Best Military Shooter Games With Dedicated Servers (2026)

The best military shooters with dedicated servers in 2026 are Arma Reforger for combined arms milsim with up to 128 players and console crossplay, Squad for 100 player teamwork battles, Insurgency: Sandstorm for hardcore versus and co-op against AI, and Ground Branch for slow, methodical tactical co-op. Squad 44, Operation: Harsh Doorstop and Holdfast complete the list. In this genre community servers are the game: clans, milsim units and event nights all run on servers they control.

Why do military shooters need community servers?

Tactical shooters live on rules and regulars. A milsim unit wants scheduled operations with a fixed mod list, a clan wants a training server for new squad leads, and a co-op group wants AI difficulty tuned to how good they actually are. None of that works on matchmaking. Owning the server means your scenario, your rotation, your rules on voice and teamwork, and admins who know your players.

Quick comparison

1. Arma Reforger

Arma Reforger is Bohemia's Cold War military sandbox on large islands like Everon and Arland, with infantry, vehicles, helicopters and supply trucks. Servers run Conflict, where two factions fight over territory across the whole map, co-op missions, and Game Master sessions where one player builds the scenario live while everyone else plays it.

It is also the only big milsim with console crossplay. PC, Xbox and PlayStation players can share a server when crossplay is on in config.json, as long as every mod supports consoles.

What to know when running one:

• Mods come from the Reforger Workshop by ID in config.json, and the server downloads them on start.
• The console prints every valid scenario ID on start, including ones added by mods.
• Admins log in with #login and the admin password in chat.
• Memory: 8 GB for vanilla up to 32 players, 12 GB for 64 players or mods, 16 GB for big modded servers near 128. It also leans on the CPU.

Guides: how to host an Arma Reforger server and how to install mods on an Arma Reforger server.

2. Squad

Squad from Offworld is built on communication. Squads of up to nine talk on local and squad voice, squad leaders coordinate over command chat, and two teams of up to 50 fight with infantry, armor, helicopters and forward bases.

Clans use their own server for training and scrims, and public servers build a reputation for teamwork. Seeding nights, where regulars fill the server early so the public joins later, are part of the culture. Things to know:

• Only licensed servers appear in the main browser. Unlicensed servers show under Custom Servers. Offworld licenses servers that meet its requirements.
• Workshop mods are a comma separated list of item IDs, and changing the list needs a reinstall.
• Admins and layer rotation live in Admins.cfg and the rotation file.
• Memory: 8 GB for training, 12 GB for a full 80 to 100 player public server, 16 GB for heavy mods.

3. Insurgency: Sandstorm

Insurgency: Sandstorm is New World Interactive's hardcore tactical shooter. Bullets kill quickly, the HUD stays out of the way, and teams that talk win. Versus modes include Push, Firefight and Frontline, and co-op scenarios like Checkpoint and Outpost send a squad against AI.

Two tokens matter. The Steam server token (GSLT) we create for you. The Game Stats token you make at gamestats.sandstorm.game so players earn XP on your server. Admins go in Admins.txt, rotation in MapCycle.txt, and mods come from mod.io. Co-op for a squad of eight runs on 4 GB, a full versus server on 6 GB.

Guide: how to host an Insurgency: Sandstorm server.

4. Ground Branch

Ground Branch is BlackFoot Studios' tactical shooter, made by a team that includes one of the developers behind the original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. It reached V1.0 on July 16, 2026. Play is careful and slow: detailed loadouts, planned entries, rooms cleared one corner at a time, and one or two hits ending your round.

Co-op is built for up to 8 players against AI (Terrorist Hunt, Intel Retrieval, Defuse), and PvP fills 16 slots as 8v8. In this game the AI costs more than the players, so a co-op mission packed with enemies is heavier than a full PvP lobby. Steam Workshop mods load on the server and players get them through the mod sync window. A squad starts at 6 GB.

5. Squad 44

Squad 44 is the new name of Post Scriptum, renamed after Offworld took it over in late 2023. It is large World War II combined arms with up to 80 players, tanks, artillery and logistics across maps like Normandy and Market Garden. Clan servers and event nights are its backbone. The server files still use PostScriptum names, which is expected. Workshop mods do not download to players from the server, so everyone subscribes first. A full 80 player server wants 12 GB.

6. Operation: Harsh Doorstop

Operation: Harsh Doorstop is a free to play tactical sandbox on Unreal Engine, made by developers from the cancelled Project Reality 2, in the spirit of Squad and Arma. Its Steam Workshop holds thousands of community maps, factions, weapons and vehicles, from Vietnam and WWII to Mogadishu. Because it is free, getting a whole group in costs nothing. Players do not get mods from the server, so share a Workshop collection link. A 32 player server with a few mods runs on 8 GB.

7. Holdfast: Nations At War

Not modern, but one of the biggest community shooter scenes: Napoleonic and World War 1 line battles with up to 150 players, cavalry, artillery and naval fights. Regiments drill formations and schedule events on servers they run themselves. Since update 3.0, PS5 and Xbox Series players can join Steam servers, controlled by server_platform in the config. It is lighter than its player count suggests: 6 GB for around 100 players.

Honourable mentions

• Insurgency (2014). The Source engine predecessor to Sandstorm, still with a loyal crowd. Up to 32 players in PvP, SourceMod plugins, and a full server runs on 3 GB.
• Pavlov. A VR shooter with Counter-Strike style Search and Destroy and community modes. The Pavlov wiki recommends no more than 24 players.

Which military shooter should my group pick?

• Milsim operations, Game Master nights or console players in the group: Arma Reforger.
• Big teamwork battles with a clan: Squad, or Squad 44 for WWII.
• Hardcore versus or co-op against AI on a smaller scale: Insurgency: Sandstorm.
• Slow, planned tactical co-op for a squad of up to 8: Ground Branch.
• A free game everyone can grab, with endless mods: Operation: Harsh Doorstop.
• Regiments and line battles: Holdfast.

FAQ

What is the best military shooter with dedicated servers?

Arma Reforger for milsim and crossplay, and Squad for large teamwork battles. Both rely on community servers for most of their play.

Which tactical shooter supports the most players on one server?

Holdfast supports up to 150, Arma Reforger up to 128 and Squad up to 100.

Can Xbox and PlayStation players join an Arma Reforger server?

Yes, if crossplay is on in config.json and every mod on the server supports consoles.

Do I need a license to run a Squad server?

No. Any Squad server runs and appears under Custom Servers. A license from Offworld is only needed to appear in the main browser list.

How much RAM does a military shooter server need?

Usually 6 to 12 GB. Large modded Arma Reforger or Squad servers near their player caps want 16 GB.

Hosting one with us

Every game on this list is in our catalog, ready minutes after paying, with DDoS protection, full file access and SFTP for configs and mods, and backups before game updates. A clan can split the bill, each member paying their own share from a link, with no contract. Start with Arma Reforger, Squad or Insurgency: Sandstorm.