Armored Warfare

Lore & Background

Armored Warfare is set in a modern virtual world where the player takes on the role of a mercenary employed by a private military company. The game's plot begins in the late 2010s, when Europe suffers a severe economic and political crisis. After two dirty nuclear bombs are detonated outside Paris and Berlin, a revolution forces the world into chaos, and the largest corporations rise to power. The story starts in the late 2030s, with many people hating the state of the world and migrating into the 'Badlands'—areas the corporations cannot control. The world grows increasingly unstable, teetering on the brink of war.

Reader's Guide

Armored Warfare offers players the opportunity to participate in battles across co-op player versus environment campaigns and team-based player versus player matches in a variety of armored vehicles, main battle tanks, and long-range artillery. Players can customize vehicles with upgrades and retrofits that affect performance. The game features 15 vs. 15 PvP battles across 13 maps, with standard and encounter modes lasting up to 15 minutes. PvE missions are designed for five-player groups fighting AI bots, with difficulty levels up to insane. The Global Operations mode, introduced in update 0.18, adds respawn mechanics, dynamic objectives, and wildcards such as bomber strikes and UAV drones. Progression is organized by dealers rather than countries, each specializing in a specific advantage—for example, Sophie Wölfli offers heavily armored American and German main battle tanks like the M1 Abrams. The game received the 'Best Multiplayer' award from TenTonHammer's Best of E3 Awards 2014.

Did You Know?

• Armored Warfare was originally in development by Obsidian Entertainment, who worked on the game until being dropped in 2017.
• The game's plot involves two dirty nuclear bombs detonated outside Paris and Berlin in the late 2010s.
• Global Operations mode, introduced in update 0.18, allows players to respawn and includes wildcards like an AC-130 gunship.
• Vehicles are separated by dealers rather than countries; for example, Sophie Wölfli offers American and German main battle tanks.

Development & Business Model

Armored Warfare emerged from a collaboration between MY.Games and Obsidian Entertainment, with Wishlist Games handling publication for the Microsoft Windows platform. The title entered open beta in October 2015, offering players a free-to-play experience where combat vehicles span the era from the 1950s through the modern day. The game's economic structure relies on in-game micro-transactions for specific features and upgrades, alongside an optional premium account that grants progression bonuses to subscribers. A notable chapter in the project's history came in 2017, when Obsidian Entertainment was dropped from the development team after having worked on the title from its early stages. Despite this significant personnel shift, the game continued forward under MY.Games' stewardship. The gameplay canvas includes destructible environments, adding a layer of physical interaction to both player-versus-player and player-versus-environment encounters. The title also earned early recognition, taking home the 'Best Multiplayer' award at TenTonHammer's Best of E3 Awards in 2014, a testament to the ambition behind the project even before its public launch.

Narrative World & Setting

The fictional backdrop of Armored Warfare paints a grim picture of a world reshaped by catastrophe. In the late 2010s, Europe endures a devastating economic and political crisis that escalates when two dirty nuclear bombs are detonated just outside the cities of Paris and Berlin. The resulting revolution plunges the global order into chaos, and as the dust settles, the largest corporations consolidate power, effectively replacing traditional governments. The narrative then jumps forward to the late 2030s, a period in which widespread discontent simmers beneath the surface. Dissidents and those who reject corporate rule have either created or migrated into the so-called 'Badlands'—regions where corporate influence is either absent or too weak to enforce control. The overall tone suggests a world teetering on the brink of renewed war. Within this setting, the player assumes the role of a mercenary working under a private military company, navigating a landscape where instability is the only constant and the next great conflict feels inevitable.

Gameplay Modes & Structure

Armored Warfare structures its combat across three distinct modes, each with its own rhythm and strategic demands. In player-versus-player battles, two teams of fifteen clash across thirteen different maps, with victory achieved either by eliminating the entire opposing force or by capturing the enemy base in standard mode, or the neutral base in encounter mode. Matches are capped at fifteen minutes, though they can conclude sooner if a team goal is met. The player-versus-environment campaigns are designed for squads of five, pitting players against AI-controlled opponents across multiple difficulty tiers that stretch all the way up to 'insane,' where success hinges on vehicle selection, coordination, and individual skill. Players can queue solo or form a platoon of up to four others. The most recent addition, Global Operations, introduced in update 0.18, reimagines the PvP formula with expanded, purpose-built maps and a respawn mechanic that deducts from the team's ticket counter. Objectives shift dynamically, and players can call in wildcards ranging from bomber strikes and UAV drones to an AC-130 gunship.

Progression & Customization

One of Armored Warfare's most distinctive design choices lies in how it organizes vehicle progression. Rather than sorting tanks and artillery into nation-based tech trees—a convention familiar from titles like War Thunder and World of Tanks—the game groups vehicles under individual dealers, each specializing in a particular tactical philosophy. Sophie Wölfli, for instance, curates a roster emphasizing a passive, defensive posture, offering heavily armored yet highly mobile main battle tanks from both American and German lineages, with the M1 Abrams serving as a prime example of her design ethos. Beyond the strategic layer, players enjoy extensive visual and functional customization. Vehicles can be adorned with camouflage patterns, custom paint schemes, and side emblems, giving each tank a personal identity on the battlefield. Performance-wise, upgrades and retrofits can be applied to alter how a vehicle handles, fires, and defends, meaning two players driving the same model can produce markedly different combat profiles. Additional vehicles and equipment unlock as players advance, keeping the progression curve engaging across the game's lifetime.