This week marks one year since the PC launch of Insurgency: Sandstorm during this time our team at New World Interactive have been busy continuing to build and expand the game.

To celebrate our one year anniversary on Steam, we are excited to give all players an opportunity to experience Insurgency's sequel - Insurgency: Sandstorm during our 1 year anniversary Free Week which kicks off December 10th until December 17th.

Since release, we've added free new content through several updates including 3 new maps, 4 new game modes, 10 new weapons, dozens of cosmetics, player reporting, and more.

There's never been a better time to hop into the game. Check out our anniversary trailer below for a recap of the past year and a preview of what's still to come in 2020!

Install Insurgency: Sandstorm - Free on Steam Dec 10 - 17th

Hi everyone,

We are excited to announce that the second Pre-Order Beta of Insurgency: Sandstorm is now open!

You can jump into the Beta and play right now by pre-ordering the game on Steam at a 10% discount. Owners of the original Insurgency, which now boasts a player population of over five million, will receive an additional 10% loyalty discount, available through the end of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DheJOeInks
Pre-Order Beta 2, which is now live, features two new maps compared to the first Beta, for a total of four maps and four modes, including offline coop, from the final version of the game, character customization, dozens of weapons, and hundreds of loadout options (including explosives, armour, and ammo carriers).

Thanks to all the positive feedback Insurgency: Sandstorm received during the first Pre-order Beta earlier this month, the team will be using your feedback to continue to polish and optimize the game up until launch and beyond. We are now happy to let players experience the the intensity of modern combat in this Pre-order Beta phase.

Beta 2 is still a development build of the game and an on-going work in progress. We use betas as an important tool for gathering player feedback, studying system performance, and balancing the game. As such, it is important to stress that this is not a representation of the release version of Insurgency: Sandstorm.

As you can see in the Pre-Order Beta 2 changelog[forums.focus-home.com], the team has worked hard on this new version, but you may encounter, bugs, balance and/or performance issues. We encourage all participants to use the and forums to report any issues so that our team can continue working on them for the release.

Before playing, please check out:

• Quick Start Guide[forums.focus-home.com]
  
• Official FAQ][forums.focus-home.com]
  
• Known Issues[forums.focus-home.com]

Join us to celebrate the Beta 2 launch with a Dev Q&A and giveaway at 18h00 (CEST) on www.twitch.tv/focushomeinteractive

There are no NDAs or streaming restrictions on this test, and we're greatly looking forward to getting feedback from all across the gaming community as we work on the launch build. Pre-Order Beta 2 will stay open until the release of the game, September 18th.

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases on Windows PC in September 18, with Linux and Mac support coming later, and on PS4 and Xbox One in 2019.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/581320/Insurgency_Sandstorm/

Please find the Pre-Order Beta 2 Changelog below.

----------------------------------

• Large reduction in draw calls across all maps to improve framerate.
  
• Full LODs added to all cosmetic characters & gear.
  
• Full LODs added to all 3P weapon and equipment assets.
  
• Full LODs added to all props in the world.
  
• All maps actor-merged.
  
• Large particle optimization pass, set proper render bounds, LODs and tick rates on all particle effects.
  
• Nativize most Unreal blueprints allowing them to run faster.
  
• Improved bot spawning timings for Checkpoint.
  
• Bullet projectiles now trace against lower LOD collision meshes.
  
• Vastly reduced triangle counts on many larger environment rock prop sets.
  
• Gunship and Support Helicopter rounds now use a simple collision trace.
  
• Changed player spawning, to spawn one player per tick instead of two players per tick.
  
• Improved material instances for various cosmetics.
  
• Reworked the bullet hit validation.
  
• Increased performance for player movement in water.
  
• Ensured character cosmetics are not being spawned multiple times per cosmetic slot.
  
• Characters now use data-only blueprints.
  
• Items no longer tick by default.
  
• Reduced the amount of times cosmetics spawn and despawn.
  
• Made weapons only tick when equipped.
  
• Interactable gear now use timers instead of tick functions.
  
• Allowed only certain crew member characters to tick in helicopters.
  
• Utilized texture atlases for certain cosmetic items to reduce draw calls.
  
• Doors and Supply Crates only tick when they are in an opening or closing transition.
  
• Destroyed prop vehicles will now extinguish their flames after 40 seconds so the fire/smoke particle doesn’t stay forever.

• Doors can now be breached by being kicked down.
  
• Added visual feedback system for Commanders, Observers and teammates to indicate where Fire Support is being called in and what type of Fire Support it is. Colored smoke appears on the target area.
  
  • Security
    
    • Gunship - Green
      
    • Autocannon Strafe - Yellow
      
    • Explosive Artillery - Red
      
    • Smoke Artillery - Blue
      
    • Minigun Support - Purple
  • Insurgents
    
    • Rocket Barrage - Green
      
    • Bomber Drones - Yellow
      
    • Explosive Mortars - Red
      
    • Smoke Mortars - Blue
      
    • IED Drone - Purple
      
    • Chemical Mortars - Pink
• Servers will now kick players who have been idle for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
  
• Tessellation has been added for improved terrain visuals. The quality/performance of this can be scaled by adjusting the effects quality in your video settings.
  
• New Local Play experience which allows you to play solo with AI teammates. This game mode is based on Checkpoint, but adds objective-based reinforcement wave gaining similar to as in Push.
  
• Lesson system including browsable menu texts which explain game mechanics and video hint pop ups when performing certain actions for the first time in-game. The full collection of Lessons will be added during Pre-order Beta 2.
  
• Add game options for the following:
  
  • Always show compass.
    
  • Enable and disable contextual key kints for use and vault.
    
  • Enable and disable in-game Lesson hint pop ups.

• New maps “Crossing” and “Summit”
  
• New Greased Bolt upgrade option for bolt action rifles under the new “Chamber” upgrade category.
  
• Added Hoodie Camo cosmetic and variations.
  
• Added Leather variations.
  
• New optic rail for AK’s.
  
• New water explosion particles for artillery shells.
  
• Proper third person meshes for C4, IEDs and detonators.
  
• New bus model and textures.
  
• New music for the Loadout menu.

• Player Movement
  
  • Reworked character equipment weights which impact top sprint speed and stamina.
    
  • Reduced top sprint speed for characters by 5% before weight and stamina based slowdowns are applied.
    
  • Removed sprint speed increase for players when they were in a suppressed state.
    
  • Slightly reduced standing movement speed.
    
  • Reduced standing move backward speed.
    
  • Decreased sliding speed.
    
  • Increased slow walk speed.
    
  • Increased slow crouch walk speed.
    
  • Slightly increased jump height.
    
  • Slightly increased vault radius.
• Characters
  
  • Increase the brightness of certain Security camo textures for gameplay balance.
    
  • Removed black and dark grey variations from Insurgents torso and leg items for gameplay balance.
• Weapons
  
  • Increased ADS speed.
    
  • Increased 5.56 and 5.45 top damage slightly.
    
  • Reduced effectiveness of hip fire by increasing free aim recoil and radius slightly.
    
  • Balanced FOVs for optics when using Focus to be more consistent between low and high quality scope options.
    
  • Increased G3 recoil slightly.
    
  • Decreased FAL recoil slightly.
    
  • Decreased AK-74 recoil slightly.
    
  • Decreased UZI recoil slightly.
    
  • Increased reload speed for the M249 slightly.
    
  • Decreased lateral recoil on the MP7 slightly.
    
  • Increased lateral recoil for the AKS-74U slightly.
    
  • Increased Mk 14 EBR’s supply cost to 5.
    
  • Increased supply cost of Extended Magazine for MP7 from 2 to 3 supply.
    
  • Adjusted Mosin and M24 penetration power to be more balanced.
    
  • Vehicle mines are now throwable.
• Gamemodes
  
  • All Modes
    
    • Removed Mk 14 EBR from Advisor class for gameplay balance.
      
    • Team kicks for team kills will now use the cooled down value instead of the total value when defining if a player has killed enough teammates to warrant a kick.
  • Skirmish
    
    • Increased match length by adding a second round, with a team swap beforehand as in Push.
  • Checkpoint
    
    • Added all available weapon upgrades to all Insurgent coop classes.
      
    • Ensured Security Coop classes get all Insurgent weapon upgrades.
      
    • Added Flashbang to all Insurgent coop classes.
      
    • Added M4A1 to Rifleman, Demolitions, Commander, and Observer
    • Insurgent Coop classes.
      
    • Added M870 to Breacher Insurgent Coop class.
      
    • Add M249 to Gunner Insurgent Coop class.
  • Versus Firefight
    
    • Match length is now 6 rounds, with a team swap after 3 rounds.
      
    • Reduced player count to 24 players.
      
    • Removed Commander, Observer, and Demolitions classes.
  • Competitive Firefight
    
    • Increased supply costs for various weapons and upgrades.
      
    • Added more primary weapons to the Assaulter class.
      
    • Added 1x and 2x optics for the Sharpshooter class.
      
    • Removed Mk 14 EBR and SVD from the Sharpshooter.
• Explosives
  
  • Tweaked explosive penetration.
    
  • Frag grenades now only penetrate weaker materials.
    
  • Fire Support will still penetrate most surface types, but deal reduced damage.
    
  • Increased time taken for Incendiary and Molotov grenades to detonate cache objectives.
• Fire Support
  
  • Gunship
    
    • Increased autocannon burst cooldown to 4 seconds instead of 2.
      
    • Decreased minimum and maximum burst times.
      
    • Increased flyover time to 15 seconds from 10 seconds.
  • Bomber Drones
    
    • Increased explosive radius slightly.
      
    • Improved positional audio.
  • IED Drone
    
    • Increased explosion radius.
  • AI
    
    • Bots who are directly exposed at mid range will crouch and fire at their target instead of rushing to cover.
      
    • Bots suppressed in cover will reload if there's a larger magazine and they haven't fired recently.
      
    • Bots should turn slightly faster.
      
    • Bots should react slightly faster.
      
    • Bots will fire in a much tighter cone before zeroing on target.
      
    • Increased target zeroing time by a few seconds.
      
    • Reduced accuracy of suppressed bots.
      
    • Encouraged bots to sprint to objectives if the round timer is low allowing bots to arrive faster during counter attacks.

• Animation
  
  • Updated animations and blending for character movement.
    
  • Reworked ragdoll physics to use correct weight and limb rotation limits, resulting in more natural looking ragdolls on death.
    
  • New animations for characters using bipods.
    
  • New animations for characters using binoculars.
• Weapons
  
  • New model and texture for the M9 pistol.
    
  • New smoke effect for rocket and grenade launcher barrels.
    
  • Improved textures for the M249.
    
  • Improved textures for the rail mounted pistol laser.
    
  • Added drum magazines to the following weapons
    
    • AKM
      
    • AK-74
      
    • AKS-74U
      
    • M16A2
      
    • M16A4
      
    • M4A1
      
    • Uzi
      
    • L85A2
  • Added grenade launcher sight for the M16A2’s M203.
    
  • Compensator and Flash Hider upgrades will only use a mesh if it’s meant for that weapon.
• Cosmetics
  
  • Updated cosmetic costs and rarities to be more based on the item rather than its colors.
    
  • Improved dirt layer on all cosmetic items.
    
  • Added gender switch button.
    
  • Added ability to save a preset of a character’s cosmetics.
    
  • Updated camo scaling to be more consistent across all cosmetic items.
    
  • Renamed DPM camo to Desert DPM.
    
  • Improved glasses under Insurgent Headgear.
• Gear
  
  • Made Gas Mask goggles less opaque.
• Audio
  
  • Improved audio experience in Loadout rooms for all maps.
    
  • Added muffled effect for players wearing a Gas Mask.
    
  • Sprint breathing and Focus breathing with and without Gas Masks are now character voice specific.
• Vehicles
  
  • Disabled leaning out of vehicles.
    
  • Disabled the use of all weapons in vehicles except pistols.
    
  • Melee can now be used in vehicles to break vehicle glass.

• User Experience
  
  • Taglines now populate correctly into the player’s profile.
• Characters
  
  • Characters seen at longer ranges through scopes should now tick at the correct rate.
    
  • Fixed an issue where a ragdoll’s skin tone would be set incorrectly.
    
  • Removed hit reactions from fire damage, preventing characters from bleeding when damaged by fire.
    
  • Fixed player’s camera from clipping into their head if they had the Loadout menu open when spawned.
    
  • Fixed finger posing on the Binoculars to prevent fingers clipping through gloves.
    
  • Fixed certain torso cosmetic assets that had clipping issues.
• Weapons
  
  • Fixed weapon audio breaking if previously killed by a headshot.
    
  • Fix an issue where the weapon overheat audio would not be terminated when exiting the Gunner seat.
    
  • Prevent cases where weapons get multiple Foregrip, Compensator or
  • Suppressor options.
    
  • Fixed Laser Sight not working correctly when equipping a grenade launcher.
    
  • Fixed AR Scope not showing correctly on the M16A2 world model.
    
  • Fixed Hunting Scope not showing correctly on the Mosin world model.
    
  • Fixed 2x Kobra Sight not showing correctly on the AK-74 world model.
    
  • Fixed Mk 18 CQBR secondary magazine showing during the up and down animations state when using a Foregrip.
    
  • Fixed some optics not being correctly aligned when in ADS.
    
  • Shells and secondary magazines on weapons should no longer show in the Loadout selection.
• Explosives
  
  • Updated Molotov and Incendiary grenades to they align properly to surfaces and leave the correct sized scorch marks.
• Voice Over
  
  • Fixed a bug where flying vehicle pilots would not play their “Leaving” lines.
    
  • Fixed a bug where objective destruction lines were not being played.
    
  • Fixed a bug where helicopter radio events continued playing after the helicopter had left or crashed.
    
  • Create a queuing system for both proximity and radio VO.
    
  • Melee VO lines will now only play if an enemy is in front of you.
    
  • Fixed suppression response VO for machine guns and snipers.
    
  • Fixed a bug where enemy bot VO was showing in the chat menu for dead or spectating players.
    
  • Fixed a bug where death VO would not be attached to the ragdoll of the dead player or bot correctly.
• AI
  
  • Removed grenade launcher bots.
    
  • Bot will no longer flee from grenades they can’t see.
    
  • Bots now have very short visibility inside smoke.
    
  • Various bot pathing fixes.

• Penetration is now represented as “PP” (Penetration Power) instead of “Joules” in the Loadout menu.
  
• Rearranged the upgrade category order in the Loadout menu.
  
• Movement and vehicle controls can now be bound to the same key.
  
• Weapon in the Loadout menu can now be rotated slightly.
  
• Added generic Extended Magazine description.
  
• Added weapon selection icons for the GP25 Explosive and GP25 Smoke.
  
• Compass can now be toggled on and off in spectator mode.

• Crossing
  
  • Actor merge pass.
    
  • HLOD pass.
• Farmhouse
  
  • Actor merge pass.
    
  • HLOD pass.
    
  • Made minor gameplay tweaks.
    
  • Tweaked Checkpoint scenarios.
    
  • Tweaked restricted zones for Push scenarios to add a bit more breathing room for defenders to set up a defensive perimeter.
    
  • Tweaked playable areas.
    
  • Adjusted spawn locations and spawn point angles in all scenarios.
    
  • Tweaked Checkpoint scenarios.
    
  • Tweaked interior lighting throughout the map.
    
  • Small adjustments for global lighting.
    
  • Fixed several issues across all scenarios.
    
  • Particle gameplay/optimizing pass.
    
  • Blocking volume pass.
    
  • Road fixes and polishing.
    
  • Made foliage placement tweaks to improve readability.
    
  • Visual polish interior and exterior.
    
  • Soundscape polish.
    
  • Loadout selection room polish pass.
    
  • Decal polish pass.
    
  • Fixed miscellaneous issues to improve both gameplay and visuals.
• Hideout
  
  • Reduced sun flare effect.
    
  • Actor merge pass.
    
  • HLOD pass.
    
  • Made minor gameplay tweaks.
    
  • Tweaked Checkpoint scenarios.
    
  • Tweaked restricted zones for Push scenarios to add a bit more breathing room for defenders to set up a defensive perimeter.
    
  • Tweaked playable areas.
    
  • Adjusted spawn locations and spawn point angles in all scenarios.
    
  • Tweaked interior lighting throughout the map.
    
  • Made small adjustments for global lighting.
    
  • Fixed several issues across all scenarios.
    
  • Particle gameplay/optimizing pass.
    
  • Blocking volume pass.
    
  • Road fixes and polishing.
    
  • Foliage placement tweaks to improve readability.
    
  • Visual polish interior and exterior.
    
  • Soundscape polish.
    
  • Loadout selection room polish pass.
    
  • Decal polish pass.
    
  • Blocking volume pass.
    
  • Fixed miscellaneous issues to improve both gameplay and visuals.
• Summit
  
  • Reduced sun flare effect.
    
  • Actor merge pass.
    
  • HLOD pass.
    
  • Decal polish pass.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a reborn, improved, and expanded sequel to indie multiplayer FPS hit Insurgency, coming September 18 to PC and 2019 to consoles.

Thanks to all the positive feedback the game received during the first Pre-order Beta last month. The team will be using your feedback to continue to polish and optimize the game up until launch and beyond.

We are now happy to announce Pre-order Beta Test 2 beginning next week. Meanwhile, experience the intensity of modern combat and check out the positive reception from journalists and players during the previous Pre-order Beta with the Gamescom Trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWzGzNpM66w
From August 30 through September 18, players who have pre-ordered Insurgency: Sandstorm on Steam will receive exclusive access to Pre-order Beta 2. The team will be focusing their work during Beta 2 on bug fixing and server stability.

The studio will also start working on the extensive post-launch support plan with new content coming after the release of the game. As Pre-order Beta 2 will have no NDA and no streaming restrictions, those curious are invited to watch live gameplay on Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, and Facebook throughout up until the release of the game.

Eager players can pre-order on Steam now for a 10% discount, reducing the price to €26.99 / £23.39 / $26.99. An additional 10% loyalty discount will be given to fans that own the original Insurgency, bringing the pre-order price down to just $24.99. This additional discount will be offered until the end of 2018, and all pre-orders will receive instant access to any ongoing beta tests as well as future ones.

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases on Windows PC in September 18, with Linux and Mac support coming later, and on PS4 and Xbox One in 2019. Pre-order now on Steam to get bonuses, including exclusive access to the Pre-order Beta.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/581320/Insurgency_Sandstorm/

In advance of the release of Insurgency: Sandstorm on September 18th New World Interactive invite all First Person Shooter fans to try the game which inspired the much-anticipated sequel, Insurgency: Sandstorm.

Starting at 10:00 AM PDT today the original 'Insurgency' will be FREE TO KEEP on Steam for 48hrs. Simply install and play the game during the 48hr window and it is yours to keep forever.

Owning the original Insurgency on Steam will also entitle fans to 10% off Insurgency: Sandstorm in addition to the 10% Pre-order discount currently on offer for a combined 20% off, bringing the cost down from $29.99 to $23.99

About Insurgency

Insurgency is an intense, immersive, hardcore, tactical shooter based on the award winning source engine mod 'Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat'.

Take to the streets for intense close quarters combat, where a team's survival depends upon securing crucial strongholds and destroying enemy supply in this multiplayer and cooperative Source Engine based experience. The follow-up game to the award-winning Source mod, Insurgency is highly competitive and lethal, striking a balance between one-life gameplay and prolonged action.

About Insurgency: Sandstorm

Taking the original Insurgency formula and evolving it, the millions selling FPS comes enhanced and expanded . Insurgency: Sandstorm is built in Unreal Engine 4 with upgraded graphics, taking the series into a new era. Coming to PC and, for the first time, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ; Insurgency: Sandstorm brings extended gameplay possibilities, improved immersion, and new game modes; all while retaining the lethal tactical action that made Insurgency the worldwide phenomenon it is today.

Check out the intense new raw gameplay footage for Insurgency: Sandstorm and prepare for the first exclusive Pre-order Beta on August 9!

https://youtu.be/CljMKeczS98
Insurgency: Sandstorm is a reborn, improved, and expanded sequel to indie multiplayer FPS hit Insurgency, coming September 2018 to PC.

See how close to the action you can get in the new trailer which features raw PVP gameplay from the Closed Technical Alpha. We're also happy to announce Pre-order Beta Test 1 beginning next week.

From August 9 through August 13, players who have pre-ordered Insurgency: Sandstorm on Steam will receive exclusive access to Pre-order Beta 1.

This will be the first official beta test, and the first time the game will be playable at home. We're greatly looking forward to hearing what the wider Insurgency fanbase thinks and will be gathering as much feedback as possible leading up to the second Beta phase closer to the full release in September.

Available in Pre-order Beta 1 will be three maps from the final release build. Each is a complex maze of brutal interiors, deadly sniping lanes, and wide-open battlefields, each uniquely designed to make every moment of every game feel fresh.

Whether your playstyle is run and gun, slow-paced, or more specialized, you’ll find plenty to study and learn across the maps. The four game modes - Firefight, Push, Checkpoint, and Skirmish - each change the accessible part of the map, drastically altering the available strategies.

Pre-order Beta 2 will begin August 30, just a few weeks before release, and have a further three maps available for play. This will allow players to test the full content of the launch version of the game. New World Interactive will be focusing their work during Beta 2 on bug fixing, server stability, and starting work on their extensive post-launch support plans.

You can pre-order on Steam now for a 10% discount, reducing the price to €26.99 / £23.39 / $26.99. An additional 10% loyalty discount will be given to fans that own the original Insurgency, bringing the pre-order price down to just $24.99. This additional discount will be offered until the end of 2018, and all pre-orders will receive instant access to any ongoing beta tests as well as future ones.

As Pre-order Beta 1 will have no NDA and no streaming restrictions, those curious are invited to watch live gameplay on Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, and Facebook throughout the long weekend.

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases on Windows PC in September 2018, with Linux and Mac support coming later, and on PS4 and Xbox One in 2019. Pre-order now on Steam and get bonuses, including exclusive access to both Pre-order Betas. Stay tuned for another announcement next week!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/581320/Insurgency_Sandstorm/

Make sure you sign up[www.insurgency-sandstorm.com] for the Insurgency: Sandstorm Closed Technical Alpha now before it's too late! We're looking for Insurgency fans to help give feedback on the game before it releases this September. This is your opportunity to let your voices be heard!

Our previous Closed Alpha applicants list has been reset, so everyone gets and equal chance at keys. That means anyone that has entered our previous testing round earlier this year should fill out this new form. Make sure you sign up[www.insurgency-sandstorm.com] now so you don't miss out!

Hi everyone,

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases in a few months and we’re all very excited to get it in your hands. In order to ensure the best possible experience on release, we are doing another round of Windows PC-only Alpha testing.

There have been a lot of changes since our last Closed Alpha. We’d like to get feedback on all the new maps, balance changes, UI improvements, matchmaking systems, and server hosting functions that have been updated since the last public test.

When providing feedback please keep in mind that the game has not yet been fully optimised and some content is still work in progress, this Alpha is intended as stress test and not indicative of the final product.

This “Closed Technical Alpha,” as we are calling it is not a part of the pre-order Beta access program. Any players who pre-order Insurgency: Sandstorm on Steam will get access to an exclusive Beta version a few weeks before release. Players who are in the Closed Technical Alpha will not necessarily have access to the Beta unless they pre-order.

Please keep in mind that this Closed Technical Alpha is covered by a Non-Disclosure Agreement, meaning you won’t be able to share any screenshots, videos or info about the Alpha outside of the dedicated hidden forum.

If you’re interested, please click here to be taken to our sign-up form.[www.insurgency-sandstorm.com]

Many thanks,

The Insurgency: Sandstorm Team

We are excited to announce that Insurgency: Sandstorm is now available for pre-order on Steam! Sandstorm is the reborn, improved and expanded sequel Insurgency fans have been waiting for. PC players can pre-order with a 10% discount and get access to the Beta a few weeks before the release of the game. An additional 10% discount will be given to players that own the original Insurgency - this additional discount will be offered until the end of 2018.

Over the next few days the game will be showcased at E3, where players and press will join us to play the game for the first time. You can expect raw gameplay footage from this in the near future. In the meantime we have released a new E3 gameplay trailer, which brings you closer to the action and showcases the game's tense, coordinated skirmishes where skill is rewarded, and teamwork wins the fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyJpXStLpvI

Prepare for a hardcore depiction of combat with deadly ballistics, light attack vehicles, destructive artillery, and unprecedented audio design putting the fear back into the genre. Death comes fast, ammunition must be carefully managed, and the environment must be tactically navigated at every step toward victory.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a game of team-based tactics and objective-oriented gameplay in a fictional, contemporary Middle Eastern conflict, complete with player versus player, competitive matchmaking and co-operative game modes versus AI. Your soldier’s appearance, weapons, attachments, armor, and amount of carried ammo are all up to you. Call in airstrikes, use vehicles with mounted weapons, and equip a wide range of specialist weaponry from grenades to drones to C4 explosives.

Insurgency: Sandstorm releases on PC in September 2018. Be sure to pre-order the game now to get access to the Beta before release and take advantage of a limited time offer up to 20% off if you already own Insurgency!

Hey everyone, this is Michael Tsarouhas, I am the lead game designer on Insurgency: Sandstorm. I wanted to take some time to give you all an update on Sandstorm’s development, share some juicy new content, and announce our release dates. If you’d like to get up to speed on our last announcement earlier this year, please see here.

We’ll get right to it. Insurgency: Sandstorm will officially launch for Windows PC in September 2018 on Steam for $29.99. Pre-ordering will get you a 10% discount, and for those who already own Insurgency there will be an additional loyalty discount of 10%, adding up to a total of 20% off. We aren’t sharing a specific release date just yet, but will announce it in due time.

We’ll be accepting pre-orders for Insurgency: Sandstorm on Steam very soon. In addition to the discounts being offered, pre-ordering will get you access to a beta version before release. This beta will be the full game, but will likely still have some bugs and issues to be resolved. We look forward to getting our community’s help in reporting and addressing these remaining issues, as well as receiving any general feedback, as we approach release. This community feedback has always been a big part of the development process in any of our games, so we’re excited at the opportunity to have a beta like this. Details on when the beta will start will be available at a later date.

Sandstorm’s release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One has unfortunately needed to be pushed back. We’re currently planning for a console launch sometime in the first half of 2019. Our original goal was to release both console and Windows PC versions side by side in 2018, but we feel we need more time to polish the console experience. It’s important that we ensure we deliver an overall solid experience that is as bug free and stable as possible regardless of platform. Rest assured we still have every intention to expand our community to console, it’s just going to need to take a little more time. We know this may be disappointing news to some of you. We’ve been shown a lot of love (especially recently) from console players who are hankering for a kind of hardcore gameplay like the one we provide. We want our new console audience to have a great first impression, and feel strongly that the extra time will better allow us to accomplish this.

Let’s talk a little bit about our content and what’s new. We’ll be releasing in September with the following game modes: Push, Firefight, and Capture the Base for Versus, as well as Checkpoint for Coop. Operation and Outpost were mentioned in our last blog post; Outpost being a legacy mode of Insurgency and Operation being something more experimental. These won’t be included for release and will be considered for post-release content instead. We’ve found they’ll need some more attention than we originally planned, and we still need to determine if they have a place in our experience. As we mentioned in the last community update, we want to make sure every game mode is tight, unique, and fun, and that we don’t split our playerbase too much with too many. Checkpoint mode is shaping up really nicely, and has some pretty sweet improvements since Insurgency. We can’t give specifics just yet, but you’ll be seeing them soon enough.

Similar to Insurgency, we plan to support Insurgency: Sandstorm with free content updates post-release. We will continually expand the game with new weapons, upgrades, maps, and other content. Modding support is something we are committed to providing. We want to work with our modding community to give them the tools they need to create exciting new content beyond what the official experience offers. This includes Steam Workshop integration, custom map tools, game rule adjustments (similar to Insurgency’s theater system), and things of that nature.

We’ve added a ton of content since our last update in January. Release will have roughly 40 weapons and about 40 upgrades available for many of those weapons. While some of these weapons will be familiar for fans of Insurgency, many are new. Fire support has been further fleshed out and runs the gamut from jet airstrikes (BRRRT), explosive artillery, chemical mortars, explosive suicide drones, and helicopters who will swoop in and attack with rockets, miniguns, and autocannons. When coordinated effectively by a team’s Commander and Observer player classes, one of these fire support options can spark a pretty wicked comeback or solidify the strength of a push. We’re also working on our character customization system which will include hundreds of different cosmetic items as well as several voice options. We have included over 6500 lines of unique character dialogue including local Arab fighters (for both Security and Insurgent teams), American special operations soldiers, fire support coordinators, and air support pilots. We currently have no plans to include Steam Marketplace support, item trading, or a loot crate system. All these items, in addition to not affecting gameplay, will be a totally optional secondary aspect to the game. They will be unlocked by progressing through ranks and by using an ingame currency system with a direct buy option for most items.

Alright, let’s show off some screenshots. Unreal Engine 4 has just been awesome to work with. Epic have been great partners and we’ve been able to bring Sandstorm’s maps up to a level of visual quality and overall size unprecedented to what we could achieve before.

We’ve certainly come a long way in engine technology, huh? Unreal’s 20th birthday was just last week, and we are happy to be working with the tools that follow in its legacy.

Oh yeah, and we’re working on dismemberment too. This is still a pretty heavy work in progress.

Be sure to follow our social media for more info as things develop. We’re going to be at E3 in Los Angeles letting people play the game in the West Hall #4512 at the Focus Home Interactive booth. Please feel free to come find us and say hi. All of us on our team and at Focus are still very excited to show all of you Insurgency: Sandstorm, and we can’t wait to put it in your hands. Stay tuned and stick with us. It’s really not much longer now.

Best,
Mikee