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Highlights
- Arma 3 had a massive sales boost during the Steam Summer Sale, selling almost 700,000 copies.
- The game’s uniqueness and hardcore mil-sim experience contribute to its ongoing popularity.
- Pricing at 90% off and visibility on Steam’s front page were major factors in the rise in sales.
Bohemia Interactive’s tactical military simulator, Arma 3, received a massive jump in sales during the latest Steam Summer Sale. Despite being a niche title and almost 11 years old now, gamers are evidently still curious about what Arma 3 has to offer.
Arma 3 was first released into alpha back in 2013, and was one of the first games to ever make use of the Steam Early Access program. Later that year, it was released in full, and was quickly regarded as one of the best combat simulation games on the market. Bohemia Interactive is yet to release a sequel to the game, with only the spin-off Arma Reforger arriving in 2022. Despite this, Arma 3 retains a large community online with the gameplay holding up extremely well over a decade later.
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Speaking to PC Gamer, Bohemia Interactive’s Pavel Křižka confirmed that Arma 3 sold nearly 700,000 copies during the recent Steam Summer Sale, as well as almost 200,000 pieces of DLC alongside this. These numbers are a huge surprise for a game almost 11 years old, especially one so niche, where it can be expected that most fans of the mil-sim genre already own Arma 3. According to Křižka, one of the “two biggest factors” for the massive sales numbers was the fact that Arma 3 was 90% off for the first time ever, dropping it down to just $2.99. He also marked Arma 3‘s presence on Steam’s front page as the other massive factor in the huge rise in sales.
Arma 3 Sells Over 700,000 Copies During Steam Summer Sale
According to Křižka, it wasn’t all down to visibility and sales, claiming “But no doubt it’s also about the uniqueness of the whole Arma platform. Despite Arma 3 being more than 10 years old, there’s still nothing quite like it available for mil-sim game lovers.” It makes sense. There are plenty of things about Arma 3 that still hold up, and while most modern shooters offer a more casual approach, few do hardcore mil-sim quite like Bohemia Interactive’s title. While the game itself still offers a great experience in 2024, it’s fascinating to see how many players interested in the genre hadn’t purchased it prior to the Steam Summer Sale.
But no doubt it’s also about the uniqueness of the whole Arma platform. Despite Arma 3 being more than 10 years old, there’s still nothing quite like it available for mil-sim game lovers.
While Arma 3 has seen an influx of new players, it won’t be long until Bohemia Interactive has players finally talking about a sequel. Back in 2022, Bohemia released Arma Reforger, which served as a way for the studio to get to grips with its new Enfusion engine before developing Arma 4. Arma Reforger came out of Early Access in late 2023, at which point development on a full sequel was already confirmed. The studio is yet to confirm exactly when Arma 4 will be released, and it’ll be interesting to see how many of the nearly-700,000 new players of the series stick around going forward.
Arma 3
Bohemia Interactive’s Arma 3 is an open-world tactical shooter that was first released in September 2013.
The game stands out in the crowded first-person shooter genre with its realistic gameplay and maps set in real-life locations. Arma 3 has a steep learning curve but is highly rewarding.
- Released
- September 12, 2013
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
