The shooter World War 3 looks like the Polish answer to Battlefield 2042 – but started back in 2018. Now the game is attempting a relaunch in Closed Beta. This catches the competitor from EA during a turbulent phase. This is also reflected in the ratings on Steam.
World War 3 has been in development since 2018. With a new version, the game has now launched on Steam and in Closed Beta. The relaunch began just a few days after a rocky start for Battlefield 2042 – inviting comparisons.
Who are the developers? World War 3 comes from the Polish developer The Farm 51. The studio drew attention to itself this July with the game Chernobylite. This S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-inspired survival game received generally positive reviews, scoring 75 on Metacritic (via Metacritic) and “very positive” feedback on Steam (via Steam).
World War 3 has been in development since 2018. Now the developers are trying a relaunch with a new version of the game.
How do I play the game? Since November 25, the game has been in Closed Beta Test (CBT). This is supposed to last until March 2022 (via My.Games). Everyone who owns World War 3 or buys it now on Steam can participate in the Closed Beta. The game is playable on PC and costs €12.99 on Steam (via Steam).
The Polish answer to Battlefield?
Even if the relaunch wasn’t so shortly after the release of Battlefield 2042, World War 3 would still remind players of Battlefield. With a modern war setting, large maps, many customizable weapons, and vehicles like tanks, the game is heavily inspired by DICE’s competition.
How does the game play? Up to 40 players can compete against each other in two game modes:
- In the Tactical Operations mode, two teams of 20 players each must capture control points.
- In the classic Team Deathmatch, teams of 10 players compete against each other. The goal here is to collect more kills than the opposing team.
The similarities to Battlefield are already clear in the Tactical Operations mode. This mode is reminiscent of Conquest from the Battlefield series.
But the Battlefield games are not the only inspiration for the game: The loadout menu visually and in content resembles that of Call of Duty. There is also a mechanic that can be compared to the killstreaks from CoD.
World War 3 is received better on Steam than Battlefield 2042
The launch of Battlefield 2042 was very turbulent: The game received mixed reviews from critics and was teared apart by users on Steam. The developers reportedly even received death threats.
This is why World War 3 performs significantly better among Steam users despite an average overall rating compared to Battlefield 2042:
How do the ratings compare to Battlefield? World War 3 currently has 64% positive reviews (via Steam). In comparison: Battlefield 2042 only has 32% (via Steam). However, World War 3 has only about 15,000 reviews on Steam since 2018. In comparison: Over 50,000 Steam users have submitted a review for Battlefield 2042 in just one week.
The sheer volume of reviews is therefore not fully comparable, but a clear trend can be seen among fans. Especially since some players explicitly state that they find World War 3 better than Battlefield 2042 and point to the rocky release of the AAA shooter:
- “Had a rough start, almost died back then, then reborn strongly. Veteran Alpha was a dream compared to the BF2042 Beta. If they keep it up, it could really become something.” (Walls # on Steam)
- “The game has the potential to be a real Battlefield competitor!” (Ludwig958 on Steam)
- “Please push the game and also take a look for yourselves. It can only be better than Battlefield right now!” (xxSnakeXx[GER] on Steam)
Whether the game can take advantage of the current situation of Battlefield 2042 remains to be seen. Are you looking for an alternative to Battlefield 2042? Will you try World War 3? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
Meanwhile, EA and DICE are working on the issues of Battlefield 2042:
