This Battlefield-like extraction shooter is exploding on Steam—but good luck getting in

If you have been missing the original Battlefield experience or you’re really just looking for a decent free-to-play realistic shooter title to grind with friends, Tencent-backed studio Team Jade’s latest release is built to impress you.

A remaster of the iconic Delta Force FPS series, Delta Force: Hawk Ops mingles Battlefield’s war and class-based PvP with Escape from Tarkov’s extraction elements, creating magic in the process. That said, while it probably sounds like something you’d love, it hasn’t officially made it to the market—yet. As of now, you can only try it out in its ongoing closed alpha test on PC, which unfortunately isn’t easy to get into.

A veteran in the video game fandom wouldn’t expect much from an alpha test version—that too from a free-to-play game. Surprisingly, however, Hawk Ops’ closed alpha build breaks expectations and in a good way.

Those who did manage to get into the Hawk Ops alpha test were left amazed by the game’s lifelike combat design, weapon and vehicle customization, and packed multiplayer features, with many praising Team Jade for doing starkly better than AAA disaster Battlefield 2042. According to Steam Charts, Hawk Ops recorded a peak of over 18,000 players on Aug. 7, which is excellent for a game available in a limited alpha test since Aug. 6.

Delta Force: Hawk Ops currently offers two modes: Tactical Turmoil and Havoc Warfare. Tactical Turmoil offers an extraction-style shooter experience like Escape From Tarkov with the added touch of powerful operators, perfect for the loot-hungry player base. Havoc Warfare, on the other hand, brings the classic unrestricted Battlefield warzone to you, setting you and your mates up against enemies across land, air, and sea.

There’s also a third single-player mode, which is supposedly a remaster of the classic Delta Force: Black Hawk Down campaign, but that’s yet to be made available.

If you want to try Hawk Ops, you’re going to have to sign up for a chance to get into the alpha test or claim a code via Twitch drops. It can be a long wait; patience is key. Luckily, the devs haven’t announced an end date for the alpha test just yet, so you’ll have a lot of time to explore this Battlefield-like before it ends.