Brutal sci-fi looter shooter The Forever Winter is now more realistic and lethal

There's an undeniable thrill to the vicious lethality of extraction games like Escape From Tarkov; that fear that any wrong move could be your last. Sci-fi looter shooter The Forever Winter is all about making you feel like the little guy; against the shadow of megacorp war machines clashing in a burning, apocalyptic future, you and your friends are mere rats scrabbling in the rubble to survive. With its new June update, developer Fun Dog Studios is taking the realism to the next level, as it introduces a fresh playground to explore.

The Forever Winter June update is pretty packed, but the headliner of the 'Babel' patch is what Fun Dog calls its 'enemy AI enhancements 2.0.' This dramatically overhauls the decision-making and mobility of hostile infantry in combat situations, aiming to create a level of tension worthy of a spot among our best survival games. They'll now factor in the potential range of their target, the paths to approach them, and other environmental conditions, resulting in "more lethal AI and more intelligent movement and shooting."

"There is still more work to be done here based on feedback from players, but it is a significant step forward and well overdue," Fun Dog says. Alongside the improved AI, their vision, hearing, and communication have been updated. They'll react quicker to danger-close threats that they can see or hear, and will be more intelligent in how they perceive and investigate threats at a distance.

Of course, it'd be remiss not to hand you some extra tools in return, and the new stealth improvements do just that. You'll now get better feedback from enemies about their level of awareness, with more accurate HUD signals and animations that show them visibly notifying allies of potential threats. There's also a new 'decoy grenade' that can be used to distract your foes, or lure them to specific locations.

You'll have a new location to test all this on. Formerly 'Shanty,' Babel has been opened up as a work-in-progress zone where you'll head out among the high-rises outside of the downtown area in search of valuable loot and additional quests. Keep close watch for patrol drones, as they're in heavy use by the various military factions. You'll also need to look out for the Euruskan Kotleta boss, known colloquially as 'Meatman.' Back at the Innards, Lordoss has another quest line that will make progress towards his repair utility, with further expansions due in future updates.

Elsewhere, player movement animations and systems for both the Scav Girl and Bagman have been upgraded to look more natural. Additionally, when you get hit by heavier-impact sources of damage such as missiles, explosions, and melee swings from large enemies, you'll now be knocked down and must climb back to your feet.

The Forever Winter June update is out now. You can read through the full patch notes courtesy of Fun Dog Studios, which include a wide range of performance improvements and optimizations.

Alternatively, turn to another of the best co-op games in 2025 for more options that encourage you to work with others, or try one of the best action games if you're just eager for some thrills.

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