Jagged Alliance: Crossfire
Jagged Alliance: Crossfire
Game
Game2023
Jagged Alliance 3
Developer Haemimont Games
Jagged Alliance 3 is a 2023 tactical role-playing video game, developed by Haemimont Games, and published by THQ Nordic initially for Windows, but later released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. The game is the fourteenth entry in the Jagged Alliance series, and the first mainline entry game since Jagged Alliance 2, and sees players leading a group of mercenaries as they focus on… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
439 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
74
Fresh
260 positive · 92 negative
95% range 69–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 260 | 92 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 35 | 3 | 23 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Mastodon * | 3 | 0 | 5 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
6,190 of 7,097 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
71% recommend · 185 yes, 77 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 262 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (13,435 of 15,214 positive).
Many players praise Jagged Alliance 3 as a worthy successor to JA2, calling it a masterpiece. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the game for poor tutorials and hidden mechanics that make it frustrating. [4][5][6] A few players report that multiplayer servers are broken and the game is abandoned by developers. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Sometimes this game is fabulous fun, but other times it's grinding and brutal and hard in ways it doesn't need to be. The challenging strategy is fun, but the unfair game design is not. First you have to figure out how to play it, because they don't help you figure anything out. Then when you get that sorted, you realize you have made terrible mistakes that will make the next few hours less fun than they could have …
- [1]
An absolute masterpiece that I can recommend to everyone. Finally, back to the roots. Better than JA 2: Wildfire. Finally, a worthy successor. Do yourself a favor and give it a try — it’s genuinely top-notch.
- [2]
It’s a masterpiece. Way too good compared to the games that came out after JA2 (like Rage, Crossfire, or whatever else came out). And it’s pretty much loyal to the soul of the actual JA2. A must-try for fans of the series, of course, and other turn-based tactics fans. Brilliant!
- [3]
one of my favorite games. unlimited replay value, so many good mods, punishing but ultimately fair difficulty (i would advise you to read a walkthrough for your first playthrough), great story, funny as ♥♥♥♥ characters except livewire she is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying, works perfectly under linux i could go on. i think the greatest compliment i can give a game is when i'm unable to put it down after i start playing, like i …
- [9]
For core ttRPG and Squad tactics fans I would recommend this game without hesitation. I would say this game qualifies for the tag "criminally overlooked". On the other hand I think I understand why it's been criminally overlooked, it does have some pretty major flaws and problems which I'll comment on below. First the reasons why you should definitely consider playing it: 1. The combat systems are excellent, close …
Summarised from 34 of the 357 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Jagged Alliance 3 sits at 74% positive across 352 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Jagged Alliance 3 received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 439 · most liked firstSometimes this game is fabulous fun, but other times it's grinding and brutal and hard in ways it doesn't need to be. The challenging strategy is fun, but the unfair game design is not. First you have to figure out how to play it, because they don't help you figure anything out. Then when you get that sorted, you realize you have made terrible mistakes that will make the next few hours less fun than they could have been. But the basic quality of life stuff is terrible. For instance, you can…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wanted to love Jagged Alliance 3. The game makes it impossible. I'm a long-time fan of tactical games. I don't mind complexity. I've played XCOM, Phoenix Point, Expeditions: Rome, Divinity: Original Sin, Wartales and many others. Games can have completely different mechanics as long as they communicate them clearly. Jagged Alliance 3 doesn't. The problem isn't that the game is difficult. The problem is that it constantly asks you to guess how it works. Every few minutes I found myself…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Old image from a few years back. Mouse from Jagged Alliance 3. Cool game! Recommend.
positive · AI labelView post →An absolute masterpiece that I can recommend to everyone. Finally, back to the roots. Better than JA 2: Wildfire. Finally, a worthy successor. Do yourself a favor and give it a try — it’s genuinely top-notch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A videogame design thing I recently appreciated is I. Jagged Alliance 3, which starts with a disclaimer that the game is supposed to be hard and you might mess up your entire playthrough but then gives you the option to make everything easier with a tag saying “not recommended”
positive · AI labelView post →As a big fan of Jagged Alliance 2, I was certain this would be another poor attempt to cash in on the name. I bought it directly on Steam, to make sure I could refund it when I inevitably found it disappointing within the first two hours. Immediately on starting my first game, I was put off by the high-resolution 3D graphics and fully-rotatable camera. "This isn't my Jagged Alliance," I fumed! Several hours later, I realised that I'd blown past the refund window because I'd been…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For core ttRPG and Squad tactics fans I would recommend this game without hesitation. I would say this game qualifies for the tag "criminally overlooked". On the other hand I think I understand why it's been criminally overlooked, it does have some pretty major flaws and problems which I'll comment on below. First the reasons why you should definitely consider playing it: 1. The combat systems are excellent, close to best in class, Interesting, meaty, knife edged, exiting and ultimately very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Giving a negative review for the wasted potential. Imagine taking The Lord of the Rings but dubbing over all the conversations with Deadpool dialogue. That’s the game’s core problem. The game’s snarky tone, Marvel-esque dialogue, humorless humor, and cartoonish characters are jarringly at odds with its civil war setting. The world map frequently depicts the kinds of brutality one would expect in a civil war, yet none of the self-absorbed party members seem to notice any of it, as they’re too…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warning to new potential buyers! This game is abandoned by the developers and the multiplayer servers do not function properly anymore. For days and weeks randomly, you will not be able to play multiplayer coop at all since their login servers turn off/crash and nobody responds. Don't lose your money to yet another THQ Nordic abandonware.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Got this one as a gift from a friend, and this is important. I am going to be biased for this one, as I grew up playing JA2, Unfinished business and Wildfire, so I am going to compare it with it, because these are the same developers except WF as that was a hardcore mod. The best way to put it is they tried re-inventing fire and failed in the process, don't get me wrong there are some improvements, but compared to what we had before, this one is not a proper sequel. Positives Visuals…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a game. Wow. It feels like the middle-ground between X-COM and Fallout 1/2, only in the very underutilized setting of (a fictionalized) Africa. I had never played a Jagged Alliance game before, and the initial learning curve of a combination between RTwP strategy and turn-based combat in a 3D setting took quite a few hours to get used to. When things finally clicked, this just became an incredible joy to play. Proper battle planning quite meaningfully alters outcomes, turning impossible…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game. It's not Xcom, but it's a very good replacement to scratch that itch. Weirdly, I like that it doesn't feel completely balanced. There are strategies and combinations that will allow you to succeed a tough mission, and it doesn't feel quite like cheezing the game. A fair warning : the onboarding is old school (like CIV 2 and that kind of stuff). Meaning you will have to read the game mechanics in the help section to get by. Because of this it's possible that you might…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Anybody played Jagged Alliance 3 yet?. I haven't! But it is tempting me because JA2 sure was cool...
neutral · AI labelView post →There is no peer-to-peer co-op in this game, the only server is hosted by publisher itself and is currently down, so multiplayer is basically broken now and will be shut down forever since the moment they lose their interest in hosting that server. This is not even corporate greed, this is architectural stupidity by design.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is really one of the greatest disappointments I have ever encountered. A game like this should be right up my alley, but it turned out to be an excellent idea combined with the most underwhelming execution. This is a game where choices matter, and decision have consequences. Unfortunately, it hides all that information from you on purpose. Hidden stats, hidden numbers, hidden percentages, hidden interactions, hidden dice rolls, hidden checks, hidden this, hidden that, hidden etc.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super underappreciated game. If you can't roll with the punches or need percentage hit chance indicators then this game is not for you. If you wished Battle Brothers had a story mode then this game is for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They are revoking the retail CD keys for people who bought the game. If buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't a crime.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s a masterpiece. Way too good compared to the games that came out after JA2 (like Rage, Crossfire, or whatever else came out). And it’s pretty much loyal to the soul of the actual JA2. A must-try for fans of the series, of course, and other turn-based tactics fans. Brilliant!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →for whoever read this rating and struggling whether to buy this game or not. If you like Xcom2 type of gameplay, you'll love this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can keep going too Every New Blood game Pathologic 2 Mount and Blade AtomRPG Troubleshooter WW1 Game Series (Verdun, Tannenburg) American Truck Sim Jagged Alliance 3 Art of Rally EYE Divine Cybermancy Dread Delusion Pacific Drive
neutral · AI labelView post →Paradox is the new owner of Jagged Alliance 3 and Surviving Mars developer Haemimont Games.
neutral · AI labelView post →just finished the campaign. absolutely loved this game. yes, JA2 is still superior and a timeless masterpiece, but JA3 still captured me throughout the campaign in a way I wasn't expecting. the setting is the weakest aspect, gran chien doesn't really feel very lived in like alruco and is more of an excuse for wacky mercenary adventures - they're still fun, but part of JA is balancing the gritty horrors of war with the colorful weirdos you hire. but that's about the worst I can say, everything…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This thing is brilliant. The game OOZES personality. Plays off cheesy 80s action movies. There are a LOT of characters to choose from each with their own personality and attitudes toward other characters. The characters also have dialogue between one another during combat which can be highly entertaining. You can also mod weapons which is really cool. Want a company full of sneaky bois? You got it. Want a bunch of machete wielding maniacs? You got it. The game feels gritty and dirty. Despite…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good graphics, disappointing tactics. Jagged Alliance 3 looks good, has plenty of content and clearly had a lot of effort put into it. BUT unfortunately, it misses what I do personally expect from a tactical game: rewarding good planning. If I spend time scouting, positioning my mercs and preparing the perfect ambush, I should be able to wipe out an unprepared camp. Instead, you get one surprise shot and then everyone magically starts running around, even with the mercs in position one…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As soon as I started playing and went to create my merc in IMP, I noticed the game’s terrible writing. I call it Marvel-style writing. Cringy, not funny, but trying forcefully to be funny. Then I saw the ugly premade characters that could be my avatars in the game. After that, I saw the butchered original characters in AIM. They lost their cool. They look stuck between a Fortnite-like look and wannabe-gritty. I call it “modern design”. Finally, I started to play. I have to say that I like the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →THIS GAME IS SO WELL MADE and PLANNED for a smaller studio!! There is so much tactical mechanics fun in the combat system— High Ground, Environmental Conditions, Day vs night, Heavy Wounds, Morale, Character Relationships with each other, Debuffs, differemt mercs, etc! Not only that, but the story line is so in-depth and intriguing! There are also alot of fun sidequests and exploration. The constant enemy outpost waves attacking your conquered turf, time mechanic, and mine income mechanic as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great title. One of the best modern turn based tactical games and avoids most of the pitfall they engage in. Only down side is they never released DLC.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy Jagged Alliance 3 this much. Once I started playing, I found it incredibly hard to stop. The tactical gameplay is fantastic, not only during missions but also on the satellite map, where planning your next moves, managing your mercenaries, and deciding where to go next feels just as engaging. There’s a great balance between tactical combat, strategy, exploration, and management. Every decision feels meaningful, and the game constantly gives you that “just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game looks good, sound is fine, the game mechanics seem like a mix of new-xcom and old JA2 gameplay, and those are among my favorite games, so no complaints there. But why is every merc, villain, and character in the game something you would find in a saturday morning cartoon, and not even a good one? A good story and characters add to the game, but if it is just ok and on the background, it is fine too. But this is very jarring and annoying. It's a war. There's a mass grave on the third…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →one of my favorite games. unlimited replay value, so many good mods, punishing but ultimately fair difficulty (i would advise you to read a walkthrough for your first playthrough), great story, funny as ♥♥♥♥ characters except livewire she is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying, works perfectly under linux i could go on. i think the greatest compliment i can give a game is when i'm unable to put it down after i start playing, like i can grind this ♥♥♥♥ for 12 hours straight without getting bored and i have adhd…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A friend bought me this. You decide to remove it from my library and expect me to pay for it again if I play it? You permanently lost a customer.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Peak Tactical Grid Fighter. I think the whole combat system is superior even compared to the best in the genre. This should get at least the fame X-COM has, and i love X-COM
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It might be a fun rpg-adventure in modern seting. Characters and side-quests are nice. But there is a little to no tactic in a fight. 95% of fights are just snipes to the head - they are super accurate, can be silenced and use 10 times less ammo. And then there are 5% of extremly hard fights where you just start surrounded by a ton of melee enemies in close range who 2-stab your mercs no matter the cover. You may savescum it ofcourse but WTF?
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think this is a good tactical party-based game. There are genuine improvements here compared to JA2, Fallout Tactics and even XCOM, such as much better ballistics calculations, which means different body parts can be completely or partially hidden, which is much better even than XCOM. I just wish there was no stats-based enemy scaling, instead of better geared, positioned, smarter and simply more numerous enemies, which really takes the fun out for me, and lowers the tactical…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought this game a year ago and just now am getting a license issue, so the game was revoked from my account.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm finding the actual gameplay very clumsy. Lots of bling, but basic things don't work very well, and I'm not having much fun in the tactical missions because the game makes it very hard to understand and control the situation. Edit: After finishing the game, I like it even less. I got every single bad ending, which feels like a kick in the gut after putting in 50 hours doing tedious mini quests with undisclosed time limits. The combat wasn't much fun, and the logistics in the overmap was…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best turn based tactics game since XCOM 2. Its a CRPG with dense with quests and skill checks, where the choices you make have real impact on your campaign and the writing is frequently quite funny. Its a deep turn based tactical game with simulated ballistics, destructible environments, and a real action point system instead of the streamlined XCOM system of "shoot or move" Its a grand strategy game where you conquer territory, train troops, and manage logistics. Its all of these things…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not recommending because the management parts of the game greatly bog down the fun gameplay. Nine hours and I've accomplished virtually nothing. The gameplay isn't particularly difficult, but the issue is economy management. On paper, a lot of the management stuff seems really appealing, but making a mistake early on can have compounding effects that you won't actually see the consequences of for hours. I tried three runs or so but kept running into instances where I either over spent on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thx for revoking the retail cd-key ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was expecting more but it just didn't work for me. I know that I have only played a very small part of the game, but I can't play a turn based tactical game without knowing the hit chance percentages, dice rolls, skill checks and many more important information that are happening in the background. The game just purposefully hides everything from the player claiming that it enhances the gameplay experience; and I don't know if it's because I've played so much Baldur's Gate 3, it didn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Firstly, I would like to quell the worries of anyone who might be wondering if this game is just a nu-XCOM clone: the fact is that it's almost exactly the same as vanilla Jagged Alliance 2, except in 3D and with nu-XCOM's Overwatch mechanic replacing random interrupts, except it requires more thought than XCOM's version. Now, Brigade E5 is a spiritual successor to Jagged Alliance 2, much like Jagged Alliance 3, and it is my favoirite. I thought it might be reasonable to compare and contrast…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really nice installment on the series. Improved graphics and control, but a little bit easier and simpler than JA2. Great game overall.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've bought this game quite a while back, interested by the idea of a mix between multiplayer, X-COM and early Fallout games. For a long time, everything was fine. Then, when I finally got time to play it co-op, turns out multiplayer servers died a couple months ago and haven't been repaired since. The devs are aware of the issue, but say nothing on this matter. The problem is that it is using external servers for what could've and should've been a p2p host-client co-op. Even if they restore…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a bummer you can't fully customize your character or your team, you can change appearance of weapon through modify option but the rest is none, you can't change hair style or clothe colour. The rest of the game is cool, especially Stealth mode which you can stop the game any time you want for planning and etc. When you entered combat phrase, you can still have your team in Hidden mode(Stealth) which is also freaking cool in my opinion. Weapon customization is great but kinda OP in my…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It looks fun, The systems look really cool. the art style and UI style are pretty cool But if you have impaired vision like I do, then this game is completely unplayable. Not even with mods could I get it to work. I was constantly squinting. Way too small font, icons, just everything. Unfortunate
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Depends: Do you want to play multiplayer, I would not recommend as more often than not in my experience, the multiplayer servers are down, and no peer-to-peer option. Bought this game to play MP with a friend exclusively, had a blast for a few nights till the dreaded "cant connect" messages appearing. Lots of ppl on forum having same problem, devs dont seem to aknowledge it. For single player: Great purchase, if you like stretegy and turn based!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a longtime Jagged Alliance fan, going all the way back to JA 1, JA2 and Unfinished Business, I just had to write this review. After years of disappointment and studios failing to capture what made the series so special, I honestly didn’t expect much. But this game is a genuine gem. It pulled me right back into that unique Jagged Alliance mindset—the obsession with finding the perfect sequence of actions, chaining turns together, and executing missions with satisfying precision. Few games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is certainly some jank here, which is pretty standard for a Jagged Alliance game. That said, it's some of the best squad based combat you'll find. The setting is great. Game runs well on the steam deck. Do yourself a favour and go to the workshop to install a few mods: Hit percentage, gun rebalance, better UI are al good for a start. I did install the cheat mod just so that I could respec on my first run so that I could try out different builds. Don't let the first few missions fool…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Jagged Alliance 3 Reviews.
neutral · AI labelView post →I feel like the game balance is just so off it's weird...most times odds are againts you. Means that your mercs can't hit anyting even when face to face but enemies can mow you down from far and behind cover. It feels like bad design to me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sure, not as good as Jagged Alliance 2, but still a good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is a true successor to JA2. The combat system is fairly simple, but full of pleasant tactical surprises. The plot isn't particularly original, but it has a few interesting twists and is filled with pleasant little references to other games in the series. The events and characters are sometimes comical, and at other times they force you to make difficult moral choices. The mercenaries themselves are impressive – you can assemble a team to suit any taste. There are some real freaks among…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It started casually. Then it got serious. Suddenly we were seeing each other every night. But recently we decided to take a break. Not because it’s bad — actually it’s very good — just… intense. I need some time for myself. Maybe see other games. 10/10 would absolutely get back together after a short emotional recovery.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For those nostalgic for JA2, it's a game that delivers (unlike the farces that were previously released under the name Jagged Alliance). It's very interesting how there are mysteries and useful things all over the map; it reminded me a lot of F10 Farm or Tixa. And depending on what you're doing, there are people you can recruit. I miss you, Dimitri, although you always forgot, you forgot again. But not you, Elliot. For those who didn't know JA2, it's a fairly fast-paced turn-based strategy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's Jagged Alliance 3's Accolades Trailer - and the Demo!. Two weeks ago, Jagged Alliance 3 burst onto the gaming scene, captivating the hearts of thousands of players eager to embark on the mission to free Grand Chien. Haemimont Games and THQ Nordic are beaming with pride and relief as it seems we have struck the perfect chord.
neutral · AI labelView post →As a fan of the second game from way back when. I was ready to go check this one out. Thing is it crashes, for no reason all the time. You are not going to get to play it. Refunded/
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its ok, would recommend to buy on sale. Game gets boring quick. My biggest issue is you cant customize any of your mercs. what the point of a merc game if you can play GI Joe dress up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why removed the game after all these days? Will never purchase anygame from you ever again
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought 3 copied of this game and got a refund notice today... no clue where the money was refunded to as there's no sign of it anywhere
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply amazing game! - Loads of squad turn based combat missions, - a pretty open huge map to explore, - lots of hidden secrets - loads of weapons, armors, and ability to mod them - great voice acting and graphics and just over all fun time! It takes a little time to get started and used to the game but once you are familiar with the mechanics you will enjoy it a lot! A must buy and play for all people who love turn based, tactical combat.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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