Everything You Need to Know About Evolve Before Launch

Turtle Rock Studios' asymmetric multiplayer shooter Evolve launches on February 10 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. From the creators of Left 4 Dead, the game pits a team of up to four hunters against a single monster controlled by a fifth player. Choose a monster and wreak havoc on the enemy team with your unique abilities, or join the team of hunters and step into the shoes of a particular class. For an idea of what to expect in the game, check out some of our recent coverage, including this survival guide video.

PC players--here's what you'll need

Players looking to pick up Evolve on PC should note the minimum system requirements.

OS: 64-bit Windows 7

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600 or Athlon 64 X2 6400

RAM: 4GB

GPU: GeForce GTX 560 or Radeon HD 5770

HARD DRIVE: 50GB

What do you get in your pre-order?

Last month publisher 2K Games unveiled downloadable content plans and pre-order incentives, which includes access to extra playable monsters, new hunters, and additional monster skins. One of the confirmed additional monsters is the Behemoth, which Turtle Rock discussed in an interview with us.

And if the amount of paid downloadable content announced made you angry, you weren't the only one. Turtle Rock addressed criticisms for allegedly designing the game to accommodate content that would milk more money from players. However, new maps will be free for everyone.

"We have the game set up in such a way that we can expand upon it if that is the desire... our plan is one we pushed for as consumers. Never split the community, no pay to win, all that kind of bullsh** that are hallmarks of DLC plans specifically made to leech money out of people."

Classes and Monsters

If you can't decide what class to play, we help you get started with an overview of a character in each role. Tank damage and spray bullets from a mini-gun with the assault class Hyde, sniff out and trap enemies with Maggie and her hound Daisy, play the role of support on your team as the robot Bucket, or heal your allies as Lazarus the medic. Or perhaps you'd prefer to hunt the humans as a monster like the Goliath.

Or the Wraith.

Or the Kraken.

What if you're a solo player?

Not really a team player? Evolve will also support offline solo play. In addition to playing as the monster against a team of AI-controlled hunters, players flying solo can also assume a role on the hunter team, switching between classes as they see fit against the AI-controlled monster. The video below provides a look at how it works.

Get started on gaining experience

2K Games has also released a free Evolve companion app, available to download on iOS, Android, Windows, and Amazon Fire devices. Evolve: Hunters Quest is a puzzle combat game that can earn mastery points which can then in turn be applied to characters in the main Evolve game on any platform. Players who download the app can also unlock unique game art and watch replays of online matches from a top-down view.

Finally, if you're concerned about a lack of a community to play with online, over 2.2 million matches were played during the Xbox One beta. Get started with the intro cinematic below.