What the heck is Krunker.io? (Plus: Parents' Guide to Krunker)
Krunker.io (or simply “Krunker”) may just be the most popular first-person shooter (FPS) that most of the general public has yet to hear about. The game hit 50 million UNIQUE players back in July of 2019 as mentioned by Sidney De Vries, the creator of Krunker.io. By now, the number of unique players is likely between 80 million and 100 million. But what exactly is it?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is Krunker.io?
In a single sentence, Krunker is a free-to-play arena-style browser-based tactical first-person shooter game where (typically) up to 8 players join a lobby and shoot each other to death or compete over an objective. Sounds violent? Not so fast. Stylistically, Krunker has simplified block-like graphics much like Minecraft or Roblox. There is no blood or gore in the game. Yes, there ARE guns in the game like an Assault Rifle, Rocket Launcher, and Uzi - but that’s pretty much as far as the violence goes.
Since it’s a browser-based game, that means it can be played on Windows PC, Mac, ChromeOS, and even Linux. If you don’t want to play in the web browser, you can also download the official “client” version of the game which is available for Windows and Mac. The game is the same as the browser version with just a few small added features. Players can play with each other regardless of which platform they are on.
Games typically last about just 4 minutes which means that Krunker is a fun “pick up and play” type game. The game speed is lightning fast too. After you die in-game, you can respawn just about instantly which means there is very little downtime. This is in stark contrast to slower-paced battle royale games where a single game lasts about 30 minutes.
In terms of the gameplay, Krunker is most similar to the Call of Duty games. The guns in the game do have recoil, but not too much. Krunker has an arcade-style feel even though it does have elements of tactical shooters as well.
The main modes in the game are:
Free-for-all (FFA)
Team Deathmatch (TDM)
Capture the Flag (CTF)
Hardpoint (POINT)
In Hardpoint, you fight for control of a single objective that changes location after 1 minute. By standing on the objective, your team accumulates points.
There are a total of 12 classes to choose from, each with different weapons (loadouts).
Triggerman (Assault Rifle)
Hunter (Sniper Rifle)
Run N Gun (SMG)
Spray N Pray (LMG)
Vince (Shotgun)
Detective (Revolver)
Marksman (Semi Auto)
Rocketeer (Rocket Launcher)
Agent (Akimbo Uzi)
Runner (Combat Knife)
Bowman (Crossbow)
Commando (FAMAS).
Ready to play Krunker.io? Just head on over to Krunker.io to get started.
What's the appeal of Krunker?
Krunker is a completely free-to-play game. You don’t even need to register an account to play the game. You simply go to Krunker.io and can join a match within SECONDS. However, there are many other great free-to-play first-person-shooter PC games on the market including Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Why are players choosing to play Krunker over others?
I’ll list some of the main reasons why people choose to play this game:
General Accessibility: the game is available on all major computer operating systems (Windows, OSX, Linus). The hardware requirements to play the game are very minimal. It doesn’t take much of a computer’s resources for the game to run smoothly.
Extreme Convenience: the game loads nearly instantly. If you want to invite your friend to join your game, simply send them the URL of the game that you are in and they can copy/paste that into their browser to join your lobby. This makes it a fun game to play in a social setting, or even in the office.
Easy-to-Learn, Hard-to-Master Gameplay: The fast-paced gameplay of Krunker is very simple on the surface, but the more you play, the more gameplay mechanics you learn. This leads to a greater appreciation of the game.
Strong Community: The Krunker community of players, streamers, YouTubers, and modders is vibrant, diverse, and fun. The community actively contributes to the game’s development creating maps, skins, and game modes which means that Krunker never gets old.
Responsive Development Team: There has been hundreds of updates to the game that steadily improve its quality. Updates are rolled out based on community feedback.
While these are all good reasons to play Krunker, I’d like to explain my own personal reasons (as a veteran FPS player) for why I enjoy playing Krunker. Frankly, I got tired of the games on the market. I started playing FPS games with the original Counter-Strike (Half-Life Mod). I then took a hiatus from PC gaming until getting back into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. When Overwatch was released, I dedicated myself to it and reached a rank of Masters. Then, the battle royale craze started taking the world by storm. I became addicted to PUBG and then later Fortnite. When I discovered Krunker, it truly felt like a breath of fresh air. It wasn’t going for graphics or following industry trends. It was all about the basics: having fun. Playing Krunker STILL feels like waking up on Christmas morning and playing that brand new game that just came out. That’s how fresh it feels to me.
A Parents' Guide to Krunker
If you have read articles that spread fear about Krunker taking over the minds of our children, just take a step back for a second and I’ll try to present the facts.
First of all, Krunker is quite popular in K-12 schools. In the United States, Google Chromebooks have nearly 90% market share. But what does Chrome lack? Games! However, Krunker is browser-based so it works on Chromebook. Some schools have taken steps to block Krunker. This is understandable if it’s getting in the way of school. But that doesn’t mean Krunker is bad.
If you are parent in today’s modern age, you already have enough to worry about when it comes to your child’s internet usage. Now there’s a browser shooting game with NO DOWNLOAD REQUIRED? The good news is that if you’re accustomed to games like Fortnite, I can assure you there’s no fear that Krunker is worse than that when it comes to both violence and privacy. However, here are the issues to be mindful of:
VIOLENCE
Despite having guns that are modeled after real-life weapons, I would argue that even Minecraft is more violent than Krunker. In Minecraft, you kill both animals and other players. In Krunker, it has a more sporty feeling to it, rather than going on a shooting rampage or killing innocent victims. Krunker has ZERO blood or gore. Most PG-rated movies are less appropriate than Krunker.
There’s another popular free FPS game called Roblox Phantom Forces (an officially sanctioned mod of Roblox) that is FAR more violent than Krunker. Not only that, Roblox is a game that is actually aimed and marketed towards children.
The fact of the matter is that violence is hard to escape in video games these days. But video game violence DOES NOT equate to real life violence. Teaching your child the ability to distinguish fantasy and reality is important REGARDLESS of which games they play.
PRIVACY
Truth be told, there is a wide range of ages when it comes to Krunker players since it’s the type of game that attracts veterans and newcomers alike. If you want to shield your child from the toxicity of gamers online, here are the concerns as well as an action plan to mitigate this fear.
IN-GAME TEXT CHAT: The chat in Krunker can sometimes be laced with profanity.
ACTION TO ADDRESS THIS: You can turn on the “Streamer Mode” in settings that sensors profanity.
You can also simply disable chat completely.
IN-GAME VOICE CHAT: You can communicate in real-time with other gamers while playing Krunker.
ACTION TO ADDRESS THIS: You can disable voice chat in-game by setting the voice volume to zero.
Also, if you don’t want your child speaking in the microphone, you can prevent Google Chrome from having access to the mic. Go to: Chrome -> Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Site Settings -> Microphone -> turn off the slider to disable Mic across all of Chrome.
THE POSITIVE SIDE OF KRUNKER FOR YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT
There are some reasons why you should consider allowing your child to player Krunker aside from purely entertainment value. Unlike other games, Krunker provides a platform for your child to learn invaluable skills. Here’s why:
Krunker has an in-game 3D Editor. This full-featured 3D editor has similar tools to professional-grade computer-aided design (CAD) software. The basics of transforming 3D objects and working in a 3D space can be learned via Krunker’s in-game editor.
Krunker features community-created skins. You can learn programs like Adobe Photoshop in the context of making gun skins for the game. There’s even a chance that the skin will be officially added to the game, giving your child a sense of accomplishment.
Also, I do believe that there are great socialization opportunities within the Krunker community. The community supports one-another and there’s some skills that cannot be taught in a classroom. Whether it’s streaming, making videos, or building a social following, you can learn it via Krunker. The caveat to this is that I personally have had a really great experience with the Krunker community. But bear in mind I do not speak for everyone when I say this.
Krunker for Newcomers to FPS
For many gamers, Krunker is their very first FPS game. If that’s the case with you, then you’ve come to the right place! To improve your skills at the game, I recommend heading over to my YouTube channel for in-depth guides on the classes and game mechanics. Just experiment and have fun! You’ll learn and improve over time.
Krunker for Competitive FPS Veterans
Krunker has been played by MANY streamers and pro gamers coming from other FPS games including Tfue and Shroud. Often, they are playing Krunker while waiting for the ridiculously long queue times for their main game. Some of the main reasons why FPS veterans are playing Krunker include:
Entertain your stream viewers while you queue.
Warm-up before your match (I’ve seen Myth do this).
Creating content - for example, Faze Rain has several Krunker videos on his channel which have done quite well.
It’s fun. Low barrier to entry, high skill-ceiling. Aim intensive.
If you’re looking for more of a competitive experience out of Krunker, sorry the game isn’t quite there yet but it WILL be soon. The main problems with the game right now are: 1) Hackers 2) Netcode and 3) Lack of ranked matchmaking. Numbers 1 and 2 will need to be addressed first in order for a ranked ladder to flourish. But if you’re interested in Krunker, there’s no need to wait to enjoy a competitive experience. You can do the following:
Play beta ranked matches - although there is no rank that is recorded, these matches are fun and can be extremely competitive. I routinely run into players from competitive clans such as GLXY. I’ve learned a lot getting owned by these guys.
Join a competitive Krunker clan - there are many of them. Check the Krunker Bunker Discord and find the links there.
Go for nukes/killstreaks - if anything, it’s fun and great for video content.
Scrims and Tournaments are organized regularly like the regional Krunker Official Weekly tournaments. Again, check Krunker Discord for more info on that.
If / when Krunker matures into a competitive eSports title, I’d say it’s better to start now!