To me, the World War II genre has always felt like a tale of two extremes. On one side, I see the arcade giants where historical accuracy is just a skin for slide-canceling and buying anime bundles. On the other hand, I see the hardcore milsims like Hell Let Loose or Squad 44, where I find myself running across a field for 15 minutes only to be pixel-sniped by a bush, followed by a staring contest with a respawn timer.
For a long time, I felt there was nothing in the middle. I wanted a game that offered the massive scale of a battlefield but respected my time. I wanted a shooter that combined infantry, tanks, and planes without demanding I own a flight stick or hold a PhD in ballistics.
That game is Enlisted. Developed by Darkflow Software and published by the Snail (Gaijin Entertainment), it sits in a weird, wonderful, and often frustrating sweet spot. I honestly believe it is currently the most chaotic, cinematic, and accessible WW2 shooter on the market, and it is completely free. But I'm telling you to play it now, because I think the future of this gem is getting cloudier by the day.
I Am Not Just a Soldier, I Am the Squad
The "secret sauce" of Enlisted is the Squad System. In almost every other shooter I play, when I die, I stare at a kill cam and wait to respawn. In Enlisted, I deploy with a squad of 3 to 9 AI-controlled soldiers. I control the leader, and the AI follows me (mostly).
When I catch a bullet, I don't go back to the lobby. I instantly snap into the body of the next soldier in my squad. This mechanic changes everything for me. It keeps the momentum of the battle moving forward. I don't stop pushing the objective just because my point-man died; I become the rifleman behind him and keep charging.
Because every player brings a retinue of bots, a standard 10v10 match actually has upwards of 100 entities running around the map. It creates a "meat grinder" density that captures the sheer scale of the Eastern Front or the beach landings of Normandy in a way that I feel 6v6 arena shooters just can't replicate.
The "Movie Moment" Factor
This density leads to what I call "Cinematic Moments." These aren't scripted cutscenes; they are unscripted chaos. I've found myself pinned down in a trench while a Stuka screams overhead, dropping a 500kg bomb that shakes my screen, all while a Panzer IV-E crashes through the wall next to me.
The vehicle combat pulls its DNA directly from War Thunder, meaning damage is modeled on internal components, not hit points. I don't just shoot a tank until its health bar drains; I have to aim for ammo racks or crew members. This leads to incredible moments of desperation.
I read a story from a Reddit user describing a match on Guadalcanal where their squad was wiped out, leaving them with a single soldier. While burning to death from a Molotov cocktail, they managed to sprint at a Sherman tank, plant TNT on its side, and detonate it in a final act of defiance. I recall another player watching a Stuart tank get blown up by a Tiger while simultaneously being strafed by rockets and machine-gun fire from a plane. A moment of "overkill" so spectacular it felt like it was directed by Michael Bay.
The Warts: Lobotomites and The Silver Grind
I promised not to shill, so I need to talk about the ugly stuff. Enlisted has warts, and they aren't the cute kind.
First, the AI. While the squad system is brilliant, my AI soldiers are often incredibly stupid. I affectionately (and angrily) refer to them as lobotomites for a reason. They get stuck on window frames, they refuse to climb ladders, and they have a habit of forming a "conga line" of death that makes them easy targets for machine gunners. I frequently die, switch to my next soldier, and find him staring at a wall while the battle rages behind him.
Then there is the economy. Since “The Merge” consolidated the campaigns into nations, I've found the grind to be a steep hill to climb. The primary currency, Silver, is hard to come by, and inflation has hit hard. I've seen basic weapons and soldier upgrades take massive price hikes, making the free-to-play experience feel like a second job if I want to reach the high-tier toys.
The Looming Threat: The Snail's New Shell
Why am I urging you to play now? Because Enlisted is in a precarious position. For years, I viewed Enlisted as the infantry playground for Gaijin while War Thunder stuck to vehicles. But recently, Gaijin announced the "Line of Contact" update for War Thunder, introducing playable infantry to their flagship game.
This has sparked a wave of anxiety in me and the rest of the Enlisted community. There is a genuine fear of cannibalization, that the developers might slow down support for Enlisted or eventually fold it into War Thunder to save costs. The "Snail Fail" prophecy is a common topic on forums, and I worry that my favorite WW2 shooter is living on borrowed time before the modern-era infantry of War Thunder steals the spotlight.
Why You Should Enlist Today
Despite the buggy AI, the grind, and the existential dread of corporate restructuring, I think Enlisted is genuinely fun right now. It offers a combined-arms experience that I literally cannot get anywhere else for free.
The developers are also slow, but they are still trying. The developers have now announced the new "Manchuria" campaign, which would finally give the Japanese faction a high-tier heavy armor adversary in the Soviet Union. If that drops, I think we are in for some fresh, snow-covered battles that few other games provide.
So, here is my call to action: Play it. Download it, jump into a match, and experience the chaos. Order your squad of idiots to charge a bunker, fly a plane into a tank, and build a rally point under heavy fire. Enjoy the game for what it is: a flawed, ambitious, and incredibly atmospheric shooter that captures the madness of war like nothing else.
Play it now, before the War Thunder infantry arrives and potentially changes the landscape forever. Warts and all, Enlisted deserves your attention.
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