Enlisted review brief: squad tactics set the test for this live shooter

Enlisted’s defining idea is that a player deploys with a squad rather than a lone soldier. PCGamesN’s July 17, 2024 report on the Steam relaunch describes the player issuing orders to AI squadmates and taking control of a surviving soldier after being eliminated. The structure can make each life part of a larger push, and it gives positioning and squad composition a role alongside aiming. That report is useful for explaining the design, but it is not a current-build review or a measured assessment of balance.

The same PCGamesN article recounts the earlier Steam release controversy: the version called Enlisted: Reinforced had required a premium purchase, and account-linking problems added to player frustration. The outlet reported that the revised Steam version was made accessible without an upfront purchase and included account linking. These are historical details from 2024; players should check the live store and current account instructions before relying on them. They also show why platform history and storefront experience belong in a review of a persistent free-to-play shooter.

Gaijin’s official October 22, 2026 “Making Enlisted a Better Place №75” post documents weapon-stat changes, mission adjustments, and other fixes. The October 29 update 0.7.6.73 adds another version marker: it covered additional weapon adjustments and a loading progress bar during DirectX 12 shader-cache building. These are concrete patch notes, not proof that every player’s performance improved or that matchmaking is healthy in every region. Steam’s player-review summary is a separate, user-generated signal. It can help identify questions to investigate, but the score is not a professional review and shifts as players submit new reviews.

The central evaluation issue is whether the squad mechanic creates meaningful tactical choices or mostly extends the time before a player returns to the fight. A current review should also examine how readable large battles remain, whether new players understand orders and class roles, and how paid progression affects competitive fairness. We have not played this build, inspected the current balance, or measured performance. This is a research-based review brief, not a verdict or score.

What still needs testing

• Build: note the exact client version and check whether the October 22 update changed relevant mechanics.
• Platform: test Windows PC, preserving the supplied WIN ONLY platform label.
• Direct experience: assess squad control, soldier switching, onboarding, matchmaking, and battle readability over multiple sessions.
• Performance: record frame pacing and network behavior in crowded matches on stated hardware and connection conditions.
• Monetization: compare free and paid progression over a defined sample, including any effects on competitive access.