Arma 3

 PC
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 737 out of 1112
  2. Mixed: 193 out of 1112
  3. Negative: 182 out of 1112

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  1. vassilevb
    Jul 8, 2023
    8
    Originally written on the 22nd of September, 2020:

    When it comes to popular consumer-grade ballistics simulation, this game is what Kerbal Space Program is for popular consumer-grade interplanetary flight mechanics simulation. Which makes it the best ballistics simulator I've ever encountered (not to be confused with "Receiver" - the best gun handling simulator I've ever encountered).    Originally written on the 22nd of September, 2020:

    When it comes to popular consumer-grade ballistics simulation, this game is what Kerbal Space Program is for popular consumer-grade interplanetary flight mechanics simulation. Which makes it the best ballistics simulator I've ever encountered (not to be confused with "Receiver" - the best gun handling simulator I've ever encountered). This aspect alone fascinates me enough to start appreciating and even admire a mil-sim game (I am a simpleton and generally stick to fast-paced action FPSs), which offers a lot of hiking, a lot of planning, a lot of team communication for the sake of coordination, at the expense of, well, shooting. You can make your own scenarios, if you have the time for it (they probably won't resemble Quake's action, though). The best thing about Arma 3 is, in actuality, not the gameplay, but the sandbox opportunity it gives you. One could even try/test all the weapons in the "VR" environment (available right from the start - pretty cool).

    One of the common complaints is that it takes a lot of time to start feeling comfortable in this game, because of the many things one could actually do (with, surprise, the keyboard and mouse), besides movement and aiming. It's valid and is a definite deal-breaker for less committed people.

    Unfortunately, gun handling (i.e. bolt/slide management, magazine management, round in the chamber management, malfunctions management, etc.) is still extremely simplified (okay, you still need to manage the zeroing of your scope, but that's related more to the ballistics of the projectile itself; it's also pretty basic (you see the distance, and you adjust for +/-100 m difference with two buttons)) and, thus, unrealistic. If you are like me, and still want a somewhat realistic gun handling experience, then I recommend Receiver 1/2.

    EDIT on the 8th of July, 2023:
    The more I play, the more I realize how cool this sandbox mod-friendly platform called Arma 3 is. It's really frickin' cool. Yes, it can run like $hit. Yes, the gun handling is not as advanced as in Tarkov, but it's serviceable. Yes, the draw-distance is broken (disappearing objects in the distance). But, then again, you can't operate an UAV in Tarkov, you can't fly a chopper in Tarkov, you can't even interact with an APC in Tarkov (although at least lore-wise, you should be able to do all of these things and more), you can't play singleplayer in Tarkov, you're forced to deal with whatever Nikita/BSG decides to do and break some core functionality/mechanic of Tarkov over and over again, you're forced to deal with the Tarkov $hitty servers (waiting for 6 minutes to start a raid in which you get spawn rushed by some meta-chad and get whacked at the 15th second of the raid), etc. The difference with Bohemia and BSG is that Bohemia takes your money and lets you decide what's fun (i.e. gives you at least the feeling of freedom), but BSG takes your money and regularly insults you and spits in your face for simply attempting to have fun in "their" game (i.e. giving you the finger). After I wasted 3000 hours of my life in Tarkov, I feel entitled to say f§ck you too, Nikita/BSG!    … Expand
  2. felixnotfelix
    Jun 16, 2023
    9
    On a positive note, this game is the ultimate sandbox fps. With the massive modding community of 10 years you can travel to any time period, any war, any map and just mess around in the editor, while simultaneously creating the most complex missions imaginable. The game shows this off by making their whole campaign in the editor itself. All this aside, the actual experience is very veryOn a positive note, this game is the ultimate sandbox fps. With the massive modding community of 10 years you can travel to any time period, any war, any map and just mess around in the editor, while simultaneously creating the most complex missions imaginable. The game shows this off by making their whole campaign in the editor itself. All this aside, the actual experience is very very clunky. The game is borderline unplayable without ace3, which is understandable for a decade-old game but don't expect the game to do what you want all the time. Also the game is extremely CPU-intensive, as it relies on it's very own physics engine. 25 FPS :,)… Expand
  3. ILoveRataouille
    Jun 12, 2023
    8
    Good game. One thing to be prepared for is the DLC. Though the base game is only around $30, you might need to spend a lot more on DLC to get the most out of the game.
  4. Nick7000
    May 1, 2023
    9
    Не люблю онлайн, но это крайне впечатляющий экземпляр.
  5. dyeness
    Oct 25, 2022
    10
    Это не просто игра - это бесконечный редактор в котором можно утонуть. Безумное количество модов и контента.
  6. Sirflapfla
    Sep 22, 2022
    10
    Some people call it to hardcore.

    I say they are weak

    Besides all you need to do is make a geometry rail gun
  7. AliceGross
    May 6, 2022
    8
    Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо Харашо
  8. maximos_cfu
    Apr 29, 2022
    8
    i really like this game.i have spent about 1000 hours on the campaign, the editor, but i haven't really checked out the multiplayer
  9. majorvihan1126
    Apr 29, 2022
    8
    I've been playing ARMA 3 since 4 months and it's really one of the most interesting and amazing milsim open world game that is available on the platforms. It's really a great game though I found some issues with the ai but still it's really a great game to enjoy and at initial stage, you'll find it difficult to play because there are so many controls to deal with and you have to investI've been playing ARMA 3 since 4 months and it's really one of the most interesting and amazing milsim open world game that is available on the platforms. It's really a great game though I found some issues with the ai but still it's really a great game to enjoy and at initial stage, you'll find it difficult to play because there are so many controls to deal with and you have to invest your time in learning those controls. Also the game offers so much of variety, so you try this game once. And yeah, I am no critic, I am just a normal gamer.… Expand
  10. Fanchylul
    Feb 20, 2022
    8
    В свое время игра подарила кучу эмоций в модах, и стала прародителем современных батлроялей
  11. Cadeology
    Jan 15, 2022
    8
    I have the most hours in this game than any game I have ever played before. Ask me in 2013 I would give this game a 10/10 easily... ask me now and I still give it an 8/10. The reduction of points only come from an aging engine that is certainly starting to show some wrinkles. If you overlook some of those issues you are in for a treat in THE BEST military simulation experience. Hoping thatI have the most hours in this game than any game I have ever played before. Ask me in 2013 I would give this game a 10/10 easily... ask me now and I still give it an 8/10. The reduction of points only come from an aging engine that is certainly starting to show some wrinkles. If you overlook some of those issues you are in for a treat in THE BEST military simulation experience. Hoping that bohemia makes some significant strides towards a possible sequel in the future however there is plenty of fun for new players to have with the variety of gamemodes and modded support.… Expand
  12. MRBeanJoga
    Jan 14, 2022
    9
    Thousands of unforgettable hours playing this game, this has to be the biggest military sandbox out there and with the thousand of mods this game has, its probably one of the best experiences you can have with your friends.

    However ArmA 3 has pretty poor optimization, bunch of bugs and dated gameplay.

    Still, didnt actually ruin my fun i had with my friends.
  13. Hawqer
    Nov 13, 2021
    9
    Short Campaign, nags you to buy Expensive DLCs, and not strictly realistic really, if it wasn't for the incredible modding community this series hosts, Arma 3 would've never had such an enduring and rich community.

    Arma 3 has insane Replay value with an endless amount of fun scenarios, despite all the evident things that hold it back, Arma 3 is definitely a must-have for    Short Campaign, nags you to buy Expensive DLCs, and not strictly realistic really, if it wasn't for the incredible modding community this series hosts, Arma 3 would've never had such an enduring and rich community.

    Arma 3 has insane Replay value with an endless amount of fun scenarios, despite all the evident things that hold it back, Arma 3 is definitely a must-have for military-lovers, and really is a great game.    … Expand
  14. Eaisworse
    Feb 14, 2021
    9
    Thirst of all, yes its bad optimized and the base game includes zero content, if don't own it on steam (This is no sponsorship and I don't get any money for this). The workshop and the DLC's make the game so much better (the optimization clearly not), you have everything, you can be a WW2 soldier or Mater Chief, or even Steve from Minecraft. The DLC's help the game and make moreThirst of all, yes its bad optimized and the base game includes zero content, if don't own it on steam (This is no sponsorship and I don't get any money for this). The workshop and the DLC's make the game so much better (the optimization clearly not), you have everything, you can be a WW2 soldier or Mater Chief, or even Steve from Minecraft. The DLC's help the game and make more realistic. REALISM is a big thing in Arma 3, if you think you are good, you're dead, if you think you can run, you're dead, if you think you can speed run, you are dead! You need time to understand the mechanics and the key bindings. If you are a Call of Duty or Battlefield player, don't buy this, this will be to realistic for you, but if you want to die over and over and want a rewarding feeling when you kill enemy's, then you should buy this. If you buy it, then you should buy at least 2-3 DLC's to make the base game better. 9/10 IGN… Expand
  15. SmittyWJJ
    Dec 8, 2020
    10
    A little hard to get into but more than worth it. It's of course more fun with friends, but you can get into pretty much any community on any server. Thanks to all the modders there are plenty of different play styles how you can play this game.
    One can jump into e.g. altis life and have a really fun role playing experience or one could try out King of the Hill or Wasteland and just enjoy    A little hard to get into but more than worth it. It's of course more fun with friends, but you can get into pretty much any community on any server. Thanks to all the modders there are plenty of different play styles how you can play this game.
    One can jump into e.g. altis life and have a really fun role playing experience or one could try out King of the Hill or Wasteland and just enjoy the shooter part.
    The gun play is probably by far the most fun in this game and the way the devs supported it over several years (and they still do) is just amazing.

    Although it is out for quite a while already it is definitely worth it to give it a try.    … Expand
  16. Heffers
    Dec 6, 2020
    10
    I rate games (specifically MP) by hours put into them. I have approx. 1800hrs more on this than my 2nd next game. Speaks volumes. Endless sandbox mili-sim fun.
  17. mkalireza
    Nov 17, 2020
    8
    Arma 3 is King of the " Military " , " Tactical " and " Realistic " game.

    Arma 3 is King of the " Military " , " Tactical " and " Realistic " game.

    Arma 3 is King of the " Military " , " Tactical " and " Realistic " game.
  18. crazyking321
    Aug 31, 2020
    8
    fun game what has a big community and lots of stuff to do because of it, if you are looking for a game where you want to play in a unit and play multiple roles from pilot to a ground soldier then you will like this a lot with invade and annex where you can join up with 50+ random player and take on challenging Ai, or you can join a group and play organised events what are a little strictfun game what has a big community and lots of stuff to do because of it, if you are looking for a game where you want to play in a unit and play multiple roles from pilot to a ground soldier then you will like this a lot with invade and annex where you can join up with 50+ random player and take on challenging Ai, or you can join a group and play organised events what are a little strict but a lot of fun, or play a life roleplay severs called life where you play as a civilian where you can be anyone and do anything.… Expand
  19. Fx_32
    Jul 9, 2020
    10
    Лучший военный симулятор с не очень хорошей оптимизаией...покупая третью арму вы благодаря модам можете играть во многие проэкты ..так сказать игра в игре..из этой серии игр вышли такие игры как дейз...стали родоначальником хайпа игр про зомби и все м не безызвестный батлрояль который клепают теперь всем кому не леньЛучший военный симулятор с не очень хорошей оптимизаией...покупая третью арму вы благодаря модам можете играть во многие проэкты ..так сказать игра в игре..из этой серии игр вышли такие игры как дейз...стали родоначальником хайпа игр про зомби и все м не безызвестный батлрояль который клепают теперь всем кому не лень
  20. Ninjapixel
    Jun 20, 2020
    8
    Insanely poor optimization, crazy bugged out menus and movement. However, I still love it. I just hope the sequel will have better usage of PC hardware and less clonky controls.
  21. PedroNowicki
    May 31, 2020
    9
    W czasach kiedy każdy "realistyczny shooter" polega na podbieganiu do wroga i walenia go z pompy, taka powolna i taktyczna ARMA potrafi być dobrym odpoczynkiem od tych wszystkich szybkich gier. Najlepsze określenie dla tej gry to symulator działań armii.
  22. Cyper
    May 24, 2020
    9
    This is the best military simulation game on the market (or at least the closest you get to military simulation). The game improves on the previous titles, especially when it comes to movement which is more natural and fluid. The game is engaging, fun and good looking. It improves upon the style of gameplay that Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis offered back in early 2000. I have spentThis is the best military simulation game on the market (or at least the closest you get to military simulation). The game improves on the previous titles, especially when it comes to movement which is more natural and fluid. The game is engaging, fun and good looking. It improves upon the style of gameplay that Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis offered back in early 2000. I have spent over 1000 hours with this game since its release.

    Unfortunately, I believe that ARMA 3 is held back due to the rather OUTDATED engine. Animations, movement, driving of vehicles etc. still feels a little bit off. Multiplayer does not work very well either. It is vital that the next installment in the series is built on a new, updated engine. That will be great for future installments. I would give this game 8.5 or 9.0. 10 is way to much. This is, more or less, mostly due to the technical problems with the game.    … Expand
  23. moware
    May 20, 2020
    9
    in 2020 Arma is absolutely best mil sim game. Tons of community content hold you for hundreds of hours! I dont like the singleplayer compaign but Apex actually not bad dlc
  24. PrdPak
    May 18, 2020
    9
    This game is great

    The different features this milsim offers make it stand out from the others. The greatest thing about this game, in my opinion, is the mission editor, A feature that ARMA games are known for. The mission editor offers endless possibilities for you to create your missions, Like defending a town from an invasion, a special ops mission, or just a multiplayer map for your    This game is great

    The different features this milsim offers make it stand out from the others. The greatest thing about this game, in my opinion, is the mission editor, A feature that ARMA games are known for. The mission editor offers endless possibilities for you to create your missions, Like defending a town from an invasion, a special ops mission, or just a multiplayer map for your friends to enjoy. If you are more into this mission-making, then you could learn scripting (which I struggle with, but at least I know the basics).

    The weapons and vehicles featured in the make the base game feel a bit stale, but the mods make up for it. I have played all the previous games in this series, and if you want more current-gen weapons than I would suggest you download a few weapon mods from the workshop.

    The campaign is very plain in my opinion and is very forgettable apart from some iconic characters, But it follows the same story as every other modern shooter which is US “good” and everyone else “bad”, but I can’t blame the developers (they need to follow the trends). But that’s not the only issue with the campaign. The campaign gets very difficult to understand from the start and it is very hard to keep track of what's happening and why it's happening. On top of that, the devs give you little to no freedom in how to complete the missions, If you go out of the boundary of some missions to approach the objective from a different angle, the game will sometimes blow you up. And worst of all, in the end, the plot remains open-ended. The game doesn’t explain what happened afterward but simply slaps a “The End” on top of the black screen. If you are more into the campaigns, I would suggest you play Arma Armed Assault or Arma Cold War Assault.

    The graphics of the game are great for a game released in 2013, However, the game seems to have massive performance issues on high-end hardware as well. The multiplayer is fantastic, It has a great variety of game modes to offer like Roleplay, Deathmatch, KOTH .etc. It even has servers that are dedicated to realistic military operations. If you are more into realism then you should consider joining a unit.

    The gameplay is decent also. However, the gunplay is very different from COD and Battlefield series, so you would need to get used to it. The driving in this game is okay, not great but okay. The flying is very simple as the ARMA series does not focus on air to air combat or dogfights. But still gives you a decent experience. The running and different stances in this game are great. However, I have only one complaint about the gameplay which is the lack of a cover system, sure you can lean in the game but taking cover and firing from cover seems a bit off in this game, and as far as I know, there are no mods which can offer a better experience. AI is somewhat improved, The AI finally knows how to properly take cover and drive. But the AI still seems to have aimbot as it can headshot you 600m away with a 5.56 Rifles using an iron sight while you are hiding in a bush during the night. You still need mods to make the AI work properly. The weapon customization in this game is revolutionary even when compared to modern titles, and the customization is not limited to multiplayer only. But you can also customize your weapons in the single-player and the mission editor. The weapon customizations include bipods, scopes, suppressors, flashlights. He*k you can even put a 16X scope on an SMG.

    The graphics of the game are great for a game released in 2013, However, the game seems to have massive performance issues on high-end hardware as well. So loading up hundreds of objects at the same time in the mission editor could be impractical if you have an HDD, For an optimal experience, I would suggest using an SSD and at least 8 GB of RAM. However, I have seen people playing this game on weaker hardware (such as a Core 2 Duo). The lightning and shadow effects in this game look great to me, However, you could use different mods to make the game look more beautiful.

    As for the sounds, It depends, as the environmental sounds are a nice touch, but something about the sound of the guns is a bit off to me. That’s why I use mod weapons only in this game. In my opinion, the sounds of guns in ARMA 2 were the best.

    The community of ARMA series is great, they are very helpful and they are very accepting of new members. There are some great scripters out there as well. I would suggest you check out BI Forums.

    TL;DR: The game is great overall, the campaign can be confusing and difficult to understand at times. The gameplay is great, AI is not. The weapon customizations are great. The graphics are decent for 2013 standards. The multiplayer is great. The mod support is great. The community is great also. A must buy.

    Overall this game is a solid 9/10 from me.    … Expand
  25. Rougx
    Mar 14, 2020
    10
    Arma 3 is a game that is hard to master but becomes addictive after a bit of time
  26. gocircuit
    Dec 10, 2019
    9
    the first sp campaign (the east wind) is great but the rest of the dlc ones are rubbish. However the mp is perfect for a sandbox milsim, so good that this 2013 game still holds up with newer games like squad. This is only improved with mods that can change this gritty realism game into dayz (epoch) or halo (operation trebuchet).
  27. DoritosGOD
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    Muy buen juego, con diversos modos de juego, posibilidad de crear misiones , editar el escenario, si juegas con un grupo puedes pasarlo muy bien y hacer miles de misiones. La comunidad es genial y los mods realizados por ésta son maravillosos además de que aportan mucho al juego base. En resumen: uno de los mejores juegos tactical shooter y simulador militar.
    Puntos positivos:
    Muchas    Muy buen juego, con diversos modos de juego, posibilidad de crear misiones , editar el escenario, si juegas con un grupo puedes pasarlo muy bien y hacer miles de misiones. La comunidad es genial y los mods realizados por ésta son maravillosos además de que aportan mucho al juego base. En resumen: uno de los mejores juegos tactical shooter y simulador militar.
    Puntos positivos:
    Muchas misiones para realizar ya sea jugando solo, o en cooperativo con otros jugadores.
    Mods de la comunidad que alargan y mejoran al juego.
    Varios modos de juegos disponibles.
    Uno de los pocos juegos donde hay posibilidad de tener combates a gran escala.
    Amplia variedad de vehículos terrestres, acuaticos y aéreos a disposición
    Puntos negativos:
    Muchos DLCs de pago que deberían ser gratis o costar mucho menos
    Aunque hay destrucción, las físicas no son demasiado avanzadas y se producen algunos bugs o atascamientos en algunas zonas
    Aunque anteriormente era muy jugado, ahora tiene muy pocos jugadores en línea, para hacer misiones en cooperativo no tendremos muchos problemas pero cuando busquemos partidas de jugador vs jugador muchas veces no las encontraremos    … Expand
  28. Zerobyte
    Aug 4, 2019
    10
    A really great was/military simulator.
    -great graphics
    -so many mods
    -easy modding
    -many servers
    -Roleplay
    You can just do everything you want
  29. Btlyt
    Jul 27, 2019
    10
    Such a good realistic mil sim (military simulation) if you want a good game that isn't an arcade run and gun this is for you
  30. DemonicBeagle
    Jun 19, 2019
    10
    First things first, Arma 3 is a somewhat realistic depiction of war all by itself and touches on how wars are being fought now in the modern day very well. I enjoyed the campaign, regardless of how difficult it was sometimes because it doesn't put you in this super-soldier slaughter all your enemies position, it puts you in this fight for survival. I think it's a very down to earth gameFirst things first, Arma 3 is a somewhat realistic depiction of war all by itself and touches on how wars are being fought now in the modern day very well. I enjoyed the campaign, regardless of how difficult it was sometimes because it doesn't put you in this super-soldier slaughter all your enemies position, it puts you in this fight for survival. I think it's a very down to earth game and I highly enjoy the nitty-gritty combat. The community is pretty good, and you can find all types of different people, from hackers to milsim units, the community is awesome. The modders are the ones that keep this game alive, and just offer up countless mods for you to play and enjoy, including, but nowhere limited to, RHS (which offers weapons and vehicles used by modern-day soldiers), ACE (an advanced combat environment addon, which adds a whole lot of different things like better bullet drop, a proper medical system, and just a bunch of other stuff), Operation Trebuchet (A mod which adds Halo gear into the game. It's extremely fun playing as a spartan with a jetpack in this game), Star Wars (self explanatory), and so so much more.

    Now, Arma 3 is also horrible in some regards, like lag (I surpass the recommended PC specs by a fair bit, with a GTX1070 graphics card, I7-6700 CPU, and 16GB of ram, which 15 of that 16 is usable) and the lag is just horrible sometimes, I'm assuming because of the mods I typically run. There's also underwater combat, which I don't find enjoyable, as there's only 1 gun you can use underwater, and to me, it just plain sucks. There's also the complicated control scheme which gets even more complicated with more mods (during an op I was doing with my friends, a few of my addons used a single key to do something, so whenever I'd use my jetpack [Halo mod] I would bring up 3-4 different menus) and of course, it's buggy, very buggy, which can be annoying sometimes, but other times it's absolutely hilarious.

    Honestly, this is a great game, and it's a lot less clunky than the previous Arma in my opinion, and it's a good starting point for any newcomers to jump into the game and learn, which takes a while. I may have 1700 hours at the moment, but I just can't drive a single mile without blowing up due to my own fault, however, my piloting skills are much better, and it's really easy to understand some aspects of the game that may not be clear to others, and other aspects will elude you forever. Their most recent DLC was lacking, but the rest of the DLCs are awesome, and I love how open they were about the first 8 or 9 DLCs, where you could use everything from the DLCs, except you can't drive the vehicles (only ride in them) and you can't use the maps (if they added one). Bohemia Interactive have done extremely well with this game, and I think it's worth the price if you're looking to sink a lot of time into the game and meet a lot of cool and good people. There's also a whole lot of veterans that play this game, so if you're looking for people who know their stuff, then this game is definitely for you.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
13
#13 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 38
  3. Negative: 2 out of 38
  1. Eurogamer
    Mar 26, 2014
    80
    There's something about Bohemia's world-building that inspires people. Importantly though, Arma 3's vanilla content now stands on equal footing with those third-party inspirations. It's still a little rough around the edges, but it's a darned impressive package nonetheless.
    Read full review
  2. Everyeye.it
    Nov 22, 2013
    70
    Arma 3 seems to have a lot to offer in terms of multiplayer, but still not so much for the player looking to the single player experience.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Oct 31, 2013
    60
    With Arma 3, Bohemia made a big step towards a unified platform for its military shooters, but at the same time took two steps back in regards to actual game content. Only the most hardcore fans will enjoy Arma 3 in its current form.
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