Cold War Shooter ’83 Moved To 2026 Following Demo Struggles

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The Cold War lasted from 1947 to 1991. Throughout those years, many people lived with the constant fear that a full-scale war was about to begin, but ultimately, it never did.

It’s fitting that the upcoming shooter ’83, set during a particularly tense year of the Cold War, has been perpetually ‘just around the corner’ without ever actually launching – it mirrors the game’s theme of constant, looming threat.

After getting feedback from the recent Steam Next Fest demo, Blue Dot Games has pushed back the early access release of ’83 to early 2026. It was previously planned to launch before the end of 2025.

’83: Unable Archer

Considering how long ’83 has been in development, the recent delay until 2026 isn’t a major setback. The team has already overcome much bigger challenges to reach this point.

Originally, ’83 was being created by Antimatter Games, but the project stalled when the company went out of business. Fortunately, some of the developers working on it decided to revive it. After difficult negotiations and a last-minute investment from a fan of Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, ’83 was able to move forward again.

Honestly, when they said the game would be out in 2025 back in January, I was pretty shocked considering all the trouble it’s had in development. But, with a full year still to go, I’m still hoping they can pull it off!

Early concerns about the game ’83 not being ready surfaced when playtesters started sharing their issues on social media. These worries grew even more after the demo was released during the Steam Next Fest.

By the developer’s own admission, the game still needs work in the following fields:

  • Gunplay and feel
  • Optimization and performance
  • Graphical fidelity and visual polish
  • Overhaul of the UI
  • Movement and animations
  • General stability and bug fixes

Honestly, after playing the demo, I think someone could watch that and pretty much know everything the full game has to offer. And sadly, I have to agree – that’s exactly what it feels like.

’83 is built on a strong base. The maps are richly detailed and expansive – though a bit large, similar to what we’ve seen in Battlefield 6 – and the gameplay feels classic, refined from the Red Orchestra and Rising Storm series. Plus, the game’s setting is truly unique and stands out.

Right now, unfortunately, the game’s good qualities are overshadowed by a lot of problems – some small, others very noticeable – which ruin the immersive experience Blue Dot Games tried to create.

The game ’83 is planned to launch in early access around the beginning of 2026, though the exact date isn’t known yet. The big challenge for the developers, Blue Dot Games, is to finish the game and avoid major problems before next summer.

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2025-11-08 19:39