The Finals is dropping PS4 in 2026 — the one thing you need to do before Season 10

Why This Actually Matters for Players Right Now

The Finals is setting a timer on its PS4 version: March 18, 2026, the start of Season 10. After that, PS4 players are out. The silver lining? Your progression and purchases stay tied to your Embark ID, so you won’t lose your skins, battle pass unlocks, or loadouts if you jump to PS5, Xbox Series, or PC. This caught my attention because The Finals only landed on PS4 in December 2024, and shelving it barely 15 months later tells you a lot about where live-service shooters are headed-and how much old-gen is holding them back.

Key Takeaways

• PS4 support ends March 18, 2026 (Season 10). The PS4 client will be removed and unplayable.
• Progression and purchases carry via your Embark ID to PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
• Embark says it’s focusing on current-gen to push technical features and faster updates.
• If you’re on PS4, link your Embark account and plan a migration well before Season 10.

Why Embark Is Cutting PS4 Loose

If you’ve actually played The Finals-not just watched streamer montages-you know the game’s not a typical arena shooter. Its whole identity is chaos-as-a-strategy: blow out floors to drop a vault, collapse a rooftop to cut off a route, or rewire a push with gadgets. That destruction is computationally expensive and network-heavy. Keeping parity across old-gen often forces conservative design decisions, slower tick rates, smaller simulation budgets, and more risk when rolling out new systems. It’s not shocking Embark wants the shackles off.

Also worth noting: the PS4 launch came late. The game debuted in 2023 on current-gen and PC, then reached PS4 in December 2024. By 2026, you’re asking a 2013 console with a Jaguar CPU to keep pace with a physics-forward, server-authoritative shooter that lives and dies on responsiveness. Continuing development across both ends of the power spectrum is a tax on every new feature. Cutting PS4 isn’t just about graphics; it’s about freeing the design and netcode to be more ambitious without constantly optimizing for a platform that can’t evolve.

What PS4 Players Should Do Before Season 10

First, make sure your Embark ID is linked and your progression is syncing correctly. That’s the lifeline for your cosmetics, battle pass progress, and unlocked kits. If you’re eyeing a move to PS5 or Xbox Series, expect higher frame rates, snappier loads, and fewer compromises during big destruction moments. On PC, you’ll get the usual flexibility: dialing visual settings up or down to keep fights smooth when three teams try to turn a hotel into confetti during Cashout.

If you’re staying on PS4 until the cutoff, be realistic about timelines. Season cadence suggests Season 10 will arrive fast, and it’s easy to miss account-linking steps when you’re focused on grinding a pass. Double-check your Embark account now, not next spring. And if you’ve invested real money on PS4, moving platforms isn’t as scary as it sounds—your purchases should be safe if they’re tied to the Embark ID, not the console ecosystem.

The Real Story Behind the Timing

The PS4 run is short, and that’s going to sting for players who jumped in late. But there’s a strategic angle: live-service shooters need headroom to iterate quickly. Every season, The Finals adds a mix of maps, gadgets, meta tweaks, and gimmicks. Keeping the PS4 client stable, tested, and parity-checked against newer builds slows that loop. Removing old-gen lets Embark target fewer hardware profiles and push more daring changes without having to sand off edges for legacy performance budgets.

Will it translate into obvious upgrades? Maybe not overnight. Don’t expect Season 10 to suddenly double player counts or spawn Hollywood-tier debris simulations. But the studio can set more aggressive performance targets and simulation budgets, experiment with bigger set-piece destruction, and reduce platform-specific bugs. That’s the boring but crucial part of live-service: less firefighting, more building.

Bigger Picture: The Old-Gen Exit We’ve Been Waiting For

We’re far enough into the current console cycle that “old-gen tax” is a real design constraint. Some service games still run on PS4 because their mechanics scale well, but The Finals is built around server-driven mayhem. If Embark wants to push more verticality, more reactive materials, or smarter destruction logic, ditching PS4 is the pragmatic move. I’d still like Embark to back this decision up with a clear Season 10 tech roadmap—show us what the freed resources buy: better tick rates? Larger or more reactive arenas? Fewer physics desyncs in chaotic fights?

One more request on behalf of PS4 players: offer a straightforward migration checklist and maybe a small “farewell” bundle or discount for those who make the jump. It’s not mandatory, but it sends the right message to a community that kept the queues healthy.

Looking Ahead

The Finals remains fully playable on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC after March 18, 2026. If Embark uses this moment to clean up tech debt and swing harder on gameplay ideas, we could see the game hit a new stride rather than just coast on skins and seasonal themes. I’ve spent enough hours flattening stairwells with C4 to know the game shines when chaos is smooth, not stuttered. Free the tech, and the spectacle—and the skill ceiling—both rise.

TL;DR

The Finals drops PS4 on March 18, 2026 with Season 10. Your items and progress carry via Embark ID, so link it now and plan a move to PS5, Xbox Series, or PC. Cutting old-gen should reduce tech friction and open the door for bolder destruction and faster updates—just don’t expect instant miracles.