Enlisted Review: The WWII Shooter That Hands You a Whole Squad

Enlisted is Darkflow Software and Gaijin Entertainment’s free-to-play take on the WWII shooter, and its hook is structural: you do not control one soldier, you command a squad of them. You give orders, position your AI riflemen and machine gunners, and when your active soldier dies you drop straight into the next body in the squad instead of respawning cold. Since the Reinforced overhaul folded the game’s old campaign-based structure into a single faction tech tree and brought it to Steam, it has settled into a recognisable live-service rhythm. The verdict up front: this is the most distinctive WWII multiplayer shooter on PC, and the grind and premium squads are what stand between it and a wholehearted recommendation.

How we tested

We put around 30 hours into the Steam client across the main infantry modes, plus time in tanks and aircraft, spread over the American, German and Soviet trees. Testing covered low-tier and mid-tier matches, solo queue and a small squad, and a full read of the progression, battle pass and store. The game ran cleanly at high settings on a mid-range 1440p desktop with load times and matchmaking that were rarely an issue.

The squad mechanic changes everything

Commanding a fireteam rather than an avatar is what makes Enlisted feel different. A single engagement becomes a small resource-management problem: which soldier do you push forward, when do you leave the machine gunner prone covering a lane, do you spend the whole squad clearing a building or fall back and regroup. Because death just swaps you to the next soldier, firefights have a persistence to them, and a well-kept squad can hold a point through several trades that would end a normal shooter’s life. It rewards patience and positioning over raw aim, and it is genuinely its own thing.

Combined arms that actually integrates

Infantry is the core, but tanks and planes share the same objective-based battles rather than sitting in separate modes. An armoured push can crack a stalemate, a strafing run can scatter a defence, and infantry with the right equipment can answer both. The maps are built for this interplay, with cover, sightlines and destructible elements that shift as a match wears on. It is not a full simulation, and vehicle handling is arcade-leaning, but the pieces fit together and matches have a satisfying ebb and flow.

Progression: clearer, but a grind

The Reinforced structure gives each faction a War Thunder-style tech tree of weapons, soldiers, vehicles and upgrades. It is easier to understand than the old split campaigns, but it front-loads a lot of unlocking, and progress without a premium account is slow enough that you feel it. The battle pass is now the main route to unique personnel and equipment, with a reward line you chip away at through daily tasks, one reward a day at a normal pace and up to roughly three with the premium pass. It is a familiar treadmill, executed competently.

Monetisation: premium squads are the sticking point

Enlisted sells a premium account that boosts experience and in-game currency, the battle pass, and premium squads: ready-made units with their own soldiers and often strong weapons. The premium account is the standard free-to-play accelerant. The premium squads are the real debate, because some of them bring kit that outclasses what free players field at the same tier, which tilts matches in a way that is hard to fully wave off. It is milder than the worst of the genre, the core loop is playable and enjoyable for free, but a spender does carry a measurable edge.

Who it’s for

This is for players who want a WWII shooter that is slower, more tactical and more deliberate than mainstream multiplayer FPS, and who like the idea of managing a squad rather than twitch-duelling. If you want fast, symmetrical, skill-expressive gunfights with no economy attached, or you are allergic to tech-tree grinds, look elsewhere.

Verdict

Enlisted has an identity that nothing else in its space shares. The squad system turns infantry combat into a small tactical puzzle, the combined-arms battles hang together well, and the Reinforced restructuring made the whole thing easier to approach without gutting its character. For a free download it is a lot of well-made shooter.

It stops short of the top tier because the free-to-play scaffolding is always visible: the grind is real, the battle pass is a chore by design, and premium squads put a thumb on the scale. If you can accept a slow unlock curve and the occasional lopsided match, Enlisted is well worth your time and one of the more interesting shooters you can play for nothing. If you want a level playing field on day one, this is not it.