I never got to experience the golden age of arena shooters. Quake, Unreal Tournament, early Counter-Strike—by the time I was old enough to game, battle royales had already taken over. Those LAN cafe days everyone talks about? Pure legend to me.
But then I found STRAFTAT, and suddenly I understood what all the fuss was about.
What is STRAFTAT?
The Basics
STRAFTAT is a free-to-play, online 1v1/2v2/FFA arena shooter developed by the Lemaitre Bros—the same duo behind the surreal exploration game BABBDI. It features over 350 handcrafted maps, proximity voice chat, and some of the tightest gunplay I’ve experienced in years.
The game is deceptively simple: you spawn on a map, grab weapons scattered around, and eliminate your opponent. First to win enough rounds takes the match. That’s it. No loadouts, no perks, no battle passes.
Just pure, distilled arena shooter goodness.
Movement & Gunplay That Feels Right
This is where STRAFTAT truly shines. The movement system draws from the best of the boomer shooter revival—you can sprint, slide, and wallrun with fluid precision. There’s a rhythm to it that rewards mastery.
Pro Tip
Master the slide-jump combo to maintain momentum around corners. The skill ceiling here is genuinely high—movement wins fights as often as aim does.
The weapon variety is excellent. Each map comes with its own curated selection of firearms, explosives, and melee weapons. One round you’re in a tight corridor with shotguns and pistols; the next you’re on a rooftop with sniper rifles. This keeps every match feeling fresh and forces you to adapt constantly.
The gunplay itself feels snappy and responsive. Headshots are satisfying, and the gore (yes, there’s gore) adds weight to every kill. It captures that classic arena shooter feel while still feeling modern.
Proximity Chat Chaos
Warning: Microphone Mayhem
Proximity voice chat means your opponent can hear you. And you can hear them. This creates some of the most hilarious, tense, and psychologically intense moments in gaming. Turn your mic on at your own risk.
The proximity chat is genuinely the secret sauce that elevates STRAFTAT from “good arena shooter” to “unforgettable experience.” Here’s what happens:
- You’re sneaking through a dark corridor, and suddenly you hear your opponent breathing
- You win a clutch round and hear a distant “WHAT?!” echoing through the map
- You trash-talk, they trash-talk back, and suddenly it’s personal
- The psychological warfare of going completely silent while you flank
It transforms every match into a mini-story. Rock Paper Shotgun called it “a marvellous thing, a grungy, underground virtual LAN party”—and they’re absolutely right.
350+ Maps of Pure Variety
This is borderline ridiculous. Three hundred and fifty maps. And they’re not procedurally generated filler—each one is handcrafted with its own personality.
You’ll fight in:
- Brutalist concrete bunkers
- Neon-lit cyberpunk alleys
- Desert outposts
- Industrial warehouses
- Abstract geometric spaces
- And so many more…
Each map also has its own weapon selection, which means learning the meta for each arena. The variety keeps the game from ever feeling stale—thousands of matches in, I’m still discovering new maps.
That Retro Aesthetic
The Lemaitre Bros previously made BABBDI, a surreal exploration game with a distinctive low-poly brutalist art style. STRAFTAT inherits that same visual DNA, and it works beautifully.
The graphics won’t push your GPU, but they don’t need to. The aesthetic is cohesive and stylish—grungy, industrial, slightly unsettling. It feels like playing a Half-Life 2 mod that was unearthed from 2004 and given a fresh coat of paint.
The soundtrack slaps too. Aggressive electronic tracks that perfectly complement the frenetic action. The recent “Bazaar Update” added 12 new music tracks, and they’re all bangers.
Get It On Steam
The Verdict
STRAFTAT is everything I want in a multiplayer shooter: fast, skillful, chaotic, and free. The proximity chat elevates it from a good game to a memorable experience. The 350+ maps ensure you’ll never get bored. And the retro aesthetic gives it a unique identity in a sea of generic shooters.
If you miss the days of Quake and Unreal Tournament, if you want something that respects your time and wallet, if you want to actually hear your opponent rage when you headshot them—STRAFTAT is waiting for you.
There’s also optional DLC if you want to support the developers—more maps, weapons, and hats. But the base game is complete and generous. The Lemaitre Bros made something special here.
See you in the arena.