Enlisted’s next major update will give melee combat, PC shader caching, Battle Rating queues, and several balance areas a serious pass. The team is also testing Tunisia missions and preparing a new theater for the fourth major update of 2026, though every feature remains subject to change, delay, or cancellation. The plans come from the team’s latest SITREP №3 on Steam, with deeper explanations expected in future developer blogs.
Operation Neptune brought a new Omaha location split between Omaha and Sword beach areas, each with its own missions. The team originally planned to refresh the older Fortified Beach map, but the work grew beyond a simple update. The result was a larger new location that sits alongside the classic D-Day map, giving players more room to flank while preserving a map many consider iconic. The Omaha announcement is available through the game’s official Steam community page.
Community research is also feeding into weapon planning. After the rework of the Suggestions forum, the team saw more historically sourced submissions and is considering a live shortlist of firearms sent to the developers for review. Potential entries could be marked for the tech tree, events, Battle Pass, or premium content, but appearing on such a list would not guarantee that a weapon reaches the game.
The next major update will also include a brand-new addition tied to both the tech tree and pre-order content. It is described as a popular community request, but the team is keeping the specific feature secret for now.
Melee animations are getting a full pass
Following the previous round of animation improvements, the next major update will focus on close-quarters attacks. Crawling melee attacks, charging animations, and the final strike at the end of a charge are all being reworked.
The work covers every weapon that supports charging, along with bayonet stabs, buttstock strikes, standard knife attacks, and the knife’s idle stance. A short preview shows the work-in-progress charging animations.
Weapon-specific polish will likely continue as new content arrives. The team recently updated the M1941 Johnson LMG animations before the M1944 Johnson LMG event, following an earlier M1941 Johnson LMG animation update. Some weapons also have rare hidden reload animations with an exceptionally low chance of appearing, turning them into small in-game Easter eggs.
PC shader caching should reduce post-update stutters
Performance dips after major updates have been tied to shader recaching. Engine upgrades and new content can force shaders to initialize again, and many of them only finish loading when a player encounters them in battle. Since maps use different shaders, full caching can take several matches. Some of the process happens while the player is idle in the hangar, but the issue currently affects PC only.
The next major update will improve DirectX 12 infrastructure warm-up. Most players already use DirectX 12, and the client will pre-cache more shaders during its first boot, even before the first login. The system will pull shaders from as many maps as possible to reduce the short hitches that can appear during early matches after an update.
Players who see other performance problems after a major update are being asked to capture performance and client logs from before and after the update, then send them through the Enlisted bug report system.
Battle Rating queues and Assault mode are changing
A new animation prompt will appear when a player switches into a queue with a different Battle Rating from the one they just used. The prompt is meant to help newer players avoid entering higher-BR battles by mistake, while also warning experienced players when their equipment or queue does not match the new rating.
Other planned interface work covers squad slot redesign and fixes, mission lists in custom battles, likes and dislikes menus, clearer reasons for anticheat kicks, unavailable settings, and quicker soldier switching across screens for weapons, uniforms, and perks. Equipment descriptions will also continue receiving consistency updates.
The Alpha team is currently playtesting Tunisia missions with community managers and developers to see whether they are ready for higher-BR battles. The revamped Kahif Cave Village has more cover for both sides and could be tested in the BR III-IV range, although that remains an early proposal.
Assault mode is also being adjusted. Attackers often need to capture and hold two points at the same time, which can be especially punishing for solo players without a full squad. The planned changes will give defenders tickets while also altering the attacker’s ticket drain, creating another route to victory for attackers who coordinate well or perform strongly. More Conquest changes are under consideration, but no details have been announced.
Flamethrowers and machine guns are receiving balance changes
Flamethrowers will no longer force players to walk while firing. The mobility change is aimed at making the class more useful, since flamethrowers are currently seeing less use than other options.
Machine guns will receive a flat 30% reduction to movement-based dispersion penalties while aiming and hip-firing. The class will still feel heavy, with slower movement and slower initial aim-down-sights speeds, but the change should give machine guns more room across Battle Ratings against submachine guns, assault rifles, and select-fire weapons.
Select-fire rifles are under review as well. At BR V, nine-man rifleman squads using top-tier select-fire weapons have become dominant thanks to one-hit potential, low recoil, and fast reloads. The team is considering possible balance options, but it has not decided on a direction yet.
More nations and a new theater are in development
Special events and premium squads will continue adding representation for other nations that fought in World War II. France, China, Morocco, and New Zealand have already appeared through this approach, while Canadian units are among the early candidates being reviewed. The goal is to add historically grounded equipment from more focused national arsenals without repeating the same weapons and vehicles too often.
The fourth and final major update of 2026, which will arrive after the next major update, is planned to introduce a large map in a completely new theater. It is still in the concept stage and will feature new buildings, fortifications, and fields inspired by the region. The team may share a teaser image or more information in a future SITREP between the two major updates.
Before then, the next major update will focus on bug fixes and polish across existing maps, informed by player map reports. Track behavior for tanks and wheeled vehicles will also keep improving across surfaces such as platforms, fences, and funnels.
Enlisted is opening Helper team applications
Alpha team applications were recently reopened through the official Alpha team application page. The team is now also accepting applications for Helpers through a Gaijin survey.
Helpers were previously selected directly by community managers. The new process is intended to bring in players from different parts of the community who can assess suggestions and explain how they might affect the game. Alpha members focus on finding, reproducing, and reporting live-game issues, testing early features through an internal client, and joining playtests with developers and community managers. Helpers focus on filtering feedback, working with community managers and designers, proposing ideas, and improving communication.
Both groups sign nondisclosure agreements. The team is especially seeking more console players, while also considering strong PC candidates regardless of their area of expertise.
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Enlisted
Developed by Darkflow Software
Enlisted is a squad-based first person MMO shooter covering key battles from World War II. The game carefully recreates weapons, military vehicles and the atmosphere of that era, while demonstrating really massive clashes of numerous soldiers, tanks and aircraft with artillery and naval support.
Most of the Enlisted game modes simulate a battle involving several infantry platoons and gives the player control over a squad of soldiers with various roles (i.e. submachine gun soldier, sniper, radio operator, rifleman and others), a whole military vehicle crew or an aircraft pilot. One of the fighters is controlled directly, while others move and shoot independently following the player's general orders. In a situation where all the soldiers in the squad have fallen, a player respawns with the next available squad. This decision makes Enlisted battles look massive and spectacular while keeping the input of each individual player in the overall team victory quite significant.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person
- Modes Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release November 10, 2020
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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Age Rating
