Insurgency: Sandstorm
New World Interactive · Shooter, Simulation, Action
Overview
Insurgency: Sandstorm is a team-based, tactical FPS based on lethal close quarters combat and objective-oriented multiplayer gameplay. Experience the intensity of modern combat where skill is rewarded, and teamwork wins the fight.
THE GAMEQ VERDICT9,986 reviews analyzed
What players are actually saying
1. Summary
Players love how Insurgency: Sandstorm shoots. The gunplay, the sound and the one-or-two-shot lethality come up again and again, along with the idea that it sits between arcade shooters like Call of Duty and slower simulations like Arma or Squad: tense and punishing, but quick to drop into. Co-op against bots is the other big draw, and some reviewers play nothing else. Weapon customization, with everything unlocked from the start and cosmetics kept optional, also gets credit.
The problems players list sit around that core rather than in it. Voice chat carries slurs and team killing, PvP has cheaters and a report button players say does nothing, the game stutters and crashes for some, and updates break things or bring skins instead of maps and modes. Long-time players add broken mods and community servers and removed modes like Ambush, and some reviewers describe lopsided teams of veterans against newcomers. Praise for the shooting turns up even in negative reviews; what reviewers disagree on is how much the rest spoils it, and a recurring piece of advice is to buy it on sale.
2. What keeps coming up
What players praise
Gunplay and weapon feelHigh
Reviewers describe weapons with weight, recoil and real stopping power, picture-in-picture scopes, wall penetration and reload choices that matter, and 14% of the longer reviews single out the gunplay. Comparisons run to Escape from Tarkov and Arma for handling, and several reviewers who otherwise criticise the game make an exception here. One player who keeps coming back to try each update's new maps and weapons wrote that "this game does gunplay and shotguns so well that's all this game is to me". A few reviewers find the guns floaty or the recoil exaggerated, and some say weapons within a class feel too similar.
Co-op against botsHigh
The co-op modes (Checkpoint, Hardcore Checkpoint, Outpost, Survival) come up in 21% of the longer reviews. Some reviewers play only PvE, and several recommend it as the way in for newcomers and for anyone who wants to avoid sweaty PvP lobbies. "The co op mode alone is worth buying the game for," one wrote, and others describe it as a relaxed after-work shooter with friends or family. The same reviews complain about the bots themselves (see the split on bot AI) and about teammates who rush, team kill or ignore objectives on public co-op servers.
Sound design and immersionHigh
Gunshots crack through buildings, characters shout in panic, and a suicide bomber's ringing phone is a running joke: some players say they now flinch at a real ringtone. 9% of the longer reviews praise the sound. "The sound design will give you nightmares because of how disturbingly good it is," one reviewer wrote. A minority object that footsteps are too quiet and enemies can approach unheard, and a few want separate volume control for the constant voice lines.
Between arcade shooter and milsim, with fast lethal fightsHigh
There is no health bar, no hit markers and no crosshair, so a single mistake ends a life, but matches start quickly and need no long walk to the front. 12% of the longer reviews describe the game as a middle ground between arcade shooters and simulations, or praise its very short time to kill. "Realistic enough to make it feel visceral, but arcade enough to pick up and play," as one reviewer put it. A related group says the learning curve is steep and worth it. Others think the balance tips too far toward arcade play (see the split on how tactical it is).
Weapon customization with nothing to grindMedium
Weapons and attachments are available from the start instead of behind unlocks, and reviewers like that, some contrasting it with grind-heavy shooters. 10% of the longer reviews bring up customization: a large arsenal, attachments bought with class points, gear that affects weight and armor, and character outfits. A small group also praises paid DLC for staying cosmetic ("Paid DLCs are cosmetics only."). The complaints here are about the interface: loadouts must be rebuilt for each mode, side and day or night variant, and some players report loadouts and outfits resetting.
Runs on modest hardware and on LinuxLow
A small group says the game runs well on older PCs, laptops and integrated graphics, and several Linux and Steam Deck users report it working through Proton. One father noted that it "doesn't require a super sonic fighter jet PC". A larger group has stutter problems (see frustrations).
Where players are split
Is the player base big enough?Medium
"Full lobbies are hard to come by," one wrote, and 6% of the longer reviews call the game dead or dying, or describe long queues and seeing the same names every match. Several say only Push and Domination fill reliably while other modes sit empty. Players in Australia, Asia, Africa and South America describe missing or empty regional servers and high ping. Reviewers in North America and Europe, by contrast, report finding matches quickly ("You find PVP games in seconds (northern eu)"), and crossplay is often credited with keeping lobbies full, so the answer depends on where you play from.
The bots in co-opMedium
Some players find the co-op bots a fair challenge: "The bots are just dangerous enough to keep things interesting, without being too dangerous to the point of feeling unfair all the time." Others, mostly long-time PvE players, describe bots that see through smoke and walls, land instant headshots from long range, or spawn behind the team in cleared rooms. One co-op player wrote that bots "will either be completely clueless or push and onetap you". Allied bots in offline local play draw separate complaints for running into fire and ignoring the objective.
Price and salesMedium
Buying on sale, or waiting for one, comes up in 6% of the longer reviews, and those reviewers generally call a discounted copy good value. Full price divides them: some say it is worth it regardless, others think the content is too thin, like the reviewer who wrote that "anything more than like $10 is ridiculous given how little there is to actually do in the game". Several note that sales bring waves of new players who don't know the roles yet.
How tactical it really isMedium
Players coming from Arma, Squad or the original Insurgency dislike the same middle-ground pace others praise. They say respawn waves, fire support and fast movement make it play like Call of Duty: "This is an arcade shooter wearing a Tactical Mil-Sim Body Kit," one review opens. Others answer that Hardcore modes and community servers deliver the slower game they want. A minority finds movement, reloads and weapon switching sluggish, while others like the weight.
Crossplay and smaller lobbiesLow
Crossplay helps some players find games, but long-time PC players object to crossplay servers being capped at 10 against 10. "We lost 14v14 PC lobbies and have to play the same big maps with 10v10 instead," one wrote. Players note 14v14 PC-only lobbies came back but say they are hard to fill. Some Steam buyers were also confused that crossplay with console friends didn't work for them.
What frustrates players
Bugs and updates that break thingsHigh
Invisible collision that blocks bullets and grenades, enemies spawning inside walls, loadouts and outfits resetting, purchased DLC not unlocking, and scopes or sights failing to show are the bugs reviewers list, and 10% of the longer reviews mention bugs or glitches. A separate complaint, mostly in negative reviews, is that updates add new problems: "Every time an update is done, new problems are made." Players with hundreds of hours raise this far more than newcomers, often in edited reviews that track each patch.
Toxic voice chat and team killingHigh
"Great game. Horrific player base. Expect to be called racial slurs for no reason," one wrote. 9% of the longer reviews describe a toxic community: racist and homophobic slurs in voice chat, deliberate team kills, players who team kill to take a class, and vote kicks against people who speak up. The warning shows up in positive reviews too, and some advise muting chat. A smaller group finds the community friendly and the proximity chat banter part of the fun, and says trolls get kicked: "The community is awesome, almost every match you will find chill and communicative teammates."
Stutter, frame drops and crashesMedium
Stutter during heavy action or fast turns, frame rates collapsing even on low settings, long loading screens, shader compilation hitches, and crashes on launch or mid-match all appear in the 8% of longer reviews that report performance problems. One player wrote that the game "stutters AF whenever there is more action on the screen". Some new buyers can't play at all, and several who used to play smoothly say a later update made it worse. Other reviewers run it well on modest hardware.
Cheaters and a report button that does nothingMedium
Wall hacks and aimbots in PvP come up in 6% of the longer reviews, and several say the in-game report button errors out or has no effect. "Game was fun for a few days but it was quickly ruined by cheaters and glitch exploiters," one wrote. Players also describe map exploits such as being boosted into ceilings to shoot unseen. Some co-op players say PvE is mostly free of cheaters, and some players say they have rarely met one.
Lopsided teams and veterans farming newcomersMedium
There is no skill-based matching, and 5% of the longer reviews complain about matchmaking: teams of level 1,000+ veterans against new players, and auto-balance that moves players between teams mid-round. One reviewer explained that the balancer "ONLY balances based on player count and not player level". Others say leaving a match just puts them back in the same one. Newcomers describe being spawn trapped by players who know every angle.
Updates bring skins more than maps and modesMedium
A new gun or sight, maybe a map, and a stack of paid cosmetic packs is how 6% of the longer reviews describe updates, calling them thin or the content repetitive. "Every update is a handful of bug fixes, maybe one or two new additions, and 10 new cosmetic dlc's," one wrote. Players ask for more maps, modes and guns, and some find the loop stale once all classes unlock. Reviewers who don't mind say the cosmetics are grounded and optional, and others credit the game for still getting new maps and weapons years after release.
Camping and explosive spamLow
Campers, spawn camping and explosives draw complaints in 5% of the longer reviews: grenade launcher spam, grenades and mortars that kill through walls and floors, and air support that wipes a point. "Grenades will kill you though walls and floors, nowhere is safe," one veteran wrote. Some players defend the danger as part of the appeal.
Broken mods and community serversLow
Mod.io downloads stuck without progress, every mod re-downloading when one updates, mods that won't load, and updates that broke popular servers such as those running the ISMC mod: 4% of the longer reviews raise modding, mostly negatively. "Used to be able to just hop on a modded server and play, but now basically all mod support appears to be broken," one wrote. Several of these reviewers say the modded servers are where the game is at its best.
Removed modesLow
A small group of long-time players is upset that Ambush and Free For All left the regular rotation, and some say Ambush was the only mode they played. "They removed ambush, which is the most fun game mode," one wrote.
Hard to play privately with friends or offline with modsLow
Players ask why they can't host a private co-op lobby without setting up a dedicated server, and why local play needs console commands to add bots, modes or mods. "Why is making a server so tedious?" one asked. Solo players want more modes in local play and the option to take over a friendly bot after death.
Anti-cheat false flags and Epic account promptsLow
A few players are kicked by Easy Anti-Cheat for integrity violations they say they didn't commit, sometimes after an update, and some are pushed to link an Epic account or have a browser window open on every launch. One wrote that "suddenly i keep getting kicked out due to anti cheat violations".
No campaignLow
A handful of reviewers miss the single-player story they say was planned and later cut, and would welcome solo missions.
3. The player conversation
Many positive reviews are short and enthusiastic about gunplay, sound and co-op, often with jokes about suicide bombers and ringing phones. The longer reviews are more critical, and many recommendations come with a warning about the community, cheaters or performance. Negative reviews rarely attack the core shooting; they go after what surrounds it.
Reviewers with only a few hours tend to write first impressions: whether it is worth buying on sale, movement and reloads that feel sluggish, and the missing campaign. Players with hundreds or thousands of hours write most of the complaints about removed modes, broken mods and community servers, updates that break things, a shrinking player base and the 10 against 10 lobby cap, often in reviews edited over several years. Complaints about the toxic voice chat come from players at every playtime level, though less often from those with only a few hours.
Some complaint waves follow specific updates. In December 2024, after an update that reviewers say capped crossplay lobbies at 10 against 10, 31% of that month's negative reviews (38 of 121) mention crossplay or the lobby size. In November 2025 all 10 reviews that mentioned Ambush were negative and about its removal. In March 2026 reviews again reported mods breaking after an update.
4. What the developers could do
- Make the report button work and act on cheaters, since PvP players describe blatant wall hacks and a report system that errors out or does nothing.
- Fix stutter and frame drops, because performance problems stop some newcomers from playing at all and long-time players say updates made it worse.
- Test updates harder before release, given the reviews that track a new bug or broken feature after each patch, from resetting loadouts to anti-cheat false flags.
- Give players tools against toxic voice chat and team killing, such as stronger team-kill penalties and an easy way to turn off chat, since slurs and griefing are a warning that shows up even in positive reviews.
- Balance teams by level and stop rejoining players into the same match, because new players describe lopsided lobbies against level 1,000+ veterans and a balancer that only counts heads.
- Repair mod.io downloads and modded community servers, and make mods easy in local play, since modded servers are where some veterans say the game is at its best.
- Ship maps and modes alongside cosmetic packs, and bring Ambush back, as players read thin, skin-heavy updates as neglect and miss the modes that were removed.
- Let friends host private co-op lobbies and add servers where players have none, because reviewers in Australia, Asia, Africa and South America describe empty regions and high ping, and others want to play with friends without renting a server.
