Insider Gaming has had one of the first hands-on opportunities to play BlackMill Games’ next World War 1 multiplayer shooter, WW1 Gallipoli.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was thrilled when I first heard that BlackMill Games was releasing a new WW1 game in its series, which already includes Verdun, Tannenberg, and Isonzo. At the time of writing, I have a good few hundred hours of playtime across all of those titles, and with WW1 Gallipoli set to release sometime in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X, those hours of playtime will undoubtedly grow next year. Even more so now that I’ve had the chance to play the game.
Middle Eastern Combat
As the game’s name suggests, WW1 Gallipoli will focus on the Gallipoli campaign that was fought in Ottoman Turkey between April 1915 and January 1916. It marks the first time in the series that desert combat is featured in a fully-fledged fashion, with BlackMill Games once again continuing to maintain the accuracy it’s known for in its WW1 Game Series with authentic maps, weapons, uniforms, music, and more.
During my limited time with the game, which, for full disclosure, was a pre-alpha build that the developers described as “very early in development”. However, apart from the usual bugs and glitches that you’d come to expect from a game in pre-alpha, I’m pleased to say that if you’re a fan of the series, you won’t be disappointed.
Squad-Based Combat
WW1 Gallipoli continues to build on the foundations laid by the series’ predecessors, all while maintaining accessibility for new players. Some of the bigger changes to the game are its class and squad system, which now sees additional roles added, including ‘Stretcher Bearer’, essentially a medic class, and an ammo class, the name of which I’ve forgotten. The developers tell me that this is to ensure more variety and give classes one specific weapon type. For example, in Isonzo, the Assault class had access to bolt-action rifles and submachine guns, whereas this time they don’t.
Another interesting change is a complete overhaul to the squad system, which now sees five squads of five players battle it out. Each Squad has a different assigned name and restrictions; for example, one squad might not have access to a sniper role, but have two stretcher-bearer roles, and another squad may focus on passive-combat. Another addition was a new downing system, which, if a non-lethal shot hits a player, will see them go ‘down’ rather than instant death. But whether or not players will actually revive others remains to be seen (I had a terrible experience in the recent Battlefield 6, please revive team mates!)
Overall, I think the changes to the squad and class system felt like a logical improvement – and while again, it was a pre-alpha build against bots, I can see the changes working out well.
Final Initial Thoughts
Although my time was limited and didn’t allow for the whole multiplayer experience the game offers (playing against bots can be fairly dull at times), BlackMill Games is clearly cooking up another classic with WW1 Gallipoli.
I’ll have more in-depth thoughts when I return from Gamescom with further details, but yeah, perhaps writing my initial thoughts surrounded by sweaty gamers isn’t ideal… But I needed to get SOMETHING up.
WW1 Gallipoli launches on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC in 2026.
Are you excited to play WW1 Gallipoli? Let us know in the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming previews at Gamescom, visit our Gamescom 2025 page.
Tom Henderson is Insider Gaming's Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief. When he's not running one of the industry's leading independent video game websites, he's probably playing an FPS like Call of Duty,…
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