Inspired by the wildly popular TV show Squid Game, Crab Game plays out like the twisted offspring of Mario Party and PUBG: Battlegrounds: simultaneously a silly party game, and a cutthroat battle royale. That fusion of genres can make it difficult for newcomers to know what to expect and how best to play.
There might only be one beady-eyed character in a blue tracksuit, but the game has no shortage of deadly minigames. Though one must learn the rules of and strategies for each game in turn, some general guidance applies throughout. The sooner a player learns these basic strategies, the less often they'll see their character explode in a hail of polygonal gore.
10 Escape The Pack
One of the most notorious minigames in Crab Game, Red Light Green Light calls for the players to make it from one side of a field to another, moving only when a statue has its back turned. Those that can't stop in time explode. While it's tempting to race ahead and finish the game as soon as possible, being at the center or middle of the pack is dangerous.
When a character explodes, parts of them fly everywhere, and characters hit with that gross shrapnel will also move, causing them to explode in turn. To avoid falling victim to another player's mistake, stay at the back of the pack and remain near the wall if possible, to minimize the number of nearby explosions.
9 Physics Is Not A Friend
Crab Game is a wild online party game and a great time with a number of friends. It is not, however, exceptionally polished, and its sometimes wonky physics can be downright lethal in certain games. Collision detection and hitboxes are problematic, so nailing precision jumps and whacking other players with the STICC can be tricky.
For new players, it's better not to depend on any strategy that relies on precision movements. By instead focusing on more general strategies and mind games, one's chances of living increase exponentially. There will be plenty of time to master collision once players are more familiar with the basics.
8 Keep Momentum When Moving
Walls, bounce pads, moving blocks, spinning poles, and a dozen other hazards seek to block and push back the player at every turn. It's easy to get stuck in one place temporarily, and that can mean Game Over given the number of minigames that demand quick reflexes.Crab Game characters can crouch, sprint, jump, and slide. The latter is particularly important, as it allows players to slip under bunks and through tight spaces without losing momentum. When in a chase with another player, maintaining momentum often means living to see the next round.
7 Remember The Limits Of First-Person
Unlike most party games, Crab Game takes place in the first-person, forcing players to look through their character's eyes. Though seemingly a trivial detail, this limitation is important in such killer minigames.
For games such as Lights Out and Pass the Bomb, players must look around at all times to keep their enemies in sight. It's easy for another player to sneak up and end one's game in a flash. Looking behind and above matters, and keeping even seemingly harmless players in sight is a must. Even if a player isn't actively hunting someone, they can still body-block them or a ladder when the real danger comes.
6 Keep The High Ground
In most battle royale games, having the high ground is a significant advantage. It provides the best lines of sight for potential threats, allows for an early warning as other players are forced to climb or jump to one's level, and keeps foes from raining down on one from above.
In the various hunting games, the safest position is often the highest. One must beware, however, as other players will want to claim that advantageous position for themselves, and trying to take the high grounds often means a fight.
5 Find Optimal Hiding Places
The best hiding places aren't always the most obvious. While having the high ground has many advantages, it's also predictable, and sometimes the safer option is to lie low elsewhere. Being halfway up a ladder may not seem particularly hidden, but players on the ground and rooftops often forget to check there in their rush to kill or escape.
A number of maps feature tucked-away hiding spots where one can sometimes squat for an entire round without being detected. Even the thin strips of land bordering the edge of some levels can suffice. Players on the hunt will often stick to the center of the map, hoping to have the widest line of sight possible.
4 Don't Volunteer To Go First
In Glass Window, Icy Rocks, and Rock Path, the players must leap between platforms to reach the other side of the level. Unfortunately, some platforms will collapse upon being touched, and there's no telling which until it's too late.
The advice here is simple: don't go first. Every player will be eliminated if no one makes it across before the end of the round, but even players that dillydally should have plenty of time to make the jumps. Waiting forces other, more reckless players to test the stability of platforms, letting players who bide their time know which platforms are stable.
3 Anticipate Others' Actions
Almost more important than knowledge of the game's mechanics is knowledge of other players' behavior. Though much of this knowledge can only be built up with time, even at the beginning of the game, it is possible to anticipate and counter certain movements.
While it's harder to assess and react amidst the chaotic scrum of, say, King of the Hill, games like Hide and Seek and Hold the Hat often give players a chance to predict the route another player will run. By anticipating the route someone will take around a certain obstacle, players can cut them off. This strategic knowledge can also be used to mind-game other players, for example by doubling back instead of sticking to a predictable course.
2 Never Trust Others
From the violence and chaos of Crab Game there can only emerge one winner. Fleeting alliances and truces may materialize in the moment, but always remain on guard. Slapping someone off a ledge or body blocking a ladder or jump are simple, and timing such actions well can spell instant doom for another player. In most minigames, any nearby player is a potential threat, if only because they can cut off the map's valuable escape routes.
In adversarial games like Lights Out, the danger is even more pronounced. Just because the player squatting on the adjacent bunk bed hasn't shot the player doesn't mean they won't as the round approaches its end.
1 Don't Get Frustrated
Crab Game is unforgiving, and not just because the players keep exploding. Between the physics, the lightning-fast games, the ruthlessness of others, and the randomness of certain events, it's easy to lose even when doing everything right. When the difference between victory and defeat is pushing the red instead of the blue button, it's important to relax.
Sometimes players will be punished for misplays, other times for no reason at all. That's Crab Game. If it were less random and vicious, it would be a different game altogether, so have fun with it. There's always another round of Red Light Green Light.