As Arma 3 celebrates a decade since launch, the future of the PC’s leading military sim is out now on Steam. Arma Reforger version 1.0 is here, marking the official release for Bohemia Interactive’s latest installment. It might not be Arma 4 in name, but as the team’s first project on its new Enfusion Engine, Arma Reforger’s Cold War conflict is very much the first step into a new era for the long-standing war simulation games.
Arma Reforger marks a return to the conflict that birthed the tactical shooter series that would go on to produce some of the best war games on PC, and which eventually led to the creation of DayZ, which itself gave rise to Dean ‘PlayerUnknown’ Hall’s battle royale mode that later became Steam chart-topper PUBG: Battlegrounds.
Now, the newest game in the series returns to the Cold War setting of Bohemia Interactive’s 2001 game Operation Flashpoint, which was later rereleased under the name Arma: Cold War Assault to mark it as part of the series that followed it. In Arma Reforger, you’ll fight across the vast mid-Atlantic island of Everon from Operation Flashpoint, along with new locale Arland, a smaller, remote island in a key strategic location featuring a prominent Soviet military airbase.
With the arrival of Arma Reforger 1.0, helicopters have arrived, along with limited fast travel and an overhauled supply system. Rather than acting as a simple point-scoring method, supplies are now found on the map and can be loaded into vehicles and used to “build support structures and fortifications, refuel and repair vehicles, and keep your bases stocked with supplies to strategically expand your foothold on the island.”
Bohemia says the current version at launch “encompasses the essence of Arma Reforger’s gameplay: it’s fun to play, and the technical state has reached a level that we consider ready to leave early access.” It stresses, however, “This is by no means the end of the game’s development.”
Listed in the game’s detailed roadmap are features such as the ability to command dynamic groups of AI-controlled soldiers, and the addition of combat ops to the Everon map. Also planned are machine guns and rockets for helicopters, mortar units, timed and remote explosives, and several reconnaissance vehicles. You can expect destructible buildings, freeform construction anywhere on the map rather than at fixed locations, and an electrical infrastructure that can be disrupted (and restored) by players across each of the islands.
Arma Reforger is out now on Steam. Expect to pay $29.99 / £24.99 for your copy. You can catch up on all the new details for version 1.0 via the official website, or head here to pick up the game for yourself.
If you’re a fan of experiences that capture the real world in precise detail, you’ll find yourself right at home among the best simulation games. For the kinds of unique interactions only possible with other real players involved, you’ll want to turn to the best multiplayer games instead.
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