The new arena shooter Planetside Arena goes into Early Access on Steam today, September 19. We provide you with all the information you need to know at launch.
What is Planetside Arena? The new game from the popular Planetside creators breaks with the tradition of planetary wars and instead focuses on action-packed matches in arenas with up to 1000 players in teams or squads.
You compete as one of three available classes in a team of three or twelve people with a pre-made loadout, collect better weapons and attachments, use vehicles and gadgets, to stand at the end similarly to a battle royale.
Planetside Arena will particularly rely on action and confrontation and less on collecting and improving weapons, differentiating itself from competitors in the battle royale genre.
Where does Planetside Arena launch? Today, on September 19, Planetside Arena launches for PC on Steam in Early Access. Later, ports for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will also be released.
All information about Planetside Arena
This is how Planetside Arena plays: The first gameplay of Planetside Arena already provides insights into the game. It looks a bit like a sci-fi battlefield combined with the tactical action of Apex Legends.
In Planetside Arena, 300 players compete per match in the first phase of Early Access. There is also the Massive Clash as a group fight with 250 players each and the battle royale for solo players or trios. Squads of 12 players will also be possible. The number of possible players per match will be increased. Special features include:
- Class selection
- Vehicles and personal jetpacks
- Pre-selected weapons in loadouts
- Loot and upgrades on the map
Although Planetside Arena is declared an “arena shooter,” a match runs similarly to other battle royales. The playable zone keeps shrinking, and in the end, the team that is last standing wins.
These classes are available to you: The three available classes of Planetside Arena are one of the unique features of the game. They are designed to play uniquely and have different abilities and roles:
- Engineer: Sets up automatic turrets and light shields to support his team. Unique weapon: Light machine gun.
- Assault: Can move faster with an escape jet and set up a flash totem that blinds enemies when they approach. Unique weapon: Carbine.
- Medic: Heals himself and allies in an area around him and can recharge shields with the shield totem. Unique weapon: Sniper rifle.
The unique abilities and weapons suggest that a healthy mix of all classes promises better chances of victory.
These weapons and upgrades are available: Planetside Arena attracts with various weapons that you can equip directly from the loadout and use at the start of the round or find later in the round.
For the weapons, the classic color code is used, indicating how powerful a weapon is. Several weapon classes have already been introduced:
- Assault rifles for medium to long range
- Submachine guns for short range
- Carbines for medium range (only Assault)
- Light MGs for short to medium range (only Engineer)
- Sniper rifles for long range (only Medic)
- Sidearms that can also be aimed while in the air
Additionally, there will be power weapons that sound similar to the special weapons from Apex Legends. There is a particle cannon, a heavy weapon, a rocket launcher, and a sniper rifle that can be found in air drops with some luck. A full list of weapons is available on the official homepage.
In the rounds, you will find various scopes, attachments, and underbars for the weapons. The latter expand the functionality of a weapon, for example, with remote-controlled rockets, grenade launchers, or similar.
If you want to play Planetside Arena on Xbox One or PS4, you will have to wait and entertain yourself with other games in the meantime:
