CRSED: Cuisine Royale (F.O.A.D.): Survival Guide

A player's guide to Gaijin's free-to-play battle royale, currently listed on Steam as CRSED: Cuisine Royale (previously CRSED: F.O.A.D.). It covers both modes, looting, souls and mystic powers, champions, the familiar camera, and the rotating special events.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the "Airborne Assault Force" event (15 September 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

A Quick History (Why the Name Keeps Changing)

• 1 April 2018: Started as an April Fools' joke built on the Enlisted engine, a PUBG parody where you fought in kitchenware armor (colanders, pans) with a cigar for buffs.
• June 2018: Gaijin spun it off as a standalone game and opened a public beta on Steam.
• 19 December 2019: Official release as Cuisine Royale on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, developed by Darkflow and published by Gaijin.
• December 2020: Relaunched as CRSED: F.O.A.D. ("Fulfillment of All Desires"), a darker mystical version with rituals, signs and champions.
• Now: The Steam page lists the game as CRSED: Cuisine Royale with two modes side by side. Cuisine Royale is the classic realistic battle royale, and CRSED mode adds rituals, traps and superpowers. Development is credited to Darkflow Software and Matter Team.

It's free on Steam and also available through Gaijin's own launcher. Wikipedia lists Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and (since September 2022) Android versions.

Quick Start

• There is no drop phase in the standard modes. You spawn at a random spot on the map, so check your surroundings and loot immediately.
• Pick your mode on purpose. Cuisine Royale is pure gunplay and gear. CRSED adds souls, rituals, traps and champion powers. Learn looting and gunfights in Cuisine Royale first if the mystic stuff feels overwhelming.
• Armor matters more than the gun. A mid-tier rifle with good armor beats a great rifle with none. Upgrade armor tiers as you find them.
• Kill for souls (CRSED mode). Kills earn sinner souls, which pay for rituals and other mystic powers. A player with lots of souls is dangerous. Remember that when you see one.
• Watch the Dark Zone. The playable area keeps shrinking. Move early, and don't get caught looting at the edge.
• Third person has a counter. Every player has a familiar (a butterfly or a small helicopter) that carries their third-person camera. When someone peeks around a corner in TPV, their familiar gives their position away. Look for it, and remember yours can give you away too.
• Squads can revive at bonfires. In squad play, fallen teammates can be brought back at a bonfire inside the safe zone. Guarding a bonfire is a real tactic.
• Special events rotate often. A new limited mode goes live roughly every two weeks, with cosmetic chests for participating. Check the mode selection menu each time you log in.

Modes

Mode | Team size | Notes

Solo | 1 | Classic last player standing

Duo | 2 | Listed as PC-only on the official site

Squad | 3–4 | Teammates can revive you at bonfires

Special events | Varies | Rotating rules; see the table below

Matches hold up to 40 players across four maps, with the arena shrinking into the Dark Zone.

Recent special events (summer 2026)

Gaijin currently runs events "in test mode," without separate leaderboards or rewards beyond event chests. Recent rotation from official Steam announcements:

Date live | Event | Rules in short

15 Sep 2026 (also 7 Jul) | Airborne Assault Force | Squad mode. Everyone starts in a flying car with a jetpack, drops where they like, and loses the jetpack after landing.

1 Sep 2026 (also 23 Jun) | Game of Crowns | Find the crown and wear it for 3 minutes. The wearer can't use rituals, abilities or vehicles but gets one resurrection.

18 Aug 2026 | Revenant! | Solo. With 100+ sinner souls you auto-resurrect at a random bonfire, gaining brief invisibility and immunity.

4 Aug 2026 | Sharpshooters Brawl | Every gun holds one bullet and vanishes after firing. Unlimited respawns; most kills wins.

21 Jul 2026 | Hero Rumble | Unlimited respawns. After each death you pick a new champion, trap and ability you haven't used yet. It's a free way to try unowned champions.

A few event details worth knowing before you queue:

• Hero Rumble: Your first respawn gives you a submachine gun, a sniper rifle, T2 armor and food. Loot you pick up stays with you after death, and rare and epic weapons, armor, artifacts and hidden loot spawn on the map. Once you've cycled through every champion, trap and ability, the whole pool unlocks again.
• Sharpshooters Brawl: You can only hold one weapon at a time, so grab the next gun before you fire the one you have.
• Game of Crowns: When someone wins by wearing the crown for 3 minutes, they leave the match and the crown respawns, so the fight keeps going for everyone else.
• Revenant!: The resurrection works the same way a squad bonfire revive does, and the invisibility plus immunity on respawn is the same effect as Itz Ocelotl's ability. It's there to stop players camping bonfires.

Hero Rumble is the best way to test champions before you buy them. Airborne Assault is the one mode where you choose your landing spot, so use it to practice hot drops.

Core Mechanics

Looting and gear

• Weapons: Realistic firearms, from pistols and SMGs to bolt-action rifles, anti-materiel rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, flamethrowers and mortars. Melee also works, with knives, axes and bats for close backstabs.
• Armor: Comes in tiers, and events mention T2 armor as a baseline. Higher tiers absorb much more. In Cuisine Royale mode, armor includes the classic improvised kitchenware.
• Consumables: Food and medical supplies (the medical drip is a signature item) restore health. Cigars give buffs. Carry some healing at all times.
• Mobility items: Jetpacks, vehicles, amphibious vehicles and speedboats. Some mystic items (gravity boots, for example) change how you move.
• Supply drops: Some powers call down an orbital supply drop. It's great loot but also a beacon that attracts everyone nearby.

Sinner souls and mystic powers (CRSED mode)

• Killing enemies grants sinner souls, the currency for most mystic effects.
• Rituals are large-scale effects that can change the whole match: flooding the map, eclipsing the sun, summoning zombies, or teleporting yourself or others.
• Signs are drawn "with your blood" to set traps or get out of trouble.
• Hex bags are thrown at enemies to curse them.
• Rituals cost souls, so a player who has racked up kills has more options. Spend your souls rather than dying with them. The Revenant event is the exception, where holding 100+ souls is the point.

Champions

Each champion has one unique superpower. You also pick a trap and an ability when you queue, and the Hero Rumble event rotates through them.

Champion | Ability

Nikolai "Deadhead" Orlov | Drone Strike

Friedrich "WD-40k" Diesel | Weird Science

Eva Woods | Mind Games

Bram van Helsing | Flock of Bats

Katrina Matadi | Bastion

Sin "Huli" Yeou-bi | Swarm of Light

Louis "Bokor" Celine | Raise Dead

Valentine "Viper" Chase | Flickering Step

Erik "Torden" Thorson | Thunder Strike

Itz Ocelotl | Spirit Walk (temporary invisibility and immunity)

Annie "Pin-up" Ashley | Bullet Time

Clyde "Dozen" Mullican | Beast

Read each champion's in-game description before buying. The names describe the effect (Drone Strike calls in a drone attack, Raise Dead summons undead), but cooldowns and numbers change with updates.

Spirit guardians are unlockable companions that add extra tactical abilities in battle. Cosmetics (costumes, masks, talismans, hats, gestures, graffiti, even underwear) are purely visual.

Daily tasks and progression

Outside of matches, the store page describes a system of daily tasks and secret missions that reward unique items and powers, alongside the regular special events. Log in, check the task list before queuing, and pick a mode that lets you complete several at once (for example, a weapon-type task is easier in a mode where that weapon spawns freely). Progress toward champions and spirit guardians is the main long-term goal for free players.

First person vs third person

You can play in FPV or TPV. In TPV your familiar holds the camera, and if you peek around cover with it, the familiar is visible and reveals you. In FPV the familiar lands on your left shoulder instead, so it isn't floating out beside cover. Serious players often use FPV for corner fights and TPV for scouting open ground, accepting the risk.

A Match, Step by Step

• Spawn (first 30 seconds): Check the map for the safe zone and nearby buildings. Loot the closest structure for a gun, armor and healing.
• Early game: Aim for a primary weapon (rifle or SMG), a sidearm, some armor and two or three healing items. In CRSED mode, grab any signs or hex bags you find.
• First rotation: Move toward the circle while it's still wide. Use vehicles if they're close, but they're loud and easy to track.
• Mid game: Take fights you can win quickly. Every kill brings souls (CRSED) and better loot. Avoid third-party situations, since gunfire draws players from far away.
• Late game: Hold cover near the center of the next circle. Rituals get dramatic here. Keep a trap or escape ability for the final fight.
• Final circle: Heal up before the last shrink, check angles with your familiar in mind, and let the other survivors fight each other first.

Weapon and Loadout Tips

• Bolt-action rifles reward good aim with fast kills. They're strong in open maps but weak inside buildings.
• SMGs and shotguns win house fights. Pair one with a rifle.
• Heavy weapons (machine guns, rocket launchers, mortars) are area denial. They're great for breaking a camped building.
• Melee is fully viable for ambushes. A backstab can finish a fight before it starts.
• Ballistics are realistic, with bullet drop and travel time at range. Lead moving targets and adjust for distance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Looting too long in the first circle and then running through the Dark Zone.
• Forgetting your familiar gives away TPV peeks, and treating third person as free information.
• Hoarding souls without using them. In standard modes, souls you die with are wasted.
• Driving into the final circle. Vehicles are loud targets. Park early and walk in.
• Fighting in the open without armor. Find some before you take long fights.
• Chasing supply drops blind. Everyone else saw it too.
• Buying champions without trying them. Use Hero Rumble when it rotates in.

Advanced Tips

• Use sound. Vehicles, gunfire and rituals are loud. Wear headphones and listen before you move.
• Bait with traps. Place a sign at a doorway or bonfire you expect enemies to use, then hold an angle on it.
• Play bonfires in squads. If a teammate goes down, secure the nearest bonfire in the safe zone before trying the revive. Enemies camp them.
• Rituals change the map. Plan for them. A flood or eclipse late in the game changes sightlines and movement. Be ready to reposition.
• Rotate along cover. Tree lines, walls and buildings beat the shortest path.
• Practice drops in Airborne Assault. It's the only mode where you pick your landing, so learn which spots loot fastest.

FAQ

Is CRSED: F.O.A.D. the same game as CRSED: Cuisine Royale? Yes. It's the same Steam app (884660). The current store name is CRSED: Cuisine Royale, and it includes both the classic Cuisine Royale mode and the mystical CRSED mode.

Is it free-to-play? Yes. Champions, spirit guardians and cosmetics can be unlocked or bought, and events award cosmetic chests.

How many players per match? Up to 40, according to the official site.

Is there a drop or parachute phase? Not in standard modes, where you spawn at random. The Airborne Assault Force event gives everyone jetpacks to choose a landing spot.

Can I play with friends on console? Solo and squad are available across platforms, but the official site lists Duo as PC-only.

How do I try a champion I don't own? Wait for the Hero Rumble event, which cycles you through champions after every respawn, including ones you haven't bought.

What platforms is it on? PC (Steam and Gaijin's launcher, including Linux), PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Android, per Wikipedia. The official site notes that Duo is PC-only.

How does squad revival work? Teammates can bring you back at a bonfire inside the safe zone. The Revenant solo event borrows this mechanic for players with 100+ souls.

Sources

• CRSED: Cuisine Royale on Steam
• Official site: champions
• Official site: about the game
• CRSED: F.O.A.D. — Wikipedia
• Steam announcement: Airborne Troopers (15 Sep 2026)
• Steam announcement: Game of Crowns (1 Sep 2026)
• Steam announcement: Revenant (18 Aug 2026)
• Steam announcement: Sharpshooters Brawl (4 Aug 2026)
• Steam announcement: Hero Rumble (21 Jul 2026)