Arma 3 launched way back on September 12, 2013, just five days before the original launch of Grand Theft Auto 5. I'm bringing up this comparison because it might help communicate to you just how long military simulation fans have been waiting for Arma 4, which developer Bohemia Interactive has just announced for 2027. Yes, 2027, as if that's a real year any of us are going to live to see.
A giant title card reading 'Arma 4 coming 2027' appeared during Bohemia Interactive's 25th anniversary concert stream this week, and the devs soon after reiterated the news in a tweet. That's literally all we know for now, but you've gotta respect the audacity of a studio dropping a release window that far off like it's nothing.
Arma is the biggest military simulation series around, built for people who wanna get very serious about tactical maneuvers in their shooters. Arma 3 was a technical wonder when it launched in 2013, but a decade later it's certainly showing its age, and the stopgap Cold War spinoff Arma Reforger, which launched in 2023, hasn't fully pulled people away from the last mainline game.
Just in case the absurdity of the wait spanning from Arma 3 to Arma 4 hasn't sunk in yet, here's what the game industry looked like in September 2013. GTA 5 had just launched without GTA Online. The GOTY race was between Rockstar's open-world game, The Last of Us, and BioShock Infinite. The PS4 and Xbox One were still months away from launch. Assassin's Creed had not yet been rebooted even once. Bethesda had not yet ported Skyrim to even one new platform.
Children born into this forgotten era will be entering high school by the time Arma 4 finally launches, and that's assuming it doesn't get delayed. Suddenly, the wait for GTA 6 - which is supposed to be out in 2025 and already has a real trailer featuring presumably real in-game footage - doesn't seem so bad. Pour one out for the Skyrim fans who'll have been waiting from 2011 to, like, 2031 or something for The Elder Scrolls 6.
We've got a big list of new games for 2024 and beyond, but come on, not THAT beyond.
