Knockout City gets PS5, Xbox Series X enhanced versions next week

Knockout City, Velan Studios’ multiplayer “dodgebrawl” title that launched this spring, will get native versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on Nov. 2, Electronic Arts said Thursday. The enhanced versions will give the game 120 frames per second performance on both consoles.

Players on PS5 and Xbox Series X may also choose a resolution-priority display, delivering native 4K at 60 fps, or 120 fps at 1440p (for PS5) or 1620p (Xbox Series X). Those lower resolutions will be upscaled to 4K, Velan said.

Xbox Series S players can get 1440p resolution at 60 fps, or 1080p at 120 fps. The new versions also implement higher fidelity textures previously used only by the PC and Xbox One versions of the game. “These create a more realistic environment, with ‘touchable’ surfaces that dodgebrawlers can almost feel as they sprint past every opponent,” the studio said in a statement.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also feature enhanced lighting, “Including new area lights, ball lights, particle lights, improved global illumination and local light shadows,” Velan added.

Players who already own Knockout City on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One (it’s been playable on the newer consoles with backward compatibility) may upgrade for free. This free upgrade also applies to games originally acquired through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (as part of the EA Play library) or PlayStation Plus, where Knockout City is offered as a free game beginning in November.

Knockout City launched May 21 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One and supports cross-play and cross-progression among all of those platforms. The colorful, fast-paced, sportsy take on hero shooters is currently in its third season, “H@cked,” which began in early October. That brought a new map, Lockdown Throwdown (an Alcatraz-like prison) and a slew of new tech-themed content in its Brawl Pass.