Insurgency: Sandstorm is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game developed by New World Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game is a sequel to the 2014 video game Insurgency. Set in an unnamed fictional Middle Eastern region, the game depicts a conflict between two factions: “Security”, loosely based on various militaries (namely NATO forces; United States SOCOM; the armed forces of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria; Kurdish YPG and YPJ; and Western private military companies); and “Insurgents”, loosely based on various paramilitary and terrorist groups (namely the Islamic State, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Security defectors, and implied Russian mercenaries).[2]
Insurgency: Sandstorm was officially announced in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows. It was released on December 12, 2018, for Windows; the previously announced Linux and macOS versions of the game were cancelled.[3] The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions went through numerous delays[4][5] and were released on September 29, 2021, followed by PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions on January 30, 2024.
Insurgency: Sandstorm received critical acclaim for its realistic gameplay, level design, sound design, atmosphere, graphics, and fluid animations, but was criticized for its technical issues and optimization, with some lamenting the cancellation of the planned story campaign.
