The Finals game modes and rules explained

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here

✓ At a glance
  • There are four main game modes: Quick Cash, Bank It, Power Shift, and Terminal Attack.
  • Season 3 introduces a new World Tour to complement its Ranked Tournament mode.
  • Limited-time modes like Solo Bank It, Steal the Spotlight, and Smoking Guns are no longer available.

Embark Studios has done a phenomenal job in keeping the destructive adrenaline rush going as The Finals entered Season 3. Excluding limited-time events, the game has four main game modes to play. Each of them offers a different degree of challenge, letting you pick what you’re comfortable with.

The Finals doesn’t always have to be a sweaty game where mistakes are frowned upon. With the arrival of Season 3, we have the new World Tour events and Terminal Attack, now a permanent part of the game. Let’s break down each mode and what you need to do to win.

All game modes

As of Season 3, there are four game modes in The Finals:

  • Quick Cash
  • Bank It
  • Power Shift
  • Terminal Attack

Technically, Practice is also a game mode, but this is for learning how to play the first-person shooter and refining your builds. Most game modes in The Finals task you with earning more money than the enemy teams. In the case of Quick Cash, collecting money two times will reach the limit, and your team will win the game. And in Bank It, earning money is simple but extractions are where you will be tested.

Quick Cash

Quick Cash (otherwise known as Cashout) is a 3v3v3 match where all three squads rush to collect a vault and cash it out. For this game mode, you need to extract two of these vaults before the other teams do. Find a vault, grab the box, and cash it out. You can get back into the action with quick respawn times but this mode will usually end fast if a team gets ahead.

Bank It

Bank It is different to Quick Cash and it consists of four teams of three people in more of a team deathmatch game mode. You still need to get cash, but you can collect coins from fallen players to extract them at Cashout stations. After 15 minutes, the team that has extracted the most money will win, or the first team to reach $40,000 will win the match. Stealing is permitted as well, making for some intense shootouts when a team’s coffers are overflowing. As of Patch 3.4.0, it’s one of the rare game modes in which you can change your entire build before you respawn.

Power Shift

Power Shift was introduced in Season 2 of The Finals. This mode is effectively a 5v5 team battle to push the objective. During Power Shift, two teams will compete to escort a moving platform through the arena without being interrupted by the enemy team. If the enemy team gets control, they can start pushing the platform back the way it came and towards you. The first team to get the platform to the designated area will win.

Terminal Attack

No healing and no revives. CoD-style Search and Destroy with two bomb sites and two teams of five shifting between attackers and defenders. It’s a lethal 5v5 where every decision counts, especially since gadgets now have a limited number of uses. Terminal Attack will test your game knowledge and put your teamwork to the test. Gadgets like the Dematerializer will come in handy here, letting you create secret paths to outsmart your foes. Knocked-out players will have to wait for the next round so play your cards carefully.

A player waits for a World Tour match in The Finals.
World Tour brings new rules and contracts. Image captured by VideoGamer.

World Tour and Ranked Tournament

Season 3 brings a brand-new World Tour event series, featuring Unranked Tournaments that rotate after a couple of weeks. They bring new rules, maps, and contracts to earn Multibucks, an in-game currency. We had a great time with it during our hands-on preview and expect it to be one of the game’s main hubs for casual players.

The ranked mode in The Finals puts you against 16 different teams in a bracket. After playing four games, all four teams will have played against each other and then the two squads who come in first will go through to the next level. Ranked plays out similarly to Quick Cash where you need to snag vaults and move them to extraction points. This continues until you eventually get to one final winner after several different games.

The Unranked Tournament in The Finals features eight teams in total and you don’t get any progress towards your overall rank. They don’t even serve as placement games, it’s just a way to experience the Ranked experience with a bit of leniency and play around with different loadouts. World Tour shakes this up with custom badges (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) that are only influenced by wins and not by losses.

A player checks out the limited-time Smoking Guns event in The Finals.
Smoking Guns is no longer available. Image by VideoGamer.

Limited-time modes that are no longer available

The Finals also introduced several game modes that are no longer in the game:

  • Solo Bank It
  • Steal the Spotlight
  • Smoking Guns

Solo Bank It

A solo variant of the classic Bank It mode, Solo Bank It quickly became popular with players. It put a fresh free-for-all spin in a mode that demanded teamwork. So instead of bunkering down with barricades and turrets, players began to opt for more offensive strategies to secure vaults and earn credits.

Steal the Spotlight

This limited-time mode is a spin on Solo Bank It, with players restricted to a Heavy loadout to participate. Adding this constraint spiced things up as players now knew what their opponents could do and how they could be countered.

Smoking Guns

Smoking Guns was a limited-time event with the same rules as Cashout, but with a few tweaks to make it interesting. It splits 12 players across four teams, giving it a 3v3v3v3 composition. Smoking Guns had event-specific contracts to complete, letting you earn unique rewards. Having 12 players in a match is three more than the usual Cashout matchup, making for an extremely hectic game mode.

About the Author

Jack Webb

Jack Webb is a guides writer for VideoGamer.

The Finals

  • Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
  • Genre(s): Action, First-Person Shooter, Shooter