Battlefield 6 has a Cold War rival in '83, a huge and realistic mil sim FPS

It's hardly been plain sailing for '83 - the realistic mil sim shooter that's promising to deliver some huge, 80-player battles in a Cold War setting. A turbulent, rocky development that's seen it exchange hands with different studios, it's been around six years in the making. But recently, things have finally starting to fall into place. The good news continues, as '83 just got a brand new trailer, packed with gameplay footage, and developer Blue Dot Games also announced that you can sign up for playtests now.

I'm incredibly hyped for Battlefield 6 - I'm feeling optimistic that it'll be a return to form and deliver some thrilling, large-scale battles that earn it a spot on our best FPS games list. It's also the mission for '83, and I'm just as excited to see how its more realistic gameplay and Cold War locales can deliver a similar experience but with a slightly different flavor. Set during an alternate version of that tense period, '83 features authentic weapons of vehicles, but it rewrites history to deliver a Cold War that actually escalated into full-blown conflict.

The new trailer released today taps into one of '83's many 'what if?' scenarios. Taking place on the game's Fulda Gap map, NATO and Warsaw Pact forces face each other on a German battlefield that's ripe for both boots-on-the-ground action and tank warfare.

The 40 versus 40 gameplay looks pretty intense and explosive. Like Battlefield, the main armies are split into smaller squads, with different class roles defining your playstyle. Tanks are also there to hop into to help deal some devastating blows. But while Battlefield lets you and your teammates carve out your own strategy, '83 - in a similar move to games like Hell Let Loose - sees a single player act as a commander for the entire army, calling the shots on which objectives to hit and how to approach them.

The team at Blue Point is well versed in making immersive, realistic-feeling military shooters - '83 is a spiritual successor to 2017's Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, a game a lot of the development team worked on as well as the old Red Orchestra series that birthed it. Despite the credentials, the proof will be in the playing, and with playtests open for sign-ups, you might be in with a chance of giving '83 a go in the very near future. You can register here.

If you'd rather wait for a proper release, then you can hold on until '83 launches in early access in Q4 of 2025. To pass the time, here are some more excellent war games. Also head to our best gaming mouse guide to ensure your aim is on point.

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