Since Warface is a free-to-play shooter available on both console and PC, you might be thinking “is Warface cross platform?”. The answer to that question is YES… if you’re on console. PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch players can hook up with each other on the same server in both PvP and PvE game modes. This also includes cross-platform voice and text chat.
However, crossplay between console and PC is not supported. And based on their press release, MY.GAMES don’t plan on doing crossplay between console and PC anytime soon. That’s because the PC version is designed differently, and it’s objectively a technically superior experience.
Anyways, no matter which gaming device you own this is a great time to get into Warface because it’s getting so many free content updates.
Warface- Is It Just Another Generic Online FPS?
At first glance, it may seem like a bland, uninspired twitch shooter. You know, the kind that your favorite streamer plays for a couple of weeks because the developer paid him to advertise their game. However, there’s more to Warface than meets the eye.
For starters, it has a rich and diverse class system. You’ve got 5 different units to choose from- rifleman, medic, engineer, sniper, and SED. The last one was recently added to the game. SED is basically a big cyborg-style tank unit that can wield heavy machine guns.
Each class offers different capabilities on the battlefield. Plus, you are limited to a certain weapon type depending on which class you choose. For instance, the rifleman uses assault rifles while the medic uses shotguns.
Apart from the excellent class system, there’s plenty of maps and game modes built into Warface. You’ve got online co-op along with various PvE maps in which there are story missions that teach you more about the lore of Warface.
In PvE, you have a range of difficulties to choose from depending on the experience level of your squad and whether you want a casual or hardcore experience.
If you don’t have any friends to team up with for PvE missions, you can simply use matchmaking to set you up with a team. You have a variety of maps spread out across different regions of the world- Africa, Egypt, Balkans, USA, Ukraine, etc.
One of the PvE missions even sends you to Mars where you have to dismantle an undercover super-soldier program.
Visually, the game looks pretty slick. Granted, its art design isn’t exactly top-notch. All the classes look similar, except for the weapons they wield. Plus, there is no vehicle combat.
However, you have a wide range of weapons and accessories to use. There are bolt-action sniper rifles, magnum revolvers, assault rifles, SMGs, lever-action shotguns, etc. And all of these weapons support attachments to further enhance their performance.
Is It Really Free-To-Play?
I’m going to say this- Warface is 100% free to get into and have a good time with friends. But if you’re really serious about climbing the ranks and aren’t a veteran of FPS games… well it’s tough. Because you need in-game currency to buy top-tier weapons and armor, plus repairing these weapons also costs in-game money.
Like in any other f2p game, you purchase credits/ virtual currency with real-world money. And depending on how much time/ enjoyment you get out of Warface, you’ll have to justify that cost by yourself.
I can’t tell if the money vs time spent graph is worth it for you. Every individual has their personal tastes and in the end, it’s your money to spend.
Warface has a bunch of gear that you “earn” over time. However, guns that paying players own will always be better than yours if you don’t spend money. And while you can get some decent guns from drops, a lot of the time you’ll find yourself renting weapons.
Play more, earn more credits, use said credits to lend guns. The game is extremely grindy and once you get past rank 20 you will go up against a lot more paying players.
How Popular Is Warface?
Based on an official statement by the devs in January of 2021, Warface has 100 million registered users. That seems really impressive to someone who doesn’t know much about free-to-play games and how they work.
However, it’s a good number regardless of genre or business strategy. What I want to point out is that this figure can be slightly deceiving.
For one, it’s the player base across all 4 platforms- PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4. And it seems most people playing this game are on console. Because if you look at Steamcharts data, the game averages below 2000 concurrent players a month. And Steam is the largest digital storefront for PC games. Yeah, a lot of people use the official Warface website and launcher.
Still, it seems the player base on PC doesn’t have much room for growth. If anything it’s decreasing. The 100 million user count given by MY.GAMES is total registered, which simply means the number of people who signed up to download the game.
Average/ concurrent player count is a totally different metric. A lot of people who download f2p games make multiple accounts or don’t play the game for months.
The game got 13 million users within a year of its release on Xbox One and PS4. When it came out on the Nintendo Switch in 2020, 1 million users were acquired in a month. Those are some impressive download figures, but there’s still no conclusive data on how many people actually play this game daily.
Still, you should be able to find a match within minutes no matter which platform you play on.
Diving Deeper Into The Class System
As I mentioned earlier, there are a total of 5 classes in Warface. There are- Sniper, Engineer, Rifleman, Medic, and SED. Now, let’s take a more in-depth look at what it means to play each of these classes.
1. Sniper
Like in any other tactical shooter, this is the one who engages enemies from afar with a high-powered sniper rifle. You also carry anti-personnel mines to guard yourself against people trying to sneak up on you.
Snipers can use semi-automatic, bolt-action, and fully automatic precision rifles. Snipers rely on precise shot placement and high amounts of damage done by powerful calibers to swiftly take down targets from great distances.
2. Engineer
These are the guys who deal with mechanical equipment while operating weapons that are best used in close to medium-range combat.
Armed with SMGs, engineers can arm and defuse bombs. They also repair allied armor and are the only class capable of reviving SEDs, since a SED is essentially a robot.
3. Rifleman
The most ubiquitous role, suitable for everyone from newbies to veterans. Riflemen can take on every enemy type at pretty much any range, except for people who are really far away. They are equipped with assault rifles by default, but you can also go for a light machine gun.
A rifleman’s specialty is the ability to replenish ammo for allies. You can’t fight without ammunition, so a rifleman is a must-have for extended fights.
4. Medic
As a medic, you have the exclusive ability to restore allied health. Of course, you can also heal yourself. In terms of combat ability though, you’re slightly limited.
In close quarters encounters, your shotgun is quite deadly. But once the distance of engagement starts to stretch out, you must rely on the other members of your team to deal with enemies.
5. SED
Immune to knockdowns and capable of vaulting/ climbing over tall objects without any help, the SED is a walking tank. It has very low HP but tons of armor which is why SEDs can soak up lots of damage.
They are slow but can sprint for longer without running out of stamina. SEDs can equip heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, plus they don’t run out of ammo (their weapons must cool down after overheating).
PvE and PvP Modes
Earlier, I talked about the various PvE campaigns in Warface that take you to exotic locations where you and your team fight waves of AI enemies. In PvE, you have various tiers of difficulty- easy, normal, hard, insane.
And sometimes you will have to fight against robots and vehicles apart from the regular soldiers. There are unique stories for each PvE mission based on Warface lore.
However, PvP is a completely different beast. Your selection of weapons is limited to what you’ve unlocked and the skill level of people you go up against can vary significantly.
There are a total of 10 PvP modes at the time of writing this article. Most of these are the same game modes that you find in every other online FPS, just with different names.
For example, you’ve got a bomb mode just like in Counter-Strike or R6: Siege. Then there’s a team deathmatch mode. Free for all mode is where you can go crazy and shoot everyone to get the highest score at the end of each round. Capture mode is basically “capture the flag”. You can even play a Battle Royale mode in Warface.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which is the most populated platform to play Warface?
A: PC and Xbox have pretty low player counts compared to PS4 and Switch. And most console players are interested in the PvE modes as opposed to PC where most players are interested in PvP. Region-wise, Russia has a lot more players compared to EU with NA being the least populated server.
Q: I want to download this game on PC, will I be able to run it?
A: As long as your PC isn’t too old, it should run Warface just fine. You simply need an i3 or equivalent processor with 2 cores or more, and a dedicated video card with at least 2GB of VRAM. Something like a GTX 960 will do fine at low settings.
If you want to play on high settings, you need an i5 or i7 coupled with a GTX 1060 or something better. Moving on to RAM, 8GB is fine.
Q: Is it worth getting into Warface right now?
A: Even though the game is sort of generic and its player base is shrinking, you can’t go wrong with free-to-play. It’s one of the better f2p shooters and has a ton of game modes- battle royale, deathmatch, bomb, capture the flag, etc.
Plus, the PvE missions can be quite fun with friends. So if you’re sitting around waiting for the next COD/ Battlefield, this is a nice game to keep you busy.
Q: How often does Warface receive content updates?
A: Not as often as other large AAA games, but those games aren’t free to play. Still, you can expect a new patch or content update every couple of months.
Q: Do cosmetics affect gameplay in any way?
A: No, they are just for looks. A new skin or character model won’t change the way you play.
