Updated 2026-09-01
Fakeout has ten powerups: five passives (Nitro, Live Wire, Top Speed, Frostbite, Mini Ball) that apply automatically for 20 seconds once you touch a pad, and five actives (Gravity Well, Wall Shift, Wall Drop, Drop Bomb, Burst) that share one key and fire in a fixed priority order.
Passive or active
Every powerup comes from a pad on the map — touch one and it rolls at random from all ten. Passives just work for as long as you're holding them: no button, nothing to time. Actives sit in reserve until you press the one shared active key, which fires whichever active you're holding — see the priority order below if you're holding more than one.
A held powerup lasts 20 seconds. The pad you took it from goes dark and comes back with a fresh random roll about a minute later, so a pad you already used is worth checking again.
The five passives
| Powerup | What it does |
|---|---|
| Nitro | +25% acceleration and +25% top speed for as long as you hold it. |
| Live Wire | Touch an enemy and they pop — you survive the hit. |
| Top Speed | +25% top speed only. No acceleration bump, so it takes longer to feel. |
| Frostbite | Touch an enemy and they're chilled: 75% of normal speed and acceleration for 1.5s. Touching them again refreshes the timer instead of stacking a longer freeze. |
| Mini Ball | Shrinks your body to 60% size. Speed and mass are unchanged — it just makes you a smaller target and lets you thread gaps a full-size ball can't. |
Live Wire vs. Live Wire
If the enemy you touch is also holding Live Wire, the immunity cancels out and you both pop, same as an ordinary tag.
The five actives — one shared key
All five actives fire on the same key (shown in-match as E / Q), and it isn't one of the keys the in-match remapping panel lets you rebind. Holding just one active, a press always does the obvious thing. Holding more than one — which can happen since a pad rolls at random — only ONE fires, in a fixed order: Gravity Well, then Wall Shift, then Wall Drop, then Drop Bomb, then Burst. A wall active with no charges left is skipped, so the press falls through to the next one down the list.
| Powerup | Charges | What a press does |
|---|---|---|
| Gravity Well | 1 (spent on use) | Yanks every enemy within 3 tiles toward you, then it's gone. Never touches teammates, and it doesn't pop anyone by itself — it sets up the tag, it doesn't land it. |
| Wall Shift | 2 | Ghosts you through every wall (never the map edge) for 1.5 seconds. A press mid-phase is free — it doesn't start a second window or spend a charge. |
| Wall Drop | 2 | Turns the floor tile you're facing, one tile out, into a real wall for 5 seconds — everyone bounces off it, you included. It only takes plain floor: aiming at a flag stand, pad, gate or spike does nothing and costs no charge. |
| Drop Bomb | 2 | Plants a bomb on the tile just behind you. It arms after 0.5s and sits for up to 12s — any ball that touches it once armed sets it off, exactly like a map bomb, shoving everyone nearby including you. |
| Burst | 1 press, or automatic | Press it for a blast on demand that shoves everyone nearby. If you're carrying the flag and get tagged while holding it, it detonates on its own instead of letting you pop — so it's also a one-time shield for a carrier. |
Wall Shift and Wall Drop each come with two charges the moment you pick them up — a wasted press (phasing too early, aiming at the wrong tile) isn't the end of it, you get a real second attempt.
Reading the roster
- Nitro and Top Speed both raise your ceiling — Nitro also speeds up how fast you get there, Top Speed doesn't.
- Live Wire and Frostbite both turn a touch into a weapon — Live Wire removes the enemy, Frostbite just slows them down for a beat.
- Wall Shift gets you through a wall; Wall Drop puts one where there wasn't one. They solve opposite problems.
- Gravity Well and Burst both shove people around, but Gravity Well only pulls enemies toward you — Burst pushes everyone nearby, including your own team.
FAQ
How many powerups does Fakeout have?
Ten: five passives (Nitro, Live Wire, Top Speed, Frostbite, Mini Ball) that apply automatically while held, and five actives (Gravity Well, Wall Shift, Wall Drop, Drop Bomb, Burst) that share one active key.
How long does a powerup last in Fakeout?
20 seconds from the moment you pick it up. The pad goes dark and comes back with a new random roll about a minute later.
What key fires an active powerup in Fakeout?
E or Q. If you're holding more than one active at once, only one fires per press, in a fixed order: Gravity Well, then Wall Shift, then Wall Drop, then Drop Bomb, then Burst.
Can you lose a Wall Shift or Wall Drop charge for nothing?
No. Wall Drop only spends a charge if the tile you're aiming at is plain floor, and a Wall Shift press while you're already phasing is free. Both start with two charges, so one miss still leaves you a real second try.