Squad, the hardcore tactical shooter known for its massive 50v50 battles, just announced Fireteam on November 21, 2025. This brand new PvE co-op mode strips down the chaos into focused 5-player missions against AI enemies. It sounds like exactly what many players have been asking for, offering a lower-stakes training ground and a fresh way to experience Squad’s signature teamwork-focused gameplay. The problem is that Offworld Industries is locking most of the content behind paid DLC tiers, creating tension in a community still raw from previous monetization controversies.
What Is Fireteam
Fireteam condenses Squad’s most intense moments into shorter, mission-based scenarios designed for up to 5 players working together. Instead of committing to hour-long 50v50 matches where a single mistake can collapse your team’s entire strategy, Fireteam offers bite-sized tactical challenges with clear objectives. You might hunt down enemy mortar bases with combined arms support, fight through hostile territory to destroy key targets, or extract from behind enemy lines before ammunition runs out and patrols close in.
The mode uses peer-to-peer hosting rather than dedicated servers, allowing players to quickly jump into missions with friends. According to Offworld Industries, the core Squad experience remains intact with communication, teamwork, tension, and tactical play all essential for victory. The difference is the shorter time commitment and PvE focus, making it accessible for players who love Squad’s mechanics but find the full-scale PvP battles intimidating or time-consuming.
Four Mission Types at Launch
Fireteam launches with four distinct mission categories spread across Squad’s existing maps. Combined Arms tasks squads with hunting down enemy mortar positions in fortified areas, requiring coordination between armored vehicles and dismounted infantry. Destroy missions send players across the frontline to fight through hostile territory and eliminate key enemy targets. Extraction puts squads in desperate situations after being shot down over enemy territory, forcing them to reach friendly lines before ammunition runs dry and enemy patrols overwhelm them.
The fourth mission type, Vehicle Hunt, is exclusive to paid tiers. These missions focus on crossing into hostile territory specifically to destroy enemy armor. Each mission type appears on multiple maps including Mutaha, Fallujah, Sumari, Narva, and Harju, with different terrain and layouts creating varied tactical challenges even within the same mission category.
The Controversial Monetization Model
Here’s where things get messy. Fireteam launches December 3, 2025 with Update 10.1, offering three tiers of content. The free tier includes just 4 missions across three mission types on four different maps. To access the full 9-mission lineup at launch, players need to purchase either the Supporter Pack or the Ultimate Pack. Offworld hasn’t revealed exact pricing yet, but the tiered approach has already sparked heated debates across Squad’s community.
This monetization strategy is particularly controversial because Squad’s previous leadership explicitly promised the game would never have paid DLC. That promise held true for years, with Squad releasing substantial free updates adding factions, weapons, maps, and vehicles without charging extra. The shift started in 2023 when Offworld introduced paid emotes, breaking the no-monetization pledge for the first time. Now with Fireteam’s paid mission tiers, the developer is going much further into paid content territory.
How Offworld Justifies the Price
Offworld Industries frames Fireteam as an ongoing development project that needs community financial support to reach its full potential. The company describes the Update 10.1 release as a mini early access launch, with plans to expand the mode based on community feedback and continued revenue. They’re promising monthly updates starting in January 2026, adding one mission to the free tier and one to the paid tier each month as free updates for existing owners.
The developer explains they need sustainable funding to continue Squad’s development after nearly 10 years of support. Unlike live service games with battle passes and constant microtransactions, Squad’s $50 base price represents the majority of its revenue per player. As the potential customer base shrinks over time, Offworld argues optional paid content helps fund continued development without forcing monetization on everyone. Players who want just the base 50v50 experience don’t need Fireteam at all.
Community Response Mixed at Best
The Squad community’s reaction has been predictably divided. Some players appreciate having a PvE option and don’t mind paying for additional content, especially if it funds continued development. Others feel betrayed by yet another broken promise about monetization, worried this represents the start of increasingly aggressive paid content strategies. The fact that Vehicle Hunt missions are completely locked behind paid tiers particularly bothers players who feel core mission variety shouldn’t be paywalled.
YouTubers who got early access to test Fireteam praised the gameplay itself, noting the AI behaves believably and the missions successfully capture Squad’s tactical intensity in condensed form. However, even positive previews acknowledged concerns about the monetization approach and whether splitting the community between free and paid tiers damages the mode’s long-term health. The requirement that all party members own the Supporter Pack to play paid missions together adds friction compared to models where one owner can host for everyone.
The Modding Opportunity
One bright spot is Offworld’s commitment to making Fireteam’s tools available to modders. The developer plans to use the same toolset that the modding community already has access to, meaning creative players can eventually design and share their own missions. Over time, Offworld wants to establish a robust mission creation and selection process that allows endless variety limited only by imagination.
This approach could potentially offset concerns about paid content if a thriving modding scene produces high-quality free missions. Squad already has an active modding community that has created new factions, maps, and gameplay variations over the years. Giving those same creators access to PvE mission tools could generate significant free content, though it remains to be seen how well community-made missions will integrate with the official selection system.
Where Fireteam Goes From Here
Fireteam started as a prototype during Offworld’s 2024 company summit, an annual event where teams get a week to work on experimental ideas. A small group created a PvE mission in Fallujah where one squad fought against bots to destroy three ammo caches in a compound. The prototype even included civilians, though those won’t appear in the initial Update 10.1 release. Everyone who tested the prototype came away smiling, convincing leadership to invest in full development.
The long-term roadmap is ambitious. Offworld wants to develop the toolset to create a comprehensive tutorial for Squad, addressing one of the game’s biggest barriers to entry. New players often struggle with the learning curve in 50v50 matches where veteran players have little patience for mistakes. Fireteam could ease that transition by letting players learn mechanics and squad leading in a more forgiving environment before jumping into full-scale battles.
Future plans include adding rewards for completing missions, such as cosmetic skins, emotes, and patches. The developer will build out additional features based on community feedback after launch, using player input to guide Fireteam’s ongoing development. Whether the community embraces or rejects the paid content model will likely determine how much resources Offworld dedicates to expanding the mode beyond its initial launch state.
FAQs
When does Squad Fireteam release?
Fireteam launches December 3, 2025 as part of Squad’s Update 10.1. The mode includes both free and paid content tiers available at launch.
How many players can play Fireteam missions?
Fireteam supports up to 5 players per mission in co-op. The mode uses peer-to-peer hosting instead of dedicated servers.
How many free missions does Fireteam include?
The free tier includes 4 missions at launch, with one additional free mission planned for January 2026. Paid tiers include 9 missions at launch with monthly additions planned.
Do all players need to own the paid DLC to play together?
Yes, all party members need to own at least the Supporter Pack to play paid tier missions together. Free missions can be played with anyone regardless of what content they own.
Can modders create custom Fireteam missions?
Yes, Offworld Industries plans to use the same toolset available to modders for creating their official missions. Over time, they’ll improve the experience to make uploading and playing modded missions easier.
What mission types are available in Fireteam?
Launch includes Combined Arms (assault fortified mortar positions), Destroy (eliminate key targets behind enemy lines), Extraction (reach friendly lines after being shot down), and Vehicle Hunt (destroy enemy armor, paid tier only).
Why is Offworld adding paid content after promising no DLC?
Offworld states they need sustainable funding to continue Squad’s development after nearly 10 years. The company argues optional paid content helps fund ongoing work without forcing monetization on all players.
Will Fireteam get more content after launch?
Yes, Offworld plans to add one mission to the free tier and one to the paid tier each month starting January 2026 as free updates for existing owners. Additional features will be added based on community feedback.
Conclusion
Squad Fireteam represents an exciting evolution for a game that has spent a decade focused exclusively on large-scale PvP battles. The 5-player co-op missions could introduce new players to Squad’s tactical depth while giving veterans a fresh way to test their skills. However, the paid DLC structure risks dividing the community and reinforcing frustrations about broken monetization promises. Whether Fireteam succeeds depends on if the missions justify the price and if Offworld can rebuild trust with a skeptical player base when the mode launches December 3.