Does FragPunk have aim assist on console? The Creative Director answers

FragPunk is a new tactical shooter developed by Bad Guitar Studios and published by NetEase (Marvel Rivals) that has just debuted on consoles. Like Valorant and the now-defunct Spectre Divide before him, FragPunk wanted to expand its audience beyond PC players, but a few modifications to the game were necessary to keep the experience true to its concept.

As a tactical shooter, FragPunk emphasises aiming, so we asked the game’s Creative Director and Producer, Xin Chang, what his team came up with regarding aim assist, cross-play, and competitive balance. Their strategy is similar to that used by other shooters with a competitive side: PC and console players can play together only in unranked lobbies but not in ranked ones.

Yes, FragPunk features a sophisticated aim assist for those players on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 as confirmed by Chang, who said: “The console version includes enhanced aim assist for controller players”, elaborating with, “This feature is designed to minimise the disparity between controller and keyboard/mouse input”. The tech is claimed to provide “an equally competitive environment for all players.” 

FragPunk’s aim assist is built on three core tenets implemented on Xbox Series X/S and PC: “snap-on (subtle reticle adhesion to target hitboxes), slowdown zones (reduced stick sensitivity near enemies), and tracking compensation (predictive movement smoothing).” This depth of aim assist was said to “offset” a controller’s “limited analogue accuracy while maintaining manual aiming engagement.” Different levels of aim assist depend on the settings used, such as Input Curve, View Stick Deadzone, etc. According to the game’s FAQ page, aim assist is “slightly reduced to maintain competitive fairness” but cannot be disabled completely. 

FragPunk’s console versions differ from the PC experience in how the control methods are handled. While the core user experience is mainly identical, those playing on PS5 can benefit from Haptic Feedback, exclusive to the DualSense controller. Chang says this was implemented into the FragPunk PS5 version to deliver a “distinct tactile experience that immerses players deeper into FragPunk’s frenetic battles, enhancing sensory engagement through gameplay”. 

While FragPunk ranked crossplay initially launched exclusionary of consoles from PC, a recent update late last week now allows those on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC to play competitively. Chang says, “We welcome all players to enjoy the competitive atmosphere in FragPunk, regardless of what platform they are playing on.” The Creative Director also confirmed that the game on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will receive the same updates as the PC version. 

What sets FragPunk apart from the rest of the scene is its Shard Cards system, where, at the beginning of every round, players can choose between passive and active modifiers (like making their enemies’ heads bigger for easter one-taps) to change the match’s course drastically. The game debuted on PC to a peak of more than 100,000 concurrent players, while now, (via Steam Charts) it has an average of 7,000-9,000 average users. Without further ado, here’s Xin Chang’s complete list of answers on the console version of FragPunk that’s already available free to play on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. 

FragPunk aim assist is necessary to ensure that things are as level as possible, accounting for the limited movement of an Xbox Wireless Controller or DualSense compared to a keyboard and mouse setup. While Ranked Shard Clash was initially exclusionary of PC, a recent update has seen all platforms now able to compete together. The game’s director has confirmed how everything works and can be balanced to your liking.