After years of silence, one mega realistic milsim shooter is finally coming back

I understand the appeal of Escape From Tarkov, Arma, Gray Zone Warfare, and all the other hyper-punishing, realistic FPS games out there, but I also find them strangely unconvincing. When the pattern of gameplay is spawn, die, spawn, die, spawn, die, it feels less like I'm in the middle of a real, all-out battle, and more like I'm just playing a videogame. Nevertheless, I like the steep difficulty and the pretense of realism - loud guns, bullet physics, and a grounded, boots-and-mud aesthetic. Originally announced back in 2019, '83 looks like the ideal midpoint between accessible online shooter and stone-cold milsim. Created by former developers from the Rising Storm and Red Orchestra series, after years in the wilderness, it's now in full development swing thanks to a new publishing deal.

We reported back in January that production of '83 had been inherited by Blue Dot. Set across an alternate-history, 'Cold-War-gone-hot' eastern front, it's an objective-focused, 40v40 milsim FPS game with a twist. Weapons are authentic. You also have a player-Commander who manages their team's strategy via an RTS game-style overview screen and can use vehicles and tanks. However, each match is only 30 to 40 minutes long. '83 is all about getting into the action.

"Games in the tactical and milsim shooter genres are usually a huge time sink," Blue Dot says. "Everybody loves Tarkov and Arma, but not everyone can game 100 hours a week, or afford to prep for a match for XYZ minutes, only to die instantly. '83 is mindful of your time. It skips the dull parts commonly present in realistic games, takes you to action fast, but does not neglect the lethality of war.

"You can absolutely still die fast, but should that happen, you're back in business within a minute or two. You might want to avoid the dying though, your squad needs you and every death matters."

Having acquired the full rights to '83, Blue Dot has now signed a new publishing deal, meaning that the game has full funding to cover production from beginning to end, and the core Blue Dot team has expanded, with 33 developers working on the shooter in earnest. There's no word on a release date or any playtests yet, but you can wishlist '83 on Steam right here.

Otherwise, try some of the best war games, or check out the best upcoming PC games on their way to you.

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