Insurgency: Sandstorm

got called a un-loved child for using a sniper....they aint wrong 10/10 game doe

If you're sick of the same copy-paste military shooters pumped out by AAA studios with bloated budgets and nothing to say, Insurgency: Sandstorm might just be your antidote.

Forget the press releases disguised as reviews from corporate games media. You won’t find a patronizing breakdown of how “problematic” guns are or a weird obsession with whether the game is “inclusive” enough. Most players aren't here for that. What Insurgency: Sandstorm actually offers is a tight, immersive, and brutally unforgiving tactical FPS that values skill, communication, and realism over flashy unlocks or killstreak gimmicks.

Gameplay: Punishing, Precise, and Immersive
This is where Sandstorm shines. Gunplay has actual weight. There’s no hitmarker dopamine rush or arcade nonsense. A single bullet can take you down, and every engagement matters. Recoil isn’t something you ignore with attachments—it’s a core mechanic you have to learn and respect.

The game doesn’t handhold. There’s no minimap, no magical HUD markers showing you where enemies are hiding. You rely on your squad, your ears, and your instincts. That’s what makes this game hit different. You feel the tension in every corner you clear.

YouTubers like OperatorDrewski and Controlled Pairs have sung the game’s praises for years, not because it’s perfect, but because it gets what tactical shooters are supposed to be. Their content highlights just how immersive it can be when you actually communicate with your squad and treat each life like it matters.

Visuals and Audio: Grit Over Glamour
Don’t expect Call of Duty level visuals here, but that's not a complaint—it’s deliberate. Sandstorm goes for gritty realism. Environments feel lived-in, war-torn, and dirty. Audio design is phenomenal. Gunfire cracks with terrifying volume, distant screams echo through alleyways, and airstrikes shake your entire screen. The chaos isn’t Hollywood—it’s grounded. You’ll duck when you hear a sniper shot ring out near you. That’s how good the sound design is.

Community and Mods: A Double-Edged Sword
One thing indie gamers love is modding and community content. Sandstorm has support for this, and that’s a massive plus. From custom maps to total overhauls, the community keeps breathing new life into the game—especially when official updates slow down.

That said, the game isn’t without its flaws. Matchmaking can be rough, some updates have broken more than they’ve fixed, and new content rolls out slower than players would like. But again, this isn’t a live-service cash grab. You’re not paying $70 for a broken game and then more for a battle pass. You’re paying for an experience that, when it works, is damn satisfying.

Verdict: Not for Everyone, but That’s the Point
Insurgency: Sandstorm is the kind of game mainstream reviewers don't know how to talk about. It doesn’t check their boxes. It’s not “approachable,” it doesn’t have a political agenda, and it’s not trying to please everyone. And thank god for that.

This is a shooter for people who want guns to be scary, who want voice chat to matter, who want stakes and strategy instead of unlock trees and KD ratios. It’s a game that earns your respect, not your attention span.

Really fun game would highly recommend. Feels a bit laggy and weird after classic insurgency - but still fun and playable. I played 322 hours on it I definitely got my moneys worth. I hope you enjoy it. Have a great day!

7 years later, still a banger. I keep coming back to this game constantly every few months

I have a love-hate relationship with this game. Love it because of the larp. Hate it because I'm dogsht at the game lol

Good shooter, best graphics and fun

Propably the best weapon handling in any game I've ever played. Also, my first game where I've made a russian speaking guy screaming is lungs out. I've now experienced gaming culture to its fullest.

Go to hеll with your broken game! First learn how to do service, then release updates with free trash cosmetics which breaks personalized presets that took a lot of time to make it.
I've had enough this was the last straw, I'm not going to feed any more talentless people who are unable to release updates without breaking something in the game!

The game is ridiculously underrated. It took a bit of time learning the flow of the game, but after that it was smooth sailing.
REMEMBER, in this game your KD DOES NOT MATTER. You're going to die very quickly to people you don't see sometimes, but you'll be also killing people very quickly in places they can't see sometimes too. KD does not matter, PLAYING THE OBJECTIVE IS ALL THAT MATTERS. Staying alive and picking off random enemies is not always beneficial to your team, but if you take points and give support, NO ONE CARES EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING 2:5:10 (KAD). Once I understood this the game became super fun, and honestly for me personally it hits the perfect line between realism and arcade. Your character isn't handling their guns like an unexperienced 10 year old with an AR 15 (like in squad), games don't take too long to the point your life is sucked away (like 10-20 minutes and smooth transitions to the next game), and the TTK is quick but rewarding. Also shotguns in this game are as strong as rifles, as unlike games like cod they can actually kill people from pretty damn far away even with buckshot (I FUCKING LOVE THE KS 23). Also even though the game isn't super popular its still not hard to find a lobby, sometimes the game gets me one in like under 5 or 10 seconds.
tl;dr: the game is fucking fun, please try it, it IS worth it in 2025. 8.5/10 nice c0ck

great game but they sold and abandoned it now only useless gun additions or cosmetic bundles

A good game on a technical level held back by terribly unbalanced win conditions. A game that could definitely be good, if the devs bothered to let it be.

Imagine an alcoholic spending $10-15 on a bottle and able to drink it for 400+ hours, anytime they want. Insurgency: Sandstorm is like that to me. It is a great game that trains my eye and reaction, a game that keeps reminding me of a lesson that David Goggins has learnt and talked about in his book "Can't Hurt Me". It was that a leader should lift everyone up and together complete the objective, instead of just focusing on being the best in the team. If you like shooting guns and having fun with your friends or random strangers on the weekend, this game is worth a try!

Fun i have played many matches of the game and it never gets old it is always a refreshing time when playing.

I love Insurgency: Sandstorm for its perfect balance of arcade action and military simulation - it's intense, realistic, but still fun to play on PC or console.

This game is a cross between a military sim and COD. It doesn't have 10 ways of crouching but its not run and gun either. You kill in 1 or 2 shots, you rarely see the enemy, but it's not CONFUSING. Maps are long hallways with open areas and a lot of CQC. Running is not advised and you are constantly crouching and peeking, Definitely recommend 100%. Extremely easy to run if your PC is not good.

Server lag is horrendous. I've had server latency and bad ping since i started playing this game. the game itself is amazing.

Brutal game that requires dedication to understand fully, not for the faint of heart.

Do you want to play ARMA or Squad, but don't want to march hours, only to die without ever seeing anyone? Do you like to feel like you are actually under fire when bullets start raining towards you? Then this might be for you. It's relatively fast paced, it's fun, you get to modify guns, and you can play your role in the team. Even the community is quite alright, at least compared to any other game scene. HINT: disable cross-play with consoles by disabling the option to allow matches with different input devices. This increases your experience by 6000% by locking out console players from your matches.

Few complaints:

- Team killing is punished way too little. It should give -3000xp match XP for teamkill, and for 3 team kills in a match it should substract a level from you in addition to current kicking from match. This should not apply to commander, as they have no control for morons running under their artillery. Currently 3/4 deaths I suffer are from team kills.

- Match should not start without commander and observer.

alacaksanız ilk oyunu alın daha stabil daha çok keyif alırsınız bu oyunda + olarak pek birşey yok ayrıca oyun bozuk çileden çıkarsınız

t'aime defoncer des sacrer fripouille vers la stratosphère, c'est le jeu idéal. Par contre, je ne vais pas te mentir, les graphique ressemblent à un quart de livre tout foiré chez Mcdo. Bref, si tu veux éviter les embrouilles, pogne-toi une tabanrak de bateuse de QC Joe Rambo

Le jeu est bon, quand ca prend pas 3 business day trouver une game.

Les graphiques ca ressemble un peu a de la plastine, mais bon.

C'est quand même pas pire voir les fripouille foutre le camp quand tu les ddefonce avec ta sacrament de batteuse.

Wouldn't have thought I'd review this game as negative, but the last 3 days my experience has been sub-par to say the least. For Versus, mode Push, Frontline, Domination and Firefight I cannot get into any server. Even with crossplay enabled and very leniently set. EU and West US. I can't imagine there aren't any servers.
Aside from that, matchmaking is an absolute turd of a system. For some reason I keep getting matched with people of rank 600+ on the other side and absolute newbs, like myself in this game, on my team. Because of the giant skill gap it's hard to distinguish cheater from pro.

My boyfriend and I alternate between being Observer and Commander. He usually likes being Observer but I think he is a great Commander and always uses the microphone to touch the players nicely.
(don't be shy about using the mic)

It is a perfect game except for the cheaters in PvP. Cheaters killing PvP mode.

Weapons have a realistic feel and are well optimized. Sniper zoom is sometimes bugging and weapon cannot be used. I can fix it by switch to the secondary weapon. I wanted to report it to the developers.

The Crossplay update ruined the intensity of the matches and I notice that a lot of the game modes are a lot less played. Cutting lobby max player numbers was a terrible move.

É um jogo de "TFPS" coringa pra jogar partidas rápidas com os amigos. Àqueles jogadores vindos de Squad, Arma, Ground Branch, recomendo jogar diretamente no modo hardcore. Qualquer tentativa de ser "tático" em SandStorm é um tanto boba porque o jogo é arcade de modo geral, porém ele é um jogo macio, leve e que equilibra bem o "passar batom" e dar tiro sem custar uma ou duas horas da sua vida, mas ainda assim não ser vanilleiro como BF, COD, e afins.

I have played a lot of games and I feel like this on takes the cake.
For one, it was not the most expensive game but it is one I always find myself playing.
There is not a lot of mental investment into this game which I enjoy. Coming from working full time with two kids, this is a joy to hop in and hop out.
The AI co-op mode is goat, even though sometimes the AI is lasering you, do not have to deal with all of the multiplayer sweats.
I only wish they had more maps, maybe even different eras of warfare.

Excellent game. It's a nice mix between arcade shooter and MilSim, paired with slow movement and powerful weapons requiring for every decision to be tactical if you want to live. It would be 10/10 if they remove the 40mm Grenade Launcher and nerf the AI-controlled helicopters.

I love how realistic the game is. It took some time to get used to the gameplay but since I did, I've been having the time of my life playing with friends.

really good game!. it's best of all worlds, mix of every little fps genre combined into one, beautifully crafted multiplayer fps shooter. ONE OF THE BEST! really love it!

Almost 10 years old and the devs only care about their hilarious bad skins that noone wants, money greedy slags. Servers lag constantly every day no support and all good fun modes get rotated out instant when it gets the player count up. NWI rly good at destroying their own game over the Years, I was a hardcore Insurgeny player an sandstorm aswell but its just not it anymore sadly. Thx NWI C....nts. DONT BUY

this game gives me so much satisfaction on fun play and clearing tactics

Great game. I can let out my inner Uncle Sam or gehtto arab out.

This game fucking rocks. Finally a game with realistic damage and strategies that plays tactically while still remaining casual. There still hasn't been to top this yet.

No ogólnie spoko, szkoda że nie dodają żadnych nowych map tylko w kółko męczy się te same, ale samo strzelanie i gejmplej jak najbardziej fajne, coś pomiędzy realizmem a Call of Duty

THE GREATEST GAME EVER.

The main reason I like it cause of the balance of the game and the ability to design your character based on what you prefer. There is not just a single loadout that is effective, but your loadout is effective based on the way you play.

Unlike the other games that are a lot bigger, this game allows you to enjoy the gameplay rather having hard crashes as a result of the overload of your gaming laptop or pc.

SO, if you are condering getting the game, please do so. The experience will be incredible and highly recommend it.

tbh i love this game, i cant put it down! i love playing it so much i bought a 9070 Nitro+ xD .... But idk whats up with the significant amount of negative reviews among so many other people who like the game as much as i do. but we do need more Maps Asap!! but not some manufactured crap!! keep bringing out banger after banger!

Great middle ground for all FPS tastes. Very realistic mechanics, sounds, recoil, etc but fast paced objective modes (no staging like in other milsim games). You lean in to get a better look and suddenly you get shot and feel it in real life

It still stands out even after 8 long years of it's release, I wish the servers were a little closer to my physical location and this game had a Competitive and rank based match making. Otherwise I love it, Lets see how long can this game live.

hacks. trying to play co-op and its all hacked. if your going to charge money, get your act together.

wonderful game super realistic, love the game. would recommend to anyone who loves 1st shooters

Fun PVP game that rewards good aim, good positioning, and fast reaction times due to its low TTK (You die within 1-3 shots, even with armor) but still requires a sense of timing and situational awareness if you want to win.

You can also get pretty creative with your play-style in terms of how you want to attack or defend an objective. The loadout and class system has a diverse selection of weapons, attachments, explosives, etc. That allow you to find a suitable niche you want to fill depending on the objective. Not to mention the commander class that allows you to call fire support, which can turn the tide of a game and/or prevent stalemates.

PVE is shit from a butt though, you just shoot hordes of mindless bots. Very boring! You should play PVE if you want to get acquainted with the game however.

5/5 game

The game is very great but needs more support

playing with bots is how i improve at these games and local play only has 2 of the several game modes available, people on reddit say to use the developer console but dont say what commands to write and ive honestly lost my patience with this game.

deffo refunding, fuck you verry much.

The game is very realistic the recoil and effects are the most realistic ı have seen in an FPS game it is a bit hard in some parts, but playing it is very fun.

Shooting feels good, weapons have power, various weapon and character customization

Insurgency: Sandstorm is hands down one of the best FPS games I’ve ever played. The intensity, the tactical gameplay, and the sheer realism make it feel like you're really in the middle of a chaotic firefight. Unlike the fast-paced, arcade-like shooters out there, this one makes you think before you act—every shot counts, and every mistake can be costly. The gunplay is tight, the maps are immersive, and the sound design is so good that you can feel the bullets whizzing past you.

What really stands out, though, is the teamwork. You can’t go solo here—well, you can, but you’ll probably get obliterated. It’s all about working with your team, communicating, and making sure you’re covering your bases. There’s no rushing in Insurgency, it’s a battle of patience and strategy. If you’re looking for a realistic, challenging FPS that rewards skill and cooperation, this one’s a must-try.

Dying game, but I always go back to it.

This is the wild west for voice chat in an FPS game, truly nothing has compared to the *words* that have been said in this. I pray that the voice chats for this aren't leaked.

Fun gameplay, very casual.

you can larp as Assad's most loyal soldier and commit warcrimes, use chemical weapons, it's really fun!

Insurgency Sandstorm is a "milsim-lite" that can be as deep (or as shallow) as you want it to be. It is extremely easy to jump into, as it has a "co-op" mode that allows you to jump onto a team of real players and do various game modes against AI opponents. For those that want a greater challenge, it has a PvP mode which requires you to learn the game much more, and PvP expects you to become more proficient with your recoil control, strategy, and understanding of cover and terrain in order to succeed.

Although aging at this point, it is an incredibly fun, and often intense military simulation that pits terrorists verse western forces across various maps with control points and objectives. It also has both night and day maps, allowing you to customize a large assortment of kits to better suite the environment and the terrain you will be facing. NVGs, gas masks, a large assortment of both small and large arms, and driveable vehicles with gun turrets makes the game feel like an all out war, and I especially like the Co-op mode for a more casual milsim experience.

If you've ever more tried hardcore mil-sims and felt that the learning curve was too high, or the community was not very welcoming, Insurgency is 100% a great starting point and a good bridge over to this side of gaming from more casual FPS games like Call of Duty.

I recommend this game for anyone who enjoys more tactical, strategical and team based shooters like Siege, Ready or Not, Counter Strike, or even the more hardcore FPS games like Hell Let Loose and stuff like Squad.
While it does show its age in its somewhat dated graphics and aesthetics, it is still updated and the player base is still solid enough to always be able to find games. If nothing else, you will definitely play this game enough to warrant the price you paid for it, which is often like 9$ on sale anyway.

very fun indeed
《Insurgency: Sandstorm》是一款极具深度和沉浸感的第一人称射击游戏，它的设计理念专注于真实感和策略性。与传统的快节奏射击游戏不同，玩家在这款游戏中需要更加注重团队合作、战术部署以及战场的每一个细节。游戏没有过于浮夸的视觉效果和快速的射击节奏，而是强调了沉稳与冷静，这种设计让每一次对战都充满了紧张感和真实感，能够让玩家体验到一种完全不同于其他射击游戏的游戏氛围。

游戏中的战斗非常注重策略性，每个决定都可能影响最终的结果。玩家不仅要与敌人作战，还需要与队友保持良好的沟通与协作。在《Insurgency: Sandstorm》中，单枪匹马的英雄主义几乎行不通，成功的关键是团队的配合与互助。此外，游戏的地图设计非常精致，覆盖了多个具有战术深度的环境，玩家需要根据地图的特点来调整策略，巧妙利用地形，充分发挥每一位队员的特长。

《Insurgency: Sandstorm》的音效和画面也为游戏的真实感增色不少。每一次枪声、爆炸声、脚步声都能让玩家感受到身临其境的紧张与刺激。游戏的图形虽然不追求极致的视觉效果，但其简洁而细腻的设计使得玩家能够更加专注于游戏的策略和操作。此外，游戏的社区和开发者也积极支持玩家的反馈，持续更新和改进，使得《Insurgency: Sandstorm》在玩家中口碑极佳，成为了一款备受推崇的战术射击游戏。