration reduced from 5 seconds to 3.75, and deployable mines, which were given a 1.6 second arming period.

* RegeneratingHealth: Your health passively starts to regenerate a few seconds after you last took damage.

* StaticStunGun: Light players have access to the Stun Gun, which temporarily slows an affected enemy's movement speed to a crawl and prevents them from using gadgets and abilities.

The game boasts a variety of weapons, equipment, and special abilities to suit a plethora of play styles, further emphasized by its class system, which has players assume one of three basic builds: Light, Medium, and Heavy, which respectively specialize in mobility, support, and survivability. Most prominent of all, however, is its [[EverythingBreaks fully destructible environments]] -- explosives and heavy weaponry can punch holes through walls and ceilings to create new points of entry, fires can spread and consume their surroundings, and entire buildings can be brought to the ground once they take enough damage, introducing a dynamic element to gameplay that encourages players to use the arena to their advantage.

* DeathDealer: The Season 1 battle pass includes a reskin of the Throwing Knives which makes them resemble playing cards.

* HackerCollective: CNS, a rogue hacker group attempting to infiltrate ''The Finals'' in order to broadcast cryptic messages urging viewers to "seek the truth beyond the walls". Season 2 deals with the aftermath of them successfully hijacking the show and changing up the game by introducing new hacking-themed abilities and a new arena.

* ArmorIsUseless: You can purchase and equip a few different armored helmet and vest cosmetics, but they don't actually provide any damage resistance; the flavor text for the Flak Vest outright lampshades this, stating that it's "fashionable but not bulletproof". In a similar vein, the gas masks that come with the Contam Couture and VAIIYA Arena Guard sets won't protect you from poisonous gas.

* ArmorIsUseless: You can purchase and equip a few different armored helmet and vest cosmetics, but they don't actually provide any damage resistance; the flavor text for the Flak Vest outright lampshades this, stating that it's "fashionable but not bulletproof". In a similar vein, the gas mask that comes with the Contam Couture set won't protect you from poisonous gas.

* '''Quick Cash:''' A quickplay variation of Cashout, the game's base mode, in which three teams fight to open vaults and deliver them to one of two cashout stations on the map, and then defend the station until the cashout is completed. Cashouts in progress can be "stolen" by other teams, earning them the payout instead. The first team to complete two cashouts wins the match.
* '''Bank It:''' A mode focused more on player versus player confrontation. Four teams compete to collect coins from eliminated players and vaults and deposit them in deposit boxes. Vaults spawn with a steady increase in cash value as the match progresses, and each deposit box is only present on the map for a couple of minutes before despawning and being replaced with a new one in another location. The first team to bank $40,000 in coins is declared the winner. An experimental version of this mode, '''Solo Bank It''', was introduced for a limited run on January 17, 2024, which sees twelve players compete in a free-for-all to deposit the same amount of cash in order to win, with an additional cash bonus automatically awarded for eliminations.
* '''Tournaments:''' A series of consecutive rounds with a starting bracket of eight or sixteen teams, in Unranked and Ranked respectively. The initial knockout rounds are played on a modified version of Cashout in which multiple vaults exist on the map and will spawn with increasing cash values, teams are automatically rewarded bonus cash for eliminations, and team wipes will forfeit 30% of a team's current score. Additionally, in Ranked Tournaments, players are prevented from switching items in their loadouts mid-match, and both Tournament types have limited "respawn coins"; a player who runs out of respawn coins can no longer rejoin the match after a set timer and must instead wait for a revive or team respawn. The two teams with the most cash when the timer runs out will qualify for the next round. The final round consists of a Quick Cash-esque match between the last two remaining teams.

* ContinuingIsPainful: Tournaments place heavier consequences on being eliminated, as unlike in quickplay modes you'll have a limited number of respawn coins that you can use to rejoin the fight after the respawn timer expires, and team wipes will deduct 30% of your team's current score.

The game boasts a variety of weapons, equipment, and special abilities to suit a plethora of play styles, further emphasized by its class system, which has players assume one of three basic builds: Light, Medium, and Heavy, which respectively specialize in mobility, support, and survivability. Most prominent of all, however, is its [[WreakingHavok fully destructible environments]] -- explosives and heavy weaponry can punch holes through walls and ceilings to create new points of entry, fires can spread and consume their surroundings, and entire buildings can be brought to the ground once they take enough damage, introducing a dynamic element to gameplay that encourages players to use the arena to their advantage.

* CompetitiveBalance: The three player classes are balanced against each other in fairly straightforward ways: the [[FragileSpeedster Light class]] boasts more maneuverability at the cost of survivability and specializes in hit-and-run tactics, the [[JackOfAllStats Medium class]] is balanced in movement and health and assumes a [[SupportPartyMember support role]], scanning for opponents and healing or reviving teammates in need, and the [[MightyGlacier Heavy class]] has more health but slower movement speed and is best at fortifying or demolishing the arena.

** An update halfway through the first season cut the effective range of Recon Senses down to 30 meters and added a warning for players who are detected by the ability, bringing it more in line with the enemy-sensing Gadgets. Come Season 2, the specialization was outright removed from the game pending an assessment and rework.

* VivaLasVegas: The first season introduced a map set in Las Vegas, with the action unfolding around an area modeled after the Fremont Street Experience.

* NewOldWest: The crux of the "Smoking Guns" limited-time event, which is played on a Wild West-themed version of Monaco and restricts players to using loadouts featuring low-tech gadgets and weapons that are the most appropriate for the time period, with a few exceptions like the Glitch Grenade and Healing Beam.

* CombatResuscitation: Eliminated players will turn into a small statue which their teammates can hold the interact button on to revive them. The process of doing so takes several seconds, but a Defibrillator can be employed for an instant resurrection.

* MagicalDefibrillator: One of the equipment items available for the Medium class by default. It can instantly revive teammates after a short charge period, bypassing the lengthy default revive duration.

** In the first two months post-release, the C4 saw a damage reduction from 240 to 210, and then to 155. The latter decrease was paired with a change to arena carriables to make them travel less further when thrown with a deployable gadget attached, ostensibly to reduce the effectiveness of nuking.
*** Nukes were further balanced out by another update in February of 2024 which made it so that [[GasCylinderRocket red explosive carriables]] are affected by gravity if they have gadgets attached to them, and fixed the unintentional damage stacking caused by multiple [=C4s=] being attached to a carriable.
** The December 20th, 2023 patch saw a 1.6 second arming time added to mine deployables, as well as a decrease in the health of the Heavy barrier items -- the Mesh Shield from 1,250 to 1,100, and the Bubble Shield from 350 to 300. The former would be further nerfed to 1,000 the following month.
** January 2024 saw the reduction of the Stun Gun's effect duration from 5 seconds to 3.75, as well as fix to prevent the Grappling Hook from attaching to deployables attached to carriables, which could be exploited to propel the user extremely long distances.
** At the end of the month another update nerfed the effective range of Recon Senses down to 30 meters and added a warning for players who are detected by the ability, bringing it more in line with the enemy-sensing Gadgets.