Insurgency: Sandstorm is a first person tactical shooter that originally launched on PC on December 12, 2018, and later made its way to PlayStation and Xbox. I consider it a hidden gem. As of writing this, the game had a peak of 2,523 players in the last 24 hours on PC. In this post, I’ll be talking strictly about the PC version, since that’s the only platform I’ve played it on.
If you’re looking for a run and gun shooter with flashy killstreaks, Insurgency: Sandstorm isn’t for you. This is a slower paced tactical experience. I’d describe the gunplay as somewhere between Call of Duty and Squad. It’s not as arcade-like as CoD, but not as hardcore as Squad. It lands in a satisfying middle ground that I really enjoy.
What slows things down is the high lethality most weapons will kill you in one shot. There’s no killcam to tell you exactly where the shot came from, just a general camera pan toward the direction of the player. Depending on the game mode, you may have to wait to respawn. This kind of gameplay can turn a lot of people off, which I think explains the lower player count.
Games like Rainbow Six Siege also have a slower pace and quick time-to-kill, but they mix things up with unique operator abilities. Insurgency: Sandstorm, on the other hand, keeps it simple; it’s just you and your gun. That’s exactly what I love about it.
First, I wish they’d remove the current map voting system. You only get to vote on a randomly selected group of six maps. What ends up happening is you cycle through the same three or four maps over and over. I actually like every map in this game, so it’s a shame not being able to experience the full rotation more often.
Second, I’d love to see better weapon skins. Most of them are kind of plain and uninspired. I’m not asking for animated weed leaves spinning on my barrel, but some more color and variety would be nice. I get that they’re going for realism, but even realistic games can afford a little flair.
I was going to complain about the lack of a real progression system, but honestly? This game doesn’t need one. In an era where almost every shooter throws a battle pass at you, Insurgency Sandstorm keeps you playing not for rewards, but for the gameplay itself and that’s rare.
