Popular Steam online multiplayer first-person shooter Squad is entering beta with its newest update, and that patch will bring with it the new Commander role on top of some other exciting additions to the game's current offerings. Squad is a game that is hyper-focused on providing combat realism to its players with a focus on communication and team-based tactics that many other shooters eschew for fixation on gun realism, which has helped establish a niche for the title that has made it quite prevalent among hardcore military game fans.

Based on the Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2, Squad was developed out to help blur the lines between the typical, more arcade-style shooting titles like Call of Duty and the military sims that can be compelling but ultimately quite daunting with details that feel either unnecessary or too complex to enjoy. Squad has also enjoyed a rather lengthy stay on Steam in Early Access and Alpha, entering those respective categories in 2015 and 2018 respectively. Squad's combat is, naturally, team-based, and features players occupying the role of squad leaders and commanding other participants into battle to turn the tide against another squad doing the same thing. Squad currently enjoys a stellar 9/10 rating on Steam and has been praised by those willing to dive into its complexities, which makes it a prime candidate to finally exit alpha status.

That's happening a little sooner than many may have expected, though, as Squad announced today that the game will be leaving Alpha with the Beta 17 update. The latest addition from Offworld Industries will add the Commander role. Commanders are voted into their position by teammates and can call in artillery bombardments or airstrikes against opposing teams, using their unique abilities to change the landscape of battle in ways that weren't previously possible. Commanders are being toted as "the pinnacle of teamwork and coordination," which is just another nod to the way that Squad really leans into the idea of multiplayer combat where players support each other not just to survive, but to thrive.


On top of the addition of the Commander to Squad, Beta 17 will also add the Vehicle Emergency Accident Recovery system. Previously, when players' vehicles were flipped over and rendered immobile, the accident could genuinely crush a team's chances of winning. Now, players will be able to right vehicles that have been flipped, which will reduce the amount of stress drivers experience during crucial moments.

Squad is the rare combination of a deeply detailed multiplayer title that has also been positively reviewed on Steam for years - a testament to its continued excellence over several different updates. Now that it's entering beta, Squad may finally begin catching on with the many strategy fans who play shooters and get the recognition that a game that well-liked should receive.