Squad, Offworld Industries' 100-player military shooter, is leaving PC for the first time. The studio has confirmed versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, made with publishing partner Secret Mode, and it isn't making console players wait to try it. A free technical alpha preview starts on PS5 today, Friday, October 16, and runs until Sunday, October 25. There is no launch date yet, and Offworld says it will share one closer to release.
The move is a big moment for a game that has spent more than a decade building its reputation almost entirely on PC. Squad began in 2015 as a spiritual successor to the Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2, came out of Steam Early Access in September 2020, and has built a loyal following around coordinated, communication-heavy 50-versus-50 battles. It still sells for $39.99 on Steam.
How to get into the PS5 alpha
The alpha preview is free, but you have to enlist first through Offworld's sign-up page at alpha.joinsquad.com. The studio describes it as open to everyone who signs up, and for now it covers PlayStation 5 only. No equivalent Xbox test has been announced.
The alpha has a deliberately narrow scope. Players fight as either the Armed Forces of Ukraine or China's People's Liberation Army over the strategic rail line running through Gorodok, one of the game's woodland maps. Offworld calls it a technical alpha, which means its job is to stress-test servers, performance and the new controller setup rather than show off the full game. The studio says a beta may follow, with details to come separately.
PC players get something out of the event too. Until October 25, every Squad owner on Steam can claim the Recon Team Pack for free. It is a set of five woodland weapon skins for the US Marine Corps faction, covering the M16A4, M27 and M38 rifles, the M39 marksman rifle, the M249 and M240B machine guns, the M18 and M91A1 pistols, and the M32 and M320 grenade launchers. The giveaway ends when the alpha does.
What the console version will include
Offworld's console FAQ is unusually detailed for an announcement this early. At launch, Squad on consoles will offer the Advance and Secure (AAS), Random Advance and Secure (RAAS), Invasion and Fireteam modes. The map list is Al Basrah, Fallujah, Mutaha, Narva, Yehorivka and Gorodok. Eight factions make the cut: the US Army, US Marine Corps, People's Liberation Army, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Private Military Contractors, Middle Eastern Insurgents, Russian Ground Forces and British Armed Forces.
PvP matches keep the full 100-player count, while the Fireteam PvE mode is built for squads of five. The console version has its own control scheme and interface. Aim assist is in, mouse and keyboard support is not, and gunplay is unchanged from PC apart from tuning for controller input. Proximity and local voice chat are both supported. A microphone isn't required, but Offworld strongly recommends one, which anyone who has played Squad without a headset will understand.
Performance targets
Offworld says porting the game meant engine optimisation work and a move to Unreal Engine 5, and that those technical improvements will feed back into the PC version where possible. Its current targets are:
PlayStation 5: 4K with dynamic resolution upscaling, at 60fps.
Xbox Series X: 4K with dynamic resolution upscaling, at 60fps.
Xbox Series S: 1440p with dynamic resolution upscaling, at 30fps.
There won't be separate quality and performance modes, and the studio says final numbers will come closer to launch. Official dedicated servers are planned for North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and console players will be able to host their own servers as well.
Crossplay, servers and the PC split
PlayStation and Xbox players can play together on official crossplay servers, and crossplay is opt-in. There are also platform-only official servers for anyone who would rather stay among their own console's players. Console-to-PC play works through a separate route: PC hosts can run community servers using a dedicated console ruleset, which appear in their own section of the PC server browser, and console players with crossplay switched on can join those servers.
The console release is digital-only, with no physical edition. It is also a separate purchase. Owning Squad on Steam does not give you a console copy, there is no cross-progression, and DLC and cosmetics stay on the platform where you bought them. Offworld hasn't said anything about the game joining PlayStation Plus or Game Pass, and console pricing hasn't been announced.
Mods are the other major difference. Squad has a long modding history on PC, Offworld added a dedicated production role for modding this year, and that support continues on PC. Mods will not be available on consoles at launch, however.
"One Squad" after launch
Offworld's stated plan is to keep the platforms in lockstep. Once the console versions launch, updates will ship on the same day everywhere unless a platform-specific issue holds one back, and major content will be aligned across platforms under what the studio calls "One Squad". It says the aim on consoles is to make the game easier to learn without making it simpler to master.
For now, the practical takeaway is simple. If you're on PS5 and have wondered what Squad's big, slow-burning firefights are like, the alpha is free and starts today. If you already play on PC, claim the free Recon Team Pack on Steam before October 25.
