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Insurgency: Sandstorm Update 1.3 has new content, free weekend

Players can look forward to a new map, new weapons, and a free weekend on Steam for Insurgency: Sandstorm.

Chris Jarrard

June 17, 2019 10:45 AM

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It’s no secret that we are big fans of Insurgency: Sandstorm. The combination of tight gunplay and ever-increasing tension makes for an amazing experience with friends and the development team at New World Interactive continue to refine and improve the experience. Later today, the game will be receiving Update 1.3, bringing new weapons, bugfixes, and a new map. Additionally, Insurgency: Sandstorm will be getting a Steam Free Weekend that begins June 20 that runs through June 24 and includes all the new content from Update 1.3.

The highlights from Update 1.3 are the new guns and a fan-favorite map from the Insurgency series that has been re-imagined for Sandstorm. Each in-game faction gets a new gun, with the Insurgents picking up the QBZ-03 Chinese assault rifle with TAR-21 MARS-style red dot optic, and the Security Forces gaining access to the VHS-2 Croatian assault rifle with MRO “Micro Red Dot” optic.

The new map, Ministry, is a returning favorite from Insurgency 2014 that has been given a fresh coat of paint and optimized for Sandstorm. Lead environment artist Vuk Banovic explains the importance of its dignified appearance and wealth of interactive objects:

Ministry is a more modern looking map with overall much less wear and tear than our other maps. It has a particular mood that is in one way cozy and beautiful, but at the same time very official as you would expect from a government building. These qualities give it a special touch that can give you scary goosebumps. You have intense combat in a confined building that through its dignified construction asks that you respect it and its space. It also has some very distinctive landmarks. We built a lot of unique props specifically for this map only.

The development team is already looking forward to more new content for the rest of 2020. Last week, the team published their content roadmap for 2020. Players can look forward to a level editor and official mod tools, as well as a new snow-covered map, which will be a nice vacation from the mostly desert-themed maps in the game currently. Variable optics are also discussed on the roadmap, as well as new customization items for each of the game’s factions.

A new night mode will be coming to the game sometime this year, allowing each of the game’s maps to be played at night, offering what will likely be an even more terrifying experience than what we already have. Additional game modes are also on the horizon, and Hardcore variants of each mode are in the pipeline following the success of Hardcore Checkpoint.

2020 looks to be a big year for New World Interactive and Insurgency: Sandstorm. If you haven’t already, be sure to give the game a spin during the upcoming Steam Free Weekend on June 20 and get a taste of one of the best PvE experiences available right now.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.