FBC: Firebreak Gameplay and Story

updated_at: January 26, 2026 05:02

published_at: May 30, 2025 06:12

FBC: Firebreak
Release Date	Gameplay & Story	Pre-Order & DLC	Review

FBC: Firebreak is the newest FPS game from Remedy Entertainment, the creators of Control. Read on to learn how it plays, what it's about, and everything else we know so far.
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FBC: Firebreak Gameplay

FBC: Firebreak is a three-player co-op first-person shooter where players must take on the many paranormal dangers that manifest within the Oldest Building. In squads of three Firebreakers, players will venture into the depths of the office building, striving to maintain order in spite of corrupting forces, massive monsters, and unpredictable environmental hazards. Players can enter the game with their friends or be matched up with other Firebreak operatives to tackle these Jobs.

Crisis Missions

Taking on Crisis Missions, formerly called "Jobs," is FBC: Firebreak's primary game mode. Players can select from a wide range of missions on the Crisis Board. Each type features a predetermined set of primary objectives, like neutralizing hostiles, repairing equipment, and securing items.

Missions remain unpredictable, however, as randomized enemy variety, spawn location, and environmental hazards can drastically alter a run's trajectory.

Customizable Missions

Each mission can be customized by manipulating three different settings: Clearance, Corruption, and Threat. First, raising the Clearance level directly affects a mission's length. A higher Clearance level means more rooms and enemies stand between players and their final objective.

Corruption, on the other hand, influences randomization. As runs progress, Objects of Power and Altered Items can spawn, adding unexpected effects to normal gameplay. Some examples include a stapler that increases enemy health totals, a paper lantern that shuts off other light sources, and a traffic light that deals damage when players don't respect the red light.

Lastly, Threat affects combat intensity. This means that at higher Threat levels, enemies appear in larger numbers, elite foes appear more frequently, and waves spawn faster. There are four levels: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Extreme. Rewards don't scale with the Threat level, but players will earn more experience completing missions at greater difficulties.

Endless Shift

Introduced in the Rogue Protocol update, Endless Shift is FBC: Firebreak's survival mode, pitting players against relentless waves of enemies. The longer players endure, the more difficult it gets, with small groups of Hiss turning into overwhelming swarms.

Players earn Corruption during their runs, which they can use to obtain enhancements and create supercharged builds. Endless Shift also features a meta-progression system, allowing players to unlock permanent upgrades and additional enhancement slots, further opening up possibilities for future runs.

FBC: Firebreak Story Plot

FBC: Firebreak Story

FBC: Firebreak takes place six years after the events of 2019's Control, where a deadly paranatural force known as the Hiss infiltrated the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). Here, players assume the role of specialized first responders tasked with containing the many otherworldly crises that plague the FBC's headquarters.

While a full-scale invasion was subverted in Control, the Hiss remain an ongoing threat. Compounding the danger, incredibly powerful and unstable artifacts known as Objects of Power and Altered Items continue to manifest all sorts of dangerous phenomena around the building, leading Firebreak teams to jump from one threat to another in an effort to restore order.

FBC: Firebreak Setting

FBC: Firebreak is set entirely within the Oldest House, the headquarters of the enigmatic Federal Bureau of Control. The lockdown initiated at the beginning of Control remains in effect, leaving the bureau's staff trapped inside the building.

While the Oldest House looks like a bland, nondescript office from both the outside and within, it contains dangers and secrets that threaten reality as humanity knows it. It is what's known as a "Place of Power," a location under the effects of otherworldly forces, benign or otherwise. The building is in a perpetual state of flux, spontaneously moving, hiding, and even creating rooms without warning.

Despite technically being a singular location, the Oldest House contains countless links to different dimensions and planes of existence. These include an immense quarry, a sublevel infested by a mind-controlling mold, and even a division that seemingly exists only to spawn infinite clocks.

FBC: Firebreak Characters

In lieu of classes or named playable characters, players can choose among three Crisis Kits in FBC: Firebreak. These kits are loadouts centered around a signature tool, giving players unique abilities and allowing them to fulfill a distinct role.

Splash Kit

The Splash Kit is centered around the Crank-Operated Fluidic Ejector, which is a supercharged, mobile firehose. Splash Kit Firebreakers can clear fire hazards from the environment and also remove status effects from allies by washing them off. They can also slow enemies down and apply the Wet status, allowing Jump Kit Firebreakers to shock them.

Jump Kit

Jump Kit players are equipped with the Electro-Kinetic Charge Impactor, a versatile weapon that players can use to launch themselves great distances, charge items in the environment, and electrify Wet enemies. Jump Kit Firebreakers are crucial because they can reach objectives quicker and utilize items like the BOOMbox to turn the tide of battle in their squad's favor.

Fix Kit

The Big Wrench is the tool of choice for Fix Kit players. Fix Kit Firebreakers can knock enemies back by swinging their wrench, but they can also repair items during jobs, which is essential for completing missions. While items can be fixed without this kit, players who try to do manual repairs are susceptible to receiving negative status effects. These players can also build items, such as turrets, to help in combat.