Concord is an action FPS where you play as a Freegunner fighting skirmishes and blitzing through firefights across a vibrant galaxy. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Concord Review Overview

What is Concord?

Concord is an action-packed hero shooter that thrusts you into the heart of an intergalactic skirmish. In this 5v5 FPS, you'll join the ranks of Freegunners as they clash with aliens across a variety of stunning galaxies and planets. Set in a universe where humanity has not only conquered the stars but also woven a rich, storied history among them, Concord invites you to continue the fight for intergalactic freedom—or just coin if that’s what you’re after. Choose from a diverse cast of unique characters and see how you measure up against other Freegunners in the ultimate battle for supremacy!

Concord features:
　⚫︎　16 playable characters with unique weapons and abilities
　⚫︎　6 unique game modes
　⚫︎　Fully-animated and voiced cinematics
　⚫︎　Expansive lore archives
　⚫︎　Plenty of weapon skins, charms, and other character cosmetics

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Concord's gameplay and story.

Digital Storefronts
Steam				PSN
$39.99

Concord Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Smooth Animations Distinct and Sleek Art Direction Decent Variety in Game Modes	Questionable Pricing Diverse Yet Uninteresting Roster No Reason to Play Tanks Requires Overhauls and Rebalancing

Concord Overall Score - 56/100

It's hard to believe that Concord has been in development for nearly a decade because, by the time I played it, I was left wondering where all that time and effort went. The game’s visuals and audio do show signs of careful curation and actual effort, but the gameplay and character design feel unworthy of such a lengthy development period. Add to that an incredibly anti-consumer monetization scheme, and you’re left with a game that didn’t just fail to hit the ground running—it hit the ground and died. It’s almost tragic to see eight years of work culminate in such a visually appealing, yet lifeless, game.

Concord Story - 5/10

Although Concord’s world-building is impressive, with a rich tapestry of intersecting stories, locations, and historical events, these elements are regrettably tucked away in an archive-style menu, far removed from the core gameplay loop. The story you do encounter is largely confined to the opening cutscene, after which it fades into the background, leaving the narrative feeling inconsequential to the overall experience.

Concord Gameplay - 6/10

Concord's gameplay is competently crafted upon first viewing, but the longer you play, the more its severe balancing and pacing issues become apparent. These flaws hold it back from being a standout in its genre. At a time when innovation and distinction are key, Concord unfortunately lands in the realm of mediocrity, teetering dangerously close to subpar.

Concord Visuals - 9/10

Concord's visuals are its only redeeming feature, boasting a sleek, space-age UI and some truly stunning maps. Unfortunately, in a hero shooter, character design is crucial, and this is where Concord falls flat. The characters lack any real visual appeal—unless diversity alone is your only criterion. The designs are so uninspired that it almost feels intentional, although to what end, I can hardly fathom.

Concord Audio - 8/10

Concord's audio is also among the few things about it that don’t warrant complaints or tirades, featuring professional-level voice acting, masterful sound design, and some truly inspiring background tracks. However, it doesn't quite harmonize with the game's visuals, feeling somewhat mismatched, like an off-color pairing if viewed through a visual lens. While the music is undeniably solid, it's not particularly iconic or genre-defining—just competently done.

Concord Value for Money - 0/10

In a Game8 history first, we're giving Concord a 0 in its Value score. Never has a game been less worth its weight in money than Concord. This game—if you can even call this borderline scam a game—hosts one of the most hostile and anti-consumer monetization schemes I’ve ever come across. While they claim that they won't charge you for microtransactions, console players, beware: the game is essentially a $40 start screen—$60 for early access— unless you fork over at least another $10 per month for PlayStation+.

Unlike other games that might offer something worthwhile in return, this one just charges you more for what amounts to a gift-wrapped dumpster fire. PC players may dodge this bullet, but console users are left holding the bill for an experience that simply isn’t worth the price.

Concord Review: Awful, Play Literally Anything Else

Oh, where to begin with Concord? It’s many things, but a good game isn’t one of them—and not for the reasons you might expect. Before its release, the game caught flak for allegedly pandering to minorities with its character design, but honestly, that’s the least of its issues (though that criticism isn’t entirely unfounded). The real problem lies in its hostile and anti-consumer monetization scheme, which only amplifies the flaws in its gameplay and story. These combined shortcomings threaten to drag Concord into the depths of obscurity before the year is out, but I believe this game is worth remembering simply because it is the perfect example of what NOT to do when developing a hero shooter.

Let’s start with what the game was infamous for even before its release: its so-called heroes—though calling them that might be generous. Like most hero-shooters, Concord has a gimmicky name for its playable characters. In Valorant, they’re "Agents," and in Overwatch, they’re "Heroes." In Concord, they’re dubbed "Freegunners," a name that makes sense once you experience the meager introduction the game offers when you first boot it up. These Freegunners are essentially space freebooters or revolutionaries, depending on who you ask, traveling the cosmos in search of fame, liberation, and resources. On paper, this isn’t a bad concept, especially since the Freegunners are predominantly composed of various alien species from across the galaxy.

Unfortunately, that’s where the charm of these poster characters begins and ends. As individuals, they’re largely unremarkable, with only a few exceptions. Design-wise, they range from bland to forced, or they’re so outlandish that they’re hard to market. We’ll delve into this more later, but it’s as if the developers forgot the "hero" in "hero-shooter" and simply threw together a roster of characters to meet an arbitrary quota of classes, profiles, and appearances. Their designs are disjointed, apart from a general space-age look—a far cry from Overwatch’s iconic roster.

Gameplay-wise, Concord is a completely different beast—and not in a good way. In a word, this game is slow. Heroes die slowly, guns fire slowly, everyone moves too slowly, and even player progression crawls forward at a painfully slow pace. Concord lacks the forward momentum that makes other titles like Paladins, Valorant, or even Gigantic so engaging. Instead of delivering the adrenaline-pumping, split-second decision-making that defines great hero shooters, Concord feels more like a chore. This sluggish pace is largely due to the overpowered healing mechanics and the complete absence of anti-heal abilities—something that games like Paladins wisely implemented to prevent these drawn-out, attrition-style matches.

Concord is frustratingly complex, often in ways that feel deliberately obscure. The game assigns roles and classes to each Freegunner, but good luck figuring that out on your own. The only hint lies buried in the game’s so-called “tutorial,” which is really just a dropdown menu of terms and definitions. Then there are the squad bonuses you can earn mid-game—although you’ll be hard-pressed to understand what they do, how they’re triggered, or even when they’re activated since the game does a poor job of explaining any of it. Concord seems almost determined to be confusing. In contrast, Team Fortress 2 thrives on its well-defined character classes, which have helped maintain its massive fanbase for years.

To understand why this hero shooter’s gameplay falls flat, we don’t need to look further than the character kits, which are as uninspired as the characters themselves. Each Freegunner comes equipped with a main weapon, a potential secondary, and two abilities. The weapons range from standard firearms to quirky choices like alien plants and even a vacuum cleaner. The abilities are hit-or-miss—some are generic grenades, while others are unique, character-defining moves that fit their Freegunner’s kit. Notably, there are no ultimate abilities. While it might seem like a small omission, ultimates are what give hero shooters their edge, adding a layer of dynamic combat where the fight is never truly over until the final moment.

In Concord, it’s often clear who will win by the mid-game, as players lack the tools to mount a comeback without ultimate abilities or the option to switch up strategies effectively. Some might argue that this design choice promotes skillful, tactical gameplay over relying on ultimates as a crutch, but even a highly strategic game like Valorant includes ultimates, and it’s still more about skill than gimmicks. While Concord does allow players to swap Freegunners mid-game, this doesn’t offer much of an advantage since, as we’ve discussed, all Freegunners feel like just different variations of the same uninspired combat kits.

All that said, Concord isn’t all bad. The game was in development for nearly a decade and has the visual and audio chops to show for it. The cinematics are easily the best part, although the game is incredibly stingy with them. Still, every match opens with a beautifully rendered intro that adds just enough personality to prevent the game from feeling cheap or underdeveloped. The voice acting is phenomenal, and the map design is equally top-notch. In terms of looks and sound, this game is undeniably AAA quality. But be prepared—it comes with a hefty price tag to match its premium presentation.

While this game isn't technically a scam, it's easy to see why some might think it is, especially if you're playing on a PlayStation 5. The game comes with the standard AAA price tag, ranging from $40 to $60, depending on whether you want early access. On its own, that price isn't outrageous. However, what really stings is the additional cost of a PlayStation+ subscription. Without it, you're essentially left with a $40 menu screen and no way to actually play the game. It's a frustrating situation that leaves a bitter taste, especially after already paying for the game itself. Needless to say, this pricing scheme is absurdly anti-consumer, essentially forcing console players to pay extra just to access the game they’ve already spent $40 on—not that the experience is all that rewarding to begin with.

Overall, Concord feels like the unceremonious end of a decade-long development, effectively signing its own death warrant as an FPS. The game is too unpolished to be enjoyable, weighed down by fundamentally flawed design choices that severely impact its quality. And that's before even touching on its predatory monetization scheme for console players. It's a real shame to see such a visually stunning game go to waste, but if a 10-year project results in little more than eye and ear candy, it might have been better off as a movie. Do yourself a favor and play something else—this game isn’t worth anyone’s time.

Pros of Concord

Things Concord Got Right
Smooth Animations Distinct and Sleek Art Direction Decent Variety in Game Modes

Smooth Animations

Concord has been in development for nearly a decade, and it's clear that much of that time was spent perfecting the fluidity of its animations—though seemingly at the expense of everything else. From hyper realistic reload animations to the stunning artistry of its dynamic maps, there's plenty of eye candy to be had—as long as you avoid looking at the game's roster of heroes, of course.

Distinct and Sleek Art Direction

The game's art direction is also noteworthy, blending retro-futuristic space-age aesthetics with the modern sleekness of shooters like The Finals and Valorant. This unique and distinct visual style gives the game its own quaint microcosm, where great and questionable designs coexist in a way that's undeniably its own.

Decent Variety in Game Modes

Concord offers six different game modes: Area Control, Cargo Run, Clash Point, Signal Hunt, Takedown, and Trophy Hunt. In more familiar FPS terms, these modes correspond to King of the Hill, a modified Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch without respawns, Capture Point, Team Deathmatch with respawns, and Kill Confirmed, respectively. With this variety, there’s always something to keep the bored Freegunner occupied. However, it's worth noting that Signal Hunt was removed from the roster after the game’s official launch.

Cons of Concord

Things That Concord Can Improve
Questionable Pricing Diverse Yet Uninteresting Roster No Reason to Play Tanks Requires Overhauls and Rebalancing

Questionable Pricing

Concord is the latest in a series of questionable pricing strategies from Sony and other major companies. We thought the hundred-dollar digital deluxe edition debacle with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League was bad, but Concord takes it to a new level. Not only do you have to pay extra to play the game three days early and get a few cosmetic skins, but you'll also need a PlayStation Plus subscription just to access the game. And remember, you've already paid for the game itself! With no single-player content, Concord’s pricing feels like a direct slap in the face to gamers, creating an increasingly hostile environment for the average consumer.

Diverse Yet Uninteresting Roster

Although it’s tempting to believe that diversity is all that one would need to create a compelling cast of heroes to make up a hero shooter’s roster, Concord is proving that it’s a more nuanced selection process than that. While diversity is important for the modern gaming scene, it’s good to understand that effective character design shouldn’t take a back seat to any such agenda.

Nothing about Concord’s roster speaks to me in any meaningful way apart from what is shown. It’s surface-level character design at best and forced diversity at worst, although I believe that much can be left to personal taste. In the end, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Concord doesn’t have any particularly inspiring heroes in its roster, none that stand out visually anyway.

No Reason to Play Tanks

Some of Concord’s playable classes are certainly more enjoyable than others. DPS and Support roles shine in their respective functions, but the Tank class feels almost pointless in its current state. Given Concord’s slower pacing and attrition-style combat, playing as the team’s tank should feel crucial and rewarding. Instead, it’s a sluggish, unfulfilling experience that pales in comparison to the other classes.

Most tanks lack mobility skills, which were key to making such a role viable in games like Overwatch and Paladins. As a result, they end up lumbering around the map as massive targets with hitboxes the size of Texas and naught but a peashooter to retaliate with. That easily knocks off around 3-4 playable characters from the game’s roster of 16 through sheer unplayability.

Needs Major Rebalancing

One of Concord’s most glaring issues right now is its balance, which drags down the game’s already slow pacing. Characters either deal too little damage or have too much health, making team fights feel drawn-out and insignificant. There’s no sense of pivotal moments where a single character—or even a coordinated trio—can turn the tide of battle. This absence of impactful actions makes Concord feel more like a showcase than a true hero shooter.

Games like Overwatch and Valorant thrive on the excitement of clutch plays, whether it’s a well-placed shot or a perfectly timed ultimate. Concord, however, lacks these thrilling elements and doesn’t have the fast-paced gameplay needed to make up for it. This problem goes deeper than what a few balance changes can resolve, but tweaking some numbers could at least make things more engaging in the short term.

Is Concord Worth It?

Do Not Waste Your Time and Money With This Game

It's official—Concord is the worst game of 2024 you could waste your money on, unless you're counting blatant crypto scams or playing a round of "burn that wallet." While it's not the first game to require PS+ on top of a potential AAA price tag, Concord stands out in its utter lack of value. What it offers even when you already have PS+ is hardly worth the base price of $40—let alone the $60 for early access.

I might consider playing it if it was included as part of the PS+ subscription, or perhaps just the $40 asking price if the game improves its balancing, but definitely not both.

For now though, save your time and money; this game isn't worth either.

Digital Storefronts
Steam				PSN
$39.99

Concord FAQ

How Do I Get a Refund for Concord?

The process to refund Concord differs depending on what platform you purchased the game from. Please read the step-by-step instructions below for Steam and PSN refunds:

Refunding Concord on Steam

　⚫︎　Navigate to Steam Help and log in
　⚫︎　Click on the "Purchases" tab
　⚫︎　Find Concord among your purchased games and click on it
　⚫︎　Select the problem you are having with the product and request a refund
　⚫︎　Fill out and submit the request form
　⚫︎　Confirm in your email that your refund request has been sent

Refunding Concord on PSN

　⚫︎　Go to the official PSN website on your browser and log in
　⚫︎　Go to the PlayStation Support page and request a chat or call with customer support
　⚫︎　When contacted, explain that you’d like to request a refund and provide purchase details
　⚫︎　Follow all steps provided by the customer support representative
　⚫︎　Check your PSN account’s email for confirmation of your refund request

Will There be Post-Launch Content for Concord?

Yes. According to the game’s developers, Concord will receive new Freegunners, maps, cosmetics, and game modes after launch.

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Concord Product Information

Title	CONCORD
Release Date	August 23, 2024
Developer	Firewalk Studios
Publisher	Sony
Supported Platforms	PC(Steam), PlayStation 5
Genre	Action, Shooter
Number of Players	5v5
Rating	RP
Official Website	N/A

Aaron Bruce Albert..

A massive fan of roguelikes, turn-based RPGs, and open world adventure games. His gold standard games include The Binding of Isaac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker.