Game guide · Free-to-play shooters

Enlisted: an honest guide to the free-to-play WWII squad shooter

What Enlisted actually is, how its squad system works, what is free and what costs money, and who is likely to enjoy it, written without hype and with sources.

What is Enlisted?

Enlisted is an online multiplayer shooter set during the Second World War. It is developed by Darkflow Software and published by Gaijin Entertainment, the company also known for War Thunder. The game is free to download and play, with optional purchases.

Its defining idea is that you do not play a single soldier. You command a small squad. You control one soldier directly while the rest of the squad is controlled by the computer, and you can swap between them during a match. The result is an unusually busy battlefield, because each human player brings several AI soldiers with them.

Enlisted is often described as a tank game, but that is misleading. Infantry fighting is at the centre of the game. Tanks and aircraft are separate squad types that you can choose to deploy alongside the infantry.

• GenreSquad-based online WWII shooter
• DeveloperDarkflow Software
• PublisherGaijin Entertainment
• Price modelFree to play, optional purchases
• PlatformsWindows PC and current consoles (check the official site)

How squad control works

At the start of a match you choose one squad from your lineup and deploy it. You play as one member of that squad and the others follow you, using simple AI to take cover and engage enemies. Depending on the platform you can give basic orders, for example to hold a position or to follow you.

If the soldier you are controlling falls, you take over another surviving member of the squad instead of waiting to respawn. Only when the whole squad is lost do you redeploy, usually choosing another squad from your lineup. This keeps you in the action and also changes how you play: one soldier is not very valuable, but a whole squad is.

Squad types and roles

Squads are built around a role. Infantry squads include riflemen, assault troops and support specialists. Some soldier classes can do things others cannot. Engineers, for example, can build rally points (forward respawn positions), ammunition boxes and simple fortifications. Some squads include radio operators who can call in artillery. Vehicle and aircraft squads put you in a tank or a plane.

The exact list of classes, weapons and vehicles changes with updates and depends on the nation and progression level you are playing, so treat the overview below as a general picture rather than a complete list.

A typical match

Matches are objective-based. Instead of chasing kills, teams fight over zones that must be captured, held or destroyed. One side often attacks a series of objectives while the other defends. Your team wins by achieving its objectives or by wearing down the other side's reinforcements, depending on the mode.

The most important habit to learn is building or using rally points. A well-placed rally point lets your team redeploy close to the fighting instead of walking back from the main spawn, and it often decides whether an attack succeeds.

Vehicles and aircraft

Tank squads put you and your crew inside an armoured vehicle. Tanks are powerful against infantry and fortifications, but they have a limited field of view and are vulnerable to anti-tank weapons, explosives and enemy armour. Players who drive tanks without infantry nearby often lose them quickly.

Aircraft squads let you fly fighters or attack aircraft. Planes can strike ground targets or hunt enemy aircraft, but they are only one part of the fight for the objective.

If you enjoy pure vehicle combat, a dedicated vehicle game may suit you better. Enlisted's vehicles exist to support a fight that is mainly decided on foot.

Setting and historical accuracy

Enlisted takes its maps and equipment from Second World War theatres. When it launched, its content was split into separate campaigns based on battles such as Moscow, Normandy, Berlin, Tunisia, Stalingrad and the Pacific. In later updates the developer reorganised progression around nations rather than individual campaigns. How progression works may have changed again since this article was published, so check the official news pages for the current structure.

The game uses period weapons, vehicles and uniforms, and its maps are inspired by real locations. It is still a game balanced for fun, not a simulation or a history lesson: some equipment is rare, experimental or prototype hardware, and matchups are designed for gameplay rather than historical accuracy. If the history interests you, use the game as a starting point and read proper historical sources.

What is free and what costs money

You can download Enlisted, play matches and unlock new soldiers, weapons and vehicles through play without paying. The game also sells optional items with real money, typically including:

• Premium in-game currency, used for purchases in the in-game store;
• Premium account time, which speeds up progression while it is active;
• Premium squads, ready-made squads with fixed equipment that you would not otherwise get;
• Cosmetic items and, during some periods, seasonal passes or event offers.

Is it pay-to-win? Players disagree, and we will not give you a simple yes or no. Paying does not buy victories, and skilled free players can do well. But premium squads and premium account time give paying players faster access to equipment and progression, and some players see that as an advantage. Decide for yourself after playing for free for a while. See also our guide to how free-to-play games make money.

Platforms and requirements

Enlisted has been released for Windows PC and for current-generation consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S). Platform availability, store listings and system requirements can change, so we do not reproduce specifications here. Check the minimum and recommended requirements on the official Enlisted website or your platform's store page before downloading. You will need an internet connection and an account to play.

Live-service online games are regularly changed and can eventually be wound down. Before investing time or money, check the official news pages to see whether the game is still actively updated.

Who it suits, and who it may not

Getting started

1. Install from an official source only: the official website or your platform's official store. Unofficial downloads and “free currency” offers are a common route for malware and account theft.
2. Play the training first. It covers movement, shooting and squad control, which are less familiar than in most shooters.
3. Start with a balanced infantry squad before you try tanks or planes. Infantry is where you learn the maps and objectives.
4. Keep your squad alive. Avoid running far ahead of your AI soldiers; a squad that stays together is harder to wipe out.
5. Use engineers. Build rally points near objectives and look for your team's rally points on the map.
6. Play the objective. Capturing and defending zones wins matches; kill counts do not.
7. Set a budget before you buy anything, and use your platform's spending limits if you share the device with children.

Age ratings and safety

Enlisted shows realistic warfare and involves online interaction with strangers. Check the game's current age rating on the PEGI website (Europe) or the rating board in your country before letting a child play, and set up parental controls and spending limits. Our online gaming safety checklist explains how.

How our partner links work

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Sources and corrections