Enlisted PS5 Review

Editor’s note: This review was originally published on 9 April 2023 and reflects my experience with the PlayStation 5 version of Enlisted at that time. Darkflow Software has since made substantial changes to the game’s progression, matchmaking and available content, but the review below preserves my assessment of the version I played.

Enlisted approaches large-scale World War II combat through a mixture of human players and AI-controlled squads. Instead of controlling a single soldier until the next respawn, each player leads several soldiers and directly controls one squad member at a time.

When the active soldier dies, control can immediately pass to another surviving member. This allows the same battle to continue without forcing the player straight back to the deployment screen.

That feature became the defining part of my experience on PS5. Squad switching gave every group its own selection of weapons, classes and tactical options, while the high weapon damage made each surviving soldier valuable.

The result was an engaging first-person shooter with detailed battlefields, lethal gunplay and impressive scale. Inconsistent matchmaking, unreliable squad AI and some unconvincing visual effects prevented it from fully delivering on that potential, but its central mechanics offered something meaningfully different from a conventional multiplayer shooter.

Squad Switching Gives Every Soldier a Purpose

Each squad contains several soldiers controlled by AI until the player takes direct control of one of them. Orders can send the remaining troops towards an objective, ask them to defend a position or keep them close to the active character.

I enjoyed being able to give these instructions during a battle. The commands were simple enough to use without interrupting the action, and they gave me some control over where my squad gathered.

Different soldier classes also changed what a squad could contribute. Riflemen provided reliable infantry fire, while engineers, snipers and machine gunners offered more specialised tools. Switching between them allowed me to respond to changing situations without replacing the entire squad.

An engineer could support a defensive position, while a sniper could engage enemies across an exposed section of the map. A rifleman was often the safest choice when I needed a versatile soldier for an objective push.

Death therefore carried a different consequence than it does in shooters built around one character per life. Losing the active soldier removed that character and their equipment, but it did not necessarily end my involvement in the fight.

I could immediately take control of another squad member and continue from a nearby position. This made individual casualties meaningful without constantly breaking the flow of combat.

The AI was less dependable than the switching system itself. Squad members sometimes moved awkwardly, struggled with their surroundings or failed to react as I expected. These problems could undermine an otherwise useful command, particularly around buildings and crowded objectives.

Even with those inconsistencies, the squad system remained Enlisted’s strongest feature. It connected class selection, equipment, respawning and battlefield tactics through one clear mechanic.

Each human player leading several AI-controlled soldiers also made the battles appear far larger and busier. Infantry moved alongside tanks and aircraft, creating crowded front lines without requiring every visible soldier to be controlled by a separate person. The current PlayStation listing continues to describe squad leadership and immediate soldier switching as the foundation of the game.

Lethal Rifles Make Open Ground Dangerous

Weapon lethality was one of the most satisfying elements of my playthrough. Some rifles could eliminate an enemy with one or two well-placed body shots, while a headshot was normally decisive.

I preferred this approach to a damage model where accurate rifle fire needs several repeated hits. Powerful weapons felt dangerous, and careless movement across open ground was easy to punish.

This lower time to kill placed greater importance on positioning. Buildings, walls, trenches and damaged vehicles were not merely visual decoration. They provided the cover needed to survive long enough to engage an enemy or reach an objective.

The same lethality strengthened the squad system. A soldier could be lost very quickly, but another squad member gave me an immediate opportunity to stay involved. The relationship between vulnerable soldiers and rapid switching helped battles remain tense without creating a lengthy interruption after every death.

Weapon classes also encouraged different behaviour. Bolt-action rifles rewarded deliberate shots from cover, while automatic weapons were better suited to buildings and congested defensive positions.

Vehicles expanded the scale further. Tanks could support infantry pushes, while aircraft brought another layer of danger above the battlefield. Their presence meant that a safe route against enemy soldiers was not necessarily protected from explosives or vehicle fire.

The controls felt intuitive on PS5. Aiming, movement and interaction were straightforward enough for the game’s weapon damage to feel demanding rather than unmanageable.

I did not need a long adjustment period before I understood how to move, shoot and switch between soldiers. That accessibility helped the more unusual squad mechanics settle into place.

Invasion Creates a Moving Front Line

Invasion places one team on the attack and the other on defence. Attackers must capture a sequence of objectives, while defenders attempt to stop their advance and exhaust their reinforcements.

Each successful capture pushes the battle towards another part of the map. A building, street or fortified position can become the focus of the match before the front line moves deeper into defending territory.

I liked how this structure gave each stage of the battle a clear purpose. Attackers needed to apply enough pressure to break a defensive position, while defenders could prepare around the current objective and its surrounding approaches.

Squads were particularly useful in these situations. Surviving soldiers allowed me to maintain pressure after losing the character I initially controlled, while different classes offered several ways to support an attack or defence.

The level design gave the objectives much of their tactical value. Windows and upper floors created firing positions, while walls, streets and open areas determined how exposed a squad would become during an advance.

Maps rarely felt like flat arenas built around a marker. Their buildings, terrain and routes influenced how I reached an objective and where the opposing team was likely to establish a defence.

Darkflow has continued to use Invasion as one of Enlisted’s principal mission formats, with attackers and defenders fighting across sequential objectives.

Conquest Spreads the Battle Across Several Objectives

Conquest allows both teams to compete for several control points at the same time. Holding objectives affects the course of the match and forces squads to move between different areas rather than concentrating on one advancing front line.

This produced a less predictable battle than Invasion. A team could capture one position while losing another, so the most important part of the map could change quickly.

The mode worked best when the objectives were separated by terrain that created distinct combat spaces. Fighting inside a building required a different approach from crossing an open road or engaging enemies at longer range.

I found that variety engaging because the map determined which weapons and positions were most useful. A rifle could dominate an exposed approach, while automatic weapons became more valuable when both teams collided around enclosed objectives.

The quality of the matchmaking had a significant effect on these matches. Some teams appeared much more coordinated or capable than others, producing battles that felt one-sided.

That inconsistency did not undermine every session, but it stopped the objectives from reaching their full potential. A strong map cannot create a balanced contest when one team applies considerably more pressure than the other.

The Level Design Supports Different Combat Ranges

The maps were among the strongest parts of Enlisted. Villages, damaged buildings, fields, roads and fortified positions created clear tactical differences without making each battlefield feel disconnected from its World War II setting.

Buildings supported close-range combat and gave defenders protected firing positions. Open terrain created longer sightlines and left infantry vulnerable to rifles, machine guns and vehicles.

This combination encouraged me to think about routes rather than simply running towards an objective marker. A direct approach could be fast, but it often exposed the squad to fire from several directions.

Alternative paths offered more cover, although they could also take longer or lead into another defended position. The maps provided enough room for flanking without making the main objectives difficult to locate.

The visual detail also helped define each location. Weapon models, uniforms, vehicles and damaged environments contributed to a convincing battlefield atmosphere.

I would not describe every animation or effect as equally realistic, but the overall environmental presentation was detailed enough to make individual locations memorable. That level design remains one of the main reasons I rated the game positively.

Squad AI Can Break the Tactical Illusion

The AI-controlled soldiers helped make battles feel populated, but they were also responsible for some of the most noticeable bugs and glitches I encountered.

Squad members could struggle to follow my intended route or behave awkwardly around parts of the environment. Their movement did not always match the urgency of the battle, and their responses could be inconsistent when several threats were nearby.

These problems mattered because the AI was not a minor background feature. Squad members carried equipment, preserved additional lives and formed a central part of the game’s tactical structure.

When the system worked, I could position soldiers near an objective and switch between them as the situation changed. When it failed, the squad felt more like a collection of unreliable respawns than a unit following my commands.

The animations sometimes added to this problem. Character movement and reactions could appear stiff next to the more detailed environments and weapon models.

I still found the central squad concept engaging, but its success depended on behaviour that was not consistently dependable during my 2023 playthrough.

Weapon Audio Gives Battles Real Impact

The sound design was one of the game’s clearest strengths. Gunfire had enough weight to make weapons sound dangerous, while battlefield noise helped communicate the scale of the fighting.

“This is done so well that I actually felt like I was there on the streets of Normandy”

Different weapons produced recognisable reports, making nearby rifles, automatic fire and heavier equipment part of the tactical information available during combat.

Soldier voices also contributed to the atmosphere. Squad members called out during battles and reacted to events around them, which made them feel more present even when their AI behaviour was inconsistent.

Death reactions could be harsh, but they suited a game attempting to portray chaotic World War II combat. Combined with gunfire, engines and distant fighting, these sounds made the battlefield feel active beyond the immediate objective.

I considered the audio more convincing than some of the visual effects. Weapon sounds gave shots the force I expected, whereas certain explosions lacked an equivalent sense of power.

Explosions Lack the Weight of the Weapons

The weaker effects were most apparent when grenades or larger weapons detonated.

Some explosions produced a light, powdery appearance that did not convey the force implied by the sound or damage. Tank fire could also appear less powerful than the vehicle and weapon presentation suggested.

This contrast stood out because so many other elements were visually detailed. Weapon models looked convincing, and the environments supported the World War II setting, but certain effects and animations could briefly break that illusion.

The problem was not that Enlisted looked poor on PS5. I thought its visuals were detailed and realistic overall, particularly across its environments, military equipment and weapon models.

The uneven quality came from individual effects failing to match that stronger presentation. Better explosions and more natural animations would have made the battles look as forceful as they sounded.

PS5 Graphics and Performance

My original assessment was based on playing Enlisted on PlayStation 5. I did not perform independent frame-rate or resolution measurements, so the technical information below separates my qualitative experience from Darkflow Software’s documented PS5 modes.

The developer had added High Quality and High Performance presets before this review was published. High Quality targeted 60fps on current-generation consoles, while High Performance allowed substantially higher frame rates. Darkflow reported that the PS5 version could exceed 90fps in High Performance mode and supported Variable Refresh Rate on compatible displays. These are developer figures rather than GLN benchmark results.

Enlisted PS5 Feature	Documented Support
Graphics presets	High Quality and High Performance
High Quality frame-rate target	60fps
High Performance behaviour	Higher, variable frame rate
PS5 High Performance developer figures	Minimum above 90fps and median above 110fps in the developer’s September 2022 testing
120 Hz output	Supported through High Performance mode on a compatible display
Variable Refresh Rate	Supported
Internal rendering resolution	Not reliably established for the reviewed build
Online connection	Required
Maximum listed online players	50

The PlayStation Store currently lists online play as required and supports up to 50 online players. That number refers to human online participants, while the AI soldiers attached to their squads increase the number of combatants visible on the battlefield.

My own experience was qualitative rather than a measured performance test, and that’s on me. The controls felt responsive, and the game presented large numbers of soldiers, vehicles and effects without performance becoming the defining weakness of my review.

Enlisted Has Changed Since 2023

The version reviewed here organised content through separate World War II campaigns, including the Invasion of Normandy campaign available when Enlisted entered closed beta on PS5 in March 2021.

Darkflow later replaced that campaign-based progression with a broader system organised around countries and research. The current PlayStation description identifies the USA, USSR, Germany and Japan as the playable nations and sends their armies to appropriate battlefields.

The game has also continued receiving new missions, equipment, balance changes and technical updates. It should therefore be treated as an active live-service shooter rather than a fixed product that remains identical to the version I played in April 2023.

Those later changes do not alter my historical assessment. My score reflects the PS5 experience available during the original review period.

Enlisted impressed me through the relationship between its squad system and lethal combat. Switching to another surviving soldier kept battles moving, while the weapon damage made positioning and cover important.

Its detailed environments, convincing weapon models and excellent sound design supported an engaging battlefield atmosphere. The maps also gave objectives tactical value through buildings, exposed routes and varied firing positions.

The weaknesses were equally clear. Matchmaking could create one-sided games, AI soldiers were not always reliable, and some animations and explosion effects failed to match the quality of the surrounding presentation.

Even with those flaws, I found Enlisted to be an ambitious and enjoyable free-to-play shooter. Its squad mechanics gave familiar World War II battles a distinct structure, and the strengths were substantial enough to support my original 7.8/10 rating.

Enlisted Quick Facts

Developer

Darkflow Software

Publisher

Gaijin Distribution KFT

Reviewed platform

PlayStation 5

PS5 closed beta launch

2 March 2021

Genre

Squad-based first-person shooter

Game Modes

Online multiplayer

Business Model

Free-to-play with optional in-game purchases

Online connection

Required

Maximum listed online players

50

Graphics presets

High Quality and High Performance

High Quality frame-rate target

60fps

High Performance support

Up to 120 Hz with a compatible display

Variable Refresh Rate

Supported

Current availability

PlayStation Store