Whether you’re on PS5 or Xbox, it can be overwhelming choosing which new shooter is worth your time. If you’re looking for something a little different to what’s currently on your dashboard, then HAWKED could be what you’re looking for. The brand-new free-to-play game is out now, blending a colorful Fortnite-like aesthetic with the adventure of Indiana Jones.
However, unlike one of the best battle royale games around, HAWKED isn’t about emerging as the last team standing. Instead, developer MY.GAMES pivots toward PvPvE action, as you navigate the sun-kissed forests of X-Isle, the game’s sprawling map. You’ll be banding together with your friends, or strangers, to solve puzzles for desirable loot, before making a dash to the extraction point – something Escape From Tarkov or MW3 Zombies players will have experience with.
The Loadout recently got hands-on with HAWKED at a preview event, and there’s definitely the bones of a solid new PS5 game here, encouraging players to think actively about the environment, both in combat and its puzzle solving objectives. Surfaces often feature fixtures to enable your grapple gun, giving you another perspective to observe players pulverizing each other for loot from afar.
Coupled with customization that is expanded through a suite of cosmetics, both earned organically and through the paid battle pass, you can stand out (or blend in) as much as you want to. However, we’re eager to see what else HAWKED is capable of.
The biggest obstacle HAWKED faces, gameplay wise, is its very stilted movement. Sure, grappling around is fun, but actual boots-on-the-ground gameplay doesn’t quite have the slickness of rival multiplayer games on PS5 and Xbox. It doesn’t quite flow how you’d expect it to, and while it wasn’t completely off-putting, you might have some difficulty adjusting to it.
We recommend tweaking your controller settings before dropping into a match, and adjusting from there. HAWKED’s strongest aspect is definitely its map, which weaves all the adventurous elements you’d find in an Indiana Jones movie or Tomb Raider game with vibrant cel-shaded influenced visuals.
If the map can evolve meaningfully across each of the game’s seasonal updates, alongside some movement tweaks, then HAWKED might not be left to waste away like the relics it’s hiding. There’s plenty to explore in HAWKED if you’re after something different, and with time, it could become one of the best games in the genre.
The time to dive into free-to-play games might be crucial going forward, especially on PS5, given Sony’s approach to fresh games in the coming months.