The Finals

Players compete as contestants in the fictional VR combat game show, The Finals, set in the year 2100. Matches are presented as live spectacles of "the world's greatest game show" in front of holographic crowds spectating the arenas, and bolstered by an announcer who often reacts to exciting moments in a larger-than-life manner. Players receive diegetic updates on the game state from the show's two commentators— Scotty and June— who comment on the status of the teams (such as team wipes and respawns), objectives, the round timer, and highlight bursts of destruction or elimination streaks. Developer Embark Studios has stated that the game is partly inspired by The Hunger Games, The Running Man (1982) and Gladiator (2000).

Each game mode varies from 2 to 4 teams, each competing in a free-for-all competition. Players create their contestants beginning by choosing between the Light, Medium, or Heavy build. The three builds differ in size, speed, and health. Light contestants are the smallest and exceptionally fast— specializing in stealth and evasion while executing hit-and-run tactics— but with low survivability given only 175 HP.

The Finals, along with Arc Raiders, are the first two titles from Stockholm-based Embark Studios. A producer noted that destructibility changed the way the player approached the game, saying "we're constantly surprised by the new and inventive ways players utilize the freedom the game grants. Why open a door when you can use a rocket launcher to blow a hole in the wall, right?".

The title was announced in August 2022 for PC, with console ports later unveiled for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S. Closed betas were run in early 2023, with the first closed beta lasting from March 7–21, 2023, and the second closed beta occurring between June 14–21. An open beta took place between October 26 until November 5.

According to IGN, poor performance and low frame rates posed an issue during the game's early closed betas. This game also has problems in balance, as Justin Koreis pointed out that "balance issues are a bit of a concern at the moment" generally because "Heavies tend to be ubiquitous in competitive modes."

The Finals has also been criticized for the use of the AI-based text-to-speech program created by ElevenLabs to artificially generate the voices of characters, rather than utilizing traditional voice actors. Embark Studios responded to the criticism, telling Axios that the generated voicework in The Finals is "based on a mix of professional voice actors and temp voices from Embark employees."