Battlebit Remastered is currently the best selling game on Steam. It’s ahead of fellow competitive shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, newly released F1 23, and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, which is not only on sale but also enjoying a renaissance thanks to the upcoming sequel. 🤪But you’d be forgiven for not having heard of Battlebit. It’s not got a global IP behind it like Spidey, it doesn’t have the years of FPS goodwill of CS:GO, and – let’s admit it – it looks like it was made in Roblox. So what is it and why has it suddenly exploded in popularity?
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a game this popular, Battlebit Remastered has a Very Positive rating on Steam with nearly 10,000 reviews at the time of writing. Players seem to be everyone from kids having fun to Battlefield veterans excited that an indie has captured the soul that their triple-A series has lost in recent years. Battlebit is “🌺the next big thing for the Battlefield players/veterans,” says one player, and another calls it “the best FPS since Rainbow Six Siege Y1-3.” High praise indeed. “Got killed by a drone strapped with c4. 10/10 realism,” jokes another, and the final player testimony I’ll highlight recommends checking it out with an important caveat: “do not let the graphics dissuade you.”
Graphics are the big hurdle. This game looks a lot like Roblox, and Roblox is for children. I’m sure there are some adults who play Roblox, and I’m sure some of them aren’t in it to scam children, but the preconception that it looks like a kids game will put a lot of people oꦬff trying Battlebit. For the record, Roblox games and non-Roblox games can look incredibly Robloxy. But, to be sure, the game’s own website says “no” this isn’t Roblox.🔯
Behind the blocky characters and low-poly Lego-style buildings, is the game actually any good? Again, this might not be surprising considering the overwhelming response and already dedic𝔍ated playerbase, but yes, it’s fun. It’s got everything you’d expect from a first-person shooter, from loadouts and weapon options to destructible environments and proximity chat. It’s a simple premise: a good, old-fashioned team shooter like your mama used to make. And it really, really works.
Once you get past the graphics, the fighting is immense. Weapoꦬns are responsive, the destruction can be tactical, and the variety of maps keep things interesting. You can take on smaller battles, but the best way to play is in huge 127v127 wars. I’m amazed that the game can keep up with that many players at a time, and that the servers have held up so well since its monumental early access release last week, because this level of popularity must have been somewhat unexpected.
It’s not all old-school, though, as some survival elements are thrown into the mix. Reloading your gun doesn’t reset your ammo count, the remaining handful of rounds in your magazine stay there until you reload again. You can take time to combine your mags into fewer, fuller bursts, but with 127 opponents baying for your blood, you’ll struggle to find the time. Proximity chat has its downsides, but my experiences so far have been great, with players relaying tactics or roleplaying as their soldier characters on the blocky battlegrounds. The community seems wholesome so far, and stranger꧃s even go out of their way to revive you when you’re downed, which is a bona fide miracle in a shooter. I don’t know what magic dust developer SgtOkiDoki sprinkled on Battlebit, but it’s doing the job.
It’s all very good saying you want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less, but sometimes you need to put your money where your mouth is. And for 13 quid, that’s not a lot of money to put in or around your mouth. I don’t know the situation with how the Battlebit developers are treated – and they’re likely working around the clock to stay on top of things right now – but this is not your standard triple-A🌺 fare. This is a game made with soul and heart, by developers who aren’t looking to make a quick buck. has great gameplay, it doesn’t cost you a lot, and there are no plans for microtransactions of any kind. If you’re into your first-person shooters, you’d be a fool to miss out on this.