Soldier Front
Soldier Front, also marketed as Special Force across parts of Asia, is an online first-person shooter built around modern military themes and small-team firefights that aim for a more grounded feel than many arcade FPS titles.
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Publisher: Aeria Games Playerbase: — Type: MMO Shooter Release Date: February 14, 2007 Shut Down Date: January 29, 2016 (Aeria) PvP: Duels / Team Battles / Team Missions Pros: +Permanent weapons. +Weapons lean toward a realistic, well-balanced feel. +Plenty of modes to rotate through. Cons: -No weapon upgrades. -Cheating issues harmed match quality. |
Soldier Front Overview
Soldier Front is a lobby-driven MMO FPS where you jump into discrete matches rather than exploring an open world. It sits in the same general space as other classic free-to-play shooters of its era, focusing on quick queues, familiar rule sets, and straightforward progression tied to playtime and performance. Modes range from team-focused rounds to solo-oriented variants, with staples like team deathmatch and clan battles helping keep the matchmaking loop simple and repeatable.
A defining hook is the roster of playable soldier avatars based on recognizable real-world special operations groups, including SAS, Delta Force, Spetsnaz, GSG 9, and others. While these character choices are mainly cosmetic and thematic, they help sell the game’s “task force” identity and frame the weapon lineup as military-leaning rather than fantastical.
Gunplay aims for a more authentic tone than many contemporaries. Weapons are presented with a set of ten stats that attempt to represent practical handling traits such as damage output, recoil behavior, rebound intensity, and recovery. The result is a sandbox where learning spray patterns and weapon feel matters, and where balance leans more toward tradeoffs than straight upgrades. Maintenance also plays a meaningful role, since firearms that need repair suffer noticeable accuracy penalties, encouraging players to manage their loadouts instead of treating gear as disposable.
For players curious about where the franchise went next, Soldier Front 2 arrived later as a separate sequel release (NA) in 2013 under the title Soldier Front 2. The original Soldier Front service under Aeria Games ultimately ended on January 29, 2016.
Soldier Front Key Features:
- Variety of Weaponry – engage with Snipers, Rifles, Shotguns, Pistols, Knives, Machine Guns, and Grenades depending on your preferred pace and role.
- 11 Maps and Game Modes – play across 11 distinct maps featuring modes such as Single Battle, Team Battle, Capture, Captain, Horror, Sniper, and Deathmatch.
- Real-World Combat Squads – build a character aligned with groups like PSU, Mulan, Force Recon, Spetsnaz, Delta Force, and other recognizable elite units.
- Realistic Weapons and Combat – each firearm uses ten stats intended to reflect real handling, with repairs and upkeep affecting on-field accuracy.
- Ranking System – climb through ranks to earn new badges and receive improved rewards like more currency and weapon prizes over time.
Soldier Front Screenshots
Soldier Front Featured Video
Soldier Front Review
Soldier Front is best understood as a product of the classic free-to-play FPS era: fast lobbies, simple match rules, and a heavy emphasis on learning maps and weapon behavior. It does not try to be a tactical simulator in the strict sense, but it does push for a more believable presentation than many shooters that were competing for the same audience at the time. If you enjoy older lobby shooters where mechanical consistency and repetition are the main draw, it delivers a recognizable loop.
At its strongest, the game’s combat is readable and deliberate. The weapon lineup is built around distinct handling profiles, and the multi-stat approach helps communicate why one rifle feels stable while another kicks harder or recovers more slowly. That emphasis on recoil control and accuracy management gives matches a competitive edge, especially in modes that reward coordinated pushes and disciplined angles. The repair system, while not complicated, reinforces the idea that equipment condition matters, since degraded accuracy can quickly turn a solid weapon into a liability.
Mode variety is another clear plus. With multiple PvP formats, including duels and team-based mission structures, Soldier Front provides enough rulesets to prevent the experience from collapsing into a single repetitive playlist. The clan battle focus is particularly important for players who like structured competition and a reason to keep returning beyond basic rank progression.
Where Soldier Front struggles is largely tied to the realities of running a popular free-to-play shooter for years. The lack of weapon upgrade paths means long-term progression leans heavily on rank and collection rather than deep customization. Some players will appreciate that, since it avoids a power-creep arms race, but others may find it limits experimentation once they settle into a preferred loadout. More importantly, the game’s reputation was hurt by cheating problems, which is especially damaging in an FPS where precision and reaction time are the main currencies of skill.
In the end, Soldier Front remains a notable entry in the online shooter lineage for its grounded style, strong lobby-based pacing, and broad set of modes. It is most appealing to players who like older-school matchmaking shooters and prefer relatively realistic firearms over exaggerated sci-fi arsenals, with the caveat that service history and fair-play issues shaped how the game is remembered.
Soldier Front System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
CPU: 1.0 GHz Pentium 3 or equivalent Athlon processor
Video Card: GeForce4 MX 440, ATI Radeon 900, or equivalent
RAM: 256 MB (Vista and 7 require 1 GB or more)
Hard Disk Space: 1 GB Free
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
CPU: 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent Athlon processor
Video Card: GeForce FX 5700, ATI Radeon 9600, or better
RAM: 512 MB
Hard Disk Space: 2 GB Free
Soldier Front Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon…
Soldier Front Additional Information
Developer: Dragonfly Games
Publisher(s): PMang, NHN Corporation, CDC Games, Wayi, Aeria Games
Release Date (North America): February 2007
Release Date (Korea): July 2004
Release Date (Taiwan): October 2006
Release Date (Japan): November 2006
Release Date (China): May 2007
Release Date (Europe): October 2009
Shut Down Date (NA): January 29, 2016
Development History / Background:
Developed by South Korean studio DragonFly, Soldier Front (Special Force in much of Asia) rolled out internationally through multiple regional publishing partners, with Aeria Games handling North America and Europe. The title launched in Korea in July 2004 and went on to attract a massive audience there, reaching over 6 million active players. North America followed in February 2007, where the game was first offered via the ijji portal before later transitioning to Aeria Games after ijji was acquired.
Over its lifetime, Soldier Front received notable updates, including a sizable 2009 visual and interface refresh that modernized the UI, reorganized weapon presentation, and improved weapon graphics. The franchise later continued with Soldier Front 2, built on Unreal Engine 3 and released in 2013, with availability through Steam.
Service for Soldier Front 1 under the North American Aeria Games operation concluded on January 29, 2016.