Subway Surfers launches competitive mode with Brawl Stars collab

Subway Surfers, the endless runner mobile game, is finally getting a finish line with its new competitive game mode.

The new mode, where up to six players can compete with each other, has been launched in collaboration with Brawl Stars, blending elements from the two popular mobile games.

Subway Surfers’ first-ever competitive game mode is called Showdown. In this, six players have to race on the signature railroad tracks in a Brawl Stars-themed map. Along the way, players need to find boosts to speed them up while avoiding obstacles.

Showdown also has special power-ups. These can be used to turn into one of six characters from Brawl Stars. These are Dynamike, Piper, El Primo, Max, Poco, and Spike. Each character also has abilities which can be used to gain an advantage in the race to the finish line.

“A competitive game mode within Subway Surfers has been one of the most requested features from our community over the last 13 years,” said Celia Zimmermann, Head of Player Experience at SYBO.

“We’re excited to bring this collaboration to life and incorporate elements from Brawl Stars’ beloved multiplayer-style gameplay into Subway Surfers for the very first time.”

As a part of the collaboration, Brawl Stars is also getting its first racing mode called Subway Run. In this 10-player showdown race, players need to run through checkpoints and reach the finish line first to achieve victory. Taking down other players grants a temporary boost.

The Subway Surfers x Brawl Stars collab will be live until October 5th, meaning the game mode will be available in the game for only a month.

However, with Zimmermann, the Head of Player Experience, commenting that this has been one of the most requested features, it’s fair to speculate that it might make a return.

The competitive game mode could pave the way for tournaments as well, even 13 years after the game’s release.

This is something which Niantic did with Pokémon GO when it released PvP trainer battles in late 2018. This eventually led to the first-ever Pokémon GO Championship Series in 2022.

One other game to release an evolved game mode for esports is Supercell’s Clash of Clans. In 2019, the game brought a new 5v5 format based on the Clash War Leagues to launch its first-ever World Championship.