Insurgency (2014): Complete Guide

A practical guide to the original 2014 Insurgency on Steam: how its hardcore rules work, loadouts and supply, every PvP and co-op mode, map notes, teamwork and gunfight tips, current server status, and an achievement plan.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the 12 December 2025 update that removed BattlEye from the client and Windows dedicated server. Community servers change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status and the sequel: This is the 2014 Source-engine Insurgency, not the 2018 sequel Insurgency: Sandstorm. The original still works on Steam with community-hosted servers and offline bots. On 12 December 2025 BattlEye support was removed from the game client and the Windows dedicated server; players just need to update through Steam, and server owners must update their dedicated server (some setups need extra configuration). Official support now goes through the Saber support portal.

Quick Start

There is no crosshair, ammo counter or health bar. Aim with your sights, count your shots, and assume two or three hits will kill you.
Free aim is on. Your weapon can move inside the screen a little before the view turns. Hip fire is only reliable at very close range; aim down sights for everything else.
You reload magazines, not bullets. Swapping a half-empty magazine keeps that magazine in your pouch with its remaining rounds. Top up by swapping when you are safe, not mid-fight.
Supply points buy your loadout. Weapons, optics, armour and explosives all cost supply, and weight slows you and drains stamina. A light kit often beats a heavy one.
Stick with your squad. Classes are grouped into squads with limited slots. Squad members and the team's objective play decide rounds, not individual kill counts.
Objectives respawn your team. In many modes, capturing or holding an objective is what brings your dead teammates back. The last player alive capturing a point can revive everyone.
Suppression is real. Rounds snapping past you blur your vision. Return fire to suppress enemies, and move when you are the one being suppressed.
Use voice chat. Insurgency has 3D positional voice: nearby teammates (and enemies) hear you. Short callouts win fights.

Core Mechanics

Mechanic	What it means for you
No HUD crosshair	Aim down sights; learn each gun's point of impact
Free aim	Your gun is not always in the centre of the screen; use sights
Magazine-based ammo	Partial magazines are kept; manage them manually
Supply and weight	More gear costs supply and slows you down
Suppression	Incoming fire blurs vision and throws off aim
High lethality	Few hits kill; peeking the same angle twice gets you killed
Lean	Lean left and right around corners (Q and E by default) to expose less of your body
3D VOIP	Proximity voice that enemies can overhear
Overhead map	Shows objectives and teammates; check it often

Loadouts, Classes and Supply

Each team has class slots grouped into squads. Classes differ by team (Security vs Insurgents) and control which weapons and gear you can buy with supply. Typical roles include:

Role	Job	Typical kit
Rifleman	Frontline objective player	Assault rifle, grenade, light armour
Breacher	Close-quarters entry	Shotgun or compact weapon, flashbangs or smoke
Support gunner	Suppression and area denial	Light machine gun with a large magazine
Marksman / sniper	Long-range overwatch	Scoped rifle, low ammo count
Demolitions	Anti-cache and anti-vehicle explosives	Rocket launcher or C4 / IED

Weapons you will see include Security rifles like the M16A4, M4A1 and Mk18, the M249 light machine gun, the M40A1 bolt-action and the M590 shotgun, and Insurgent weapons like the AKM, AK-74, RPK, SKS, FAL and Mosin-Nagant, plus launchers like the AT4 and RPG-7. Exact class options vary by team and server.

Loadout tips:

Buy an optic you like before extra ammunition; seeing targets first matters more.
Light armour is a good default; heavy armour trades speed for survivability.
Grenades and smoke win objective pushes; bring at least one utility item.
Explosive classes are essential in cache modes; someone on the team must be able to destroy caches.

Game Modes

PvP (up to 32 players)

Mode	How it works	Tips
Push	Attackers capture three objectives in order, gaining reinforcements and time with each; after the third, they must destroy a final cache while defenders have one life for a last stand	Defenders: spend reinforcements carefully. Attackers: smoke and flank.
Firefight	Three objectives (one per team plus a neutral); your dead teammates respawn when your team captures an objective	Capturing is your revive button; play for the points.
Skirmish	Firefight-style objectives plus weapon caches for each team	Protect your cache and use explosives on theirs.
Occupy	Territorial control of objectives	Hold multiple points and defend them.
Ambush	One side escorts a VIP to an extraction point, the other must stop them	Stay close to the VIP; ambushers watch chokepoints.
Strike	Attackers destroy caches; defenders protect them	"Air Tight" achievement: defend every cache in a Strike round.
Elimination	Round-based team elimination	Slow down, use sound, trade kills with teammates.

Wikipedia notes Infiltrate and Flashpoint were discontinued, although the store page still lists them.

Co-op (vs AI)

Mode	How it works
Checkpoint	Push through objectives against AI; capturing points respawns the team
Hunt	Find and destroy caches and hunt down every enemy on the map
Survival	Move between objectives and resupply while waves escalate
Outpost	Hold out against escalating waves ("Stronghold" achievements track waves 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20)
Conquer	Capture and hold objectives across the map

Co-op is the best way to learn the game. AI enemies are aggressive and accurate at range, but you can learn maps, recoil and loadouts without human opponents.

Maps

The store page lists 16 maps with day and night versions set in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Maps tied to achievements include Ministry, Buhriz, Sinjar, Market, Siege, District, Revolt, Heights, Tell, Contact, Embassy, Verticality, Dry Canal, Uprising, Panj, Station, Kandagal and Peak.

Map advice: Learn two or three popular maps first (Ministry and Market are common server favourites), then expand. Night versions change everything: flashlight attachments reveal your position as much as the enemy's, and muzzle flash gives shooters away.

Gunfight and Teamwork Tips

Pre-aim and slice the pie around corners instead of running around them.
Never re-peek the same spot. Relocate after every shot or kill.
Trade kills. Move in pairs so if your partner dies, you can kill the shooter.
Throw smoke before crossing streets and before capturing an exposed objective.
Use sound. Footsteps, reloads and voice chat are audible to enemies; crouch-walk near objectives.
Hold angles as defender. Let attackers come to you; stay off the objective until you need to contest it.
Communicate cache and enemy positions using the overhead map landmarks.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Overloading your kit. A heavy loadout slows you and wastes supply you could use on optics or utility.
Hip-firing at range. Without a crosshair, hip fire is a close-quarters tool only.
Reloading after every burst. You will end up with a pouch full of half-empty magazines.
Ignoring the objective. Kills do not win rounds; captures and caches do.
Standing on an open objective. Use cover and smoke; take turns contesting.
Solo flanking without telling anyone. Coordinate, or you will just feed the other team.

Advanced Tips

Manage magazines deliberately: swap to a full magazine between fights, and consolidate when you have time.
Use suppression offensively: have a support gunner lay fire while riflemen move.
Last-man captures: if you are the last alive, capturing the objective can revive your team ("Hero Cap" achievements track this).
Play offline with bots to test sensitivities, sight alignment and recoil without pressure.
Try Workshop content. The game supports custom maps and mods through the Insurgency SDK and Steam Workshop.

Achievement Plan

There are 100 achievements. Highlights:

Training: "Recruited" (complete the training course) and "Aced It!" (complete training in under 16 minutes without dying).
Co-op campaign sets: "Decisive Victory: [map]" for Checkpoint and "Clean Sweep: [map]" for Hunt on each map, capped by "Decisive Victory: Complete" and "Clean Sweep: Complete". These are the most achievable with a few friends.
Survival and Outpost ladders: "Survivalist I" to "V" (level 5 up to level 50 in a Survival round) and "Stronghold I" to "V".
Grinds: "Bodycount" tiers go up to 100,000 kills in both PvP and co-op. These are extremely long grinds; treat them as lifetime goals.
Skill-based: "Head Hunter" (five consecutive headshots), "Silent But Deadly" (knife five enemies in one round), "First Blood 2: Blade Reckoning" (first kill of a round with a knife), "Hurt Locker" (survive a C4 blast).
Tiered counters that come with play: "Ground Control" (capture 1 up to 1,000 control points), "War Hero" (MVP once up to 50 times), "Hero Cap I" to "IV" (last-alive revives, 1 up to 25 times). Most have separate PvP and "(Coop)" versions, so co-op alone will not finish the list.
"Humble Bundle": a one-off checklist. Play Kandagal and Contact on any mode and Conquer on any map, and use the Galil, SLR, Sterling, .38 revolver, a sighted grenade launcher and a drum magazine attachment. An offline bot game lets you tick it off quickly.
Team captures: "All In" (capture an objective with your entire team) is easiest in co-op Checkpoint with a coordinated group.
Hidden: "ODA 420" has no public description.

Co-op map checklist: Checkpoint ("Decisive Victory") covers Ministry, Buhriz, Sinjar, Market, Siege, District, Revolt, Heights, Tell, Contact, Embassy, Verticality and Dry Canal. Hunt ("Clean Sweep") covers Ministry, Uprising, Panj, Contact, Buhriz, District, Sinjar, Heights, Embassy, Tell, Market, Revolt, Station, Kandagal, Verticality, Peak, Siege and Dry Canal. Hunt is usually the easier of the two with a small group, because you can pick your fights.

FAQ

Is Insurgency (2014) still playable online? Yes, through community servers. Player counts are much lower than in Insurgency: Sandstorm, so co-op and popular community servers are the easiest places to find a match.

What happened with BattlEye? It was removed from the client and Windows dedicated server on 12 December 2025. Update through Steam and you are ready to play.

Should I buy Insurgency or Insurgency: Sandstorm? Sandstorm has the larger active player base and newer features. The original is great if you want the classic Source-engine feel, Workshop content and cheap co-op with friends.

Can I play solo? Yes. There is an offline practice mode with bots on all game modes.

Does it run on Linux and Mac? The store page lists PC, Mac OS X and Linux support with cross-platform multiplayer.

How do I host my own server? Dedicated server support exists for Windows and Linux. After the BattlEye removal, update your server through Steam and check your configuration.