I played this game during the free demo weekend on Steam - Also during this weekend the game was reduced to half price ( £12.99 instead of £26.99)
As for the game itself, it is a modern shooter set in the middle east, but it is certainly no battlefield. This December 2018 game is less than 4 years old but it is betrayed by the graphics which look quite dated compared to other modern titles, especially the character models which look ancient. There are no modern settings such as raytracing or DLSS.
The game is infantry based, there are no vehicles. There is a matchmaking system but also a dedicated server browser for players' own custom games. Of the server browser almost all appear to be hosting "Checkpoint" which is a domination style game but round based so when you die you are sat twiddling your thumbs until you can respawn which can be upto 10 minutes with nothing to do but spectate other players. There are quite a few different game modes but none were being hosted other than almost all checkpoint and 2 team deathmatch (which is not round based) games. Otherwise you have to use the matchmaking system. Being an infantry game the maps felt very much like you would find in COD but with worse graphics.
Gameplay is quite hardcore - 2 bullets and you are dead. Gunplay is satisfying and sound is very good. Movement feels slow and clunky and its really a stealthy play game. Rather than Battlefield, this game feels most like Counterstrike but with bigger maps. Given the games on the market, for this type of infantry hardcore combat I would rather play 2010's Medal of Honor.
Overall this game is not for me as I am a battlefield fan, but it would definitely be a good purchase for those that like to play Counterstrike. It certainly is not worth the full £26 price. I wouldn't even pay the reduced half price for it. If it had a free2play model I think it would be very successful indeed.
EDIT: Re-review March 2024
Insurgency: Sandstorm is a Round based tactical shooter based on Middle East conflict built on the Unreal 4 Engine. Although the game looks pretty good Unreal 4 is looking a little old now compared to other game engines out there.
The game involves capturing objectives then waiting for the opposing side to counter attack. Minimal hud, no health bar and no minimap, so it is a bit more harcore than Battlefield or COD but although similar in gameplay to Counterstrike, it is much better. Game is currently £7.50 on key sellers.
Most annying thing is waiting 10 seconds for rounds to start and no respawns until the objective is captured.
It's a good game if you like round based combat
I play in 4k ultra settings and get 80-100 fps dependant upon the map
Graphics 7
Sound 10
Gameplay 7
Story N/A
Stability 10
Value for money 7
Fun Factor 7
Overall 7
Review Deck:
4k 120Hz 55" Samsung Q95T QLED screen
Ryzen 3600X CPU
Noctua NH-D15 Cooler
Gigabyte RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8gb gfx card
MSI B450 Pro Carbon mobo
24gb DDR4 Patriot Viper 3200mhz Ram
Razer Nari Ultimate wireless headset
Logitech G13 Gameboard
Logitech G604 15 button wireless mouse
Drevo 60% wireless RGB mechanical keyboard
EVGA 650w GQ 80+ Gold PSU