Dagger Directive: A Top 2025 Semi-Sequel to Classic Delta Force

The classic Delta Force series lives on in Dagger Directive which is one of the best tactical shooter games of 2025.

Dagger Directive might look like a military shooter similar to games like Ground Branch or Arma. Bullets change speed and power depending on distance. If you get hit once you die and the same goes for enemies. You can change your weapons a lot and without silencers they sound very loud and real. But this game is different. Most new boomer shooter games remind us of Doom, Quake and Half-Life. Dagger Directive is inspired by older games like Delta Force the first Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon from 2001. But it’s not just copying them it’s something new.

You pick a mission and choose what time of day to start. Then you get to pick your weapons and gear. There are no levels or things to unlock because you are already a top special forces soldier. You can use almost any gun or tool right away. The missions are big and can take an hour or more. After you jump out of the helicopter you decide how to play. You can be quiet and sneaky using a silenced rifle to take out enemies from far away. Or you can use big weapons and traps to fight lots of enemies at once. Or you can run around with a fast gun, moving from building to building.

Also Read: No Man’s Sky Update: Become a Galactic Mayor Today

If you get hit even once you die. But you can save your game anytime. This keeps the game exciting because you feel nervous when bullets come at you. The game sounds like bullets hitting the ground are very real. Because you can save anytime it doesn’t get too frustrating.

You can try different ways to play the game. You can be careful and slow like setting up a sniper spot using night vision and adjusting your scope. This is exciting for some time. But if you want you can also stop being sneaky and fight up close. Unlike other games that are either very slow or very fast all the time Dagger Directive lets you play at different speeds and styles.

The best thing about Dagger Directive is how it looks. It’s made to remind us of old squad shooter games from the late 90s and early 2000s. The characters and vehicles look blocky the ground textures are blurry and the sky looks simple and boxy. Games should look like games not try to be too real. Today many games try to be super detailed but that makes them all look the same and loses their unique style. After 27 years since the first Delta Force game Dagger Directive celebrates what I think was the best time for video game graphics.

But it’s more than that. I’m careful saying this because it might sound like I’m complaining. Today we expect everything to look perfect and very real. But I actually mean it as a compliment and a recommendation when I say Dagger Directive looks cheap. In 1998 its graphics would be very good. In 2025 they make the game feel rough and unpolished. When you shoot someone in the game, there’s a small pink puff and the person just falls down quickly. It feels cold and harsh.

This game has no fancy style or show-off. What you do is often bad and ugly. You play as a secret soldier doing dirty jobs. The missions are nasty and rough just like the simple crude look of the game. The fighting is not fancy but the rough visuals make it feel more real.

Dagger Directive is now available on Steam Early Access. You can play 15 full missions alone or with friends. So far 90% of user reviews are positive. The game costs $15.99 or £13.40 with a 20% discount. You can check it out here.