BattleBit Remastered
An indie FPS inspired by Battlefield with up to 254 players.
BattleBit Remastered is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter developed by a team of three indie developers and published by SgtOkiDoki for Microsoft Windows via Steam. Loosely set during a conflict between the United States and Russia, it supports up to 254 players in player versus player matches on large maps. The game is strongly inspired by the Battlefield series and was released in early access on June 15, 2023, selling over 1.8 million copies within its first two weeks.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- SgtOkiDoki
- Vilaskis
- TheLiquidHorse
- Publisher
- SgtOkiDoki
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows
- Released
- June 15, 2023 (early access)
- Genre
- Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter
- Modes
- Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
BattleBit Remastered is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter in which two opposing teams, representing the United States Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces, compete to complete objectives on large maps. Players may join servers supporting 64, 128, or 254 players (32 vs. 32, 64 vs. 64, or 127 vs. 127). Each team is divided into squads, and players select from six classes: Squad Leader, Assault, Medic, Support, Engineer, and Recon. Medics heal and revive teammates, Support deploys ammunition boxes, Engineers use explosives against structures and vehicles, and Recon focuses on overwatch and hit-and-run attacks. Each class has limited access to a diverse range of weapons and equipment, including rifles, submachine guns, machine guns, handguns, grenades, and land mines; shotguns are not planned for addition. Firearms are shared across teams and unlocked by player rank, with attachments such as sights, tactical lights, foregrips, suppressors, and magazines unlocked through kills with a weapon. Character customization includes headgear, body armor, utility belts, and backpacks that affect survivability and munitions, as well as cosmetic options like camouflage and body appearance. The game focuses on infantry combat but also provides military vehicles and aircraft such as ATVs, light utility vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, helicopters, and rigid inflatable boats depending on the mode and map.
Development
BattleBit Remastered was first announced on Steam Greenlight as BattleBit in December 2016, the first project for the three indie developers SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse, who previously created mods. They cited Battlefield, Squad, Insurgency: Sandstorm, Ace of Spades, and Hell Let Loose as inspirations. The original intent was to provide a milsim experience accessible to players with less-powerful hardware, shaped by the developers' experiences on laptops and older desktop computers. As development and beta testing progressed, the focus shifted toward a more casual but realism-themed experience. The name "Remastered" is an in-joke referencing how often development had to restart, not an actual remaster. In the year before release, the game's popularity grew exponentially, with over 800,000 Steam users adding it to their wishlist since January 2022, attributed to word-of-mouth and streamer exposure. Anti-cheat is handled by Easy Anti-Cheat, with plans to replace it with a FACEIT variant compatible with Linux and SteamOS.
Reception
In mid-2023, BattleBit Remastered was one of Steam's most popular games, selling 1.8 million copies in its first two weeks. Critics widely praised its straightforward design, often likening it to older Battlefield titles. PC Gamer's Morgan Park called it an indie FPS that moves like Battlefield, behaves like the hardcore milsim Squad, and looks like Roblox, noting its low cost, absence of microtransactions or battle passes, and earnest simplicity. Polygon's Patrick Gill saw it as a revival of the nerdy mechanical depth and unhinged slapstick sandbox action found in early 2010s shooters like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3. Destructoid's Eric Van Allen compared it to Battlefield 2, calling it a piece of the FPS landscape he thought was lost. IGN's Gabriel Moss praised its gameplay, design, and customization, saying it had most trappings of a proper Battlefield game, but criticized the lengthy revive system and unusual vehicle mechanics, which he suggested might be unfinished. The Financial Times' Chris Allnutt noted it lacked a detailed plot or flashy interface, opting instead for an open-ended premise and utilitarian menus. TheGamer's Ben Sledge summed it up as a good, old-fashioned team shooter.
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