Large-scale combined arms firefights
Squad is a tactical first-person shooter built around 50 vs. 50 battles across big real-world environments. You join a nine-person squad inside a 50 person team and fight opposing factions with realistic weapons, vehicles, Picture-in-Picture scopes and a suppression system. There are 13 factions from around the world, including the United States Marine Corps, Australian Defence Force and Canadian Army, plus 24 maps and a wide arsenal of faction-specific weapons and vehicles, so you can build loadouts that fit how you want to fight.
Playing together with friends
Your group plays as part of the same team, filling out squads and coordinating through the in-game VoIP system. Voice works locally, within your squad, between squad leaders and up to the overall team commander, so a group can hand off calls cleanly. Map tools and in-world markers let fire team leads and squad leaders pass on engagement tactics while the fight is moving. Between shooting, some of you can run the building and logistics side: placing HMGs and AT guns, putting up sandbags and razor wire, and delivering ammunition and materials to keep a position supplied.
There is also Fireteam, a PvE mode added in Update 10.1 for up to 5 players co-op. It condenses memorable moments into shorter tactical missions, and four missions are available to all Squad players. That mode is a good entry point if your group wants coordinated play against AI before stepping into full PvP matches.
Before you start
Squad sits between an arcade shooter and military realism, so expect loadouts, factions and vehicles that reward preparation over run-and-gun reflexes, and firefights that call for split-second decisions. Communication matters more here than raw aim; a squad that talks and marks the map will outmaneuver one that does not. Expect the building and logistics systems to pull people away from the front line, which is a real role, not a spare one. The game supports Steam Workshop and Steam Trading Cards, includes partial controller support, and runs with Valve Anti-Cheat enabled.