Arma 3 dated for September

Arma 3 will be available in digital and retail stores worldwide from September 12, Bohemia Interactive has announced. However, the studio has also confirmed that the tactical military shooter will release without its single player campaign, which is set to be delivered across three free post-launch DLC episodes.

The studio says Arma 3 will ship with “the large open terrains of 'Altis' (270 km) and 'Stratis' (20 km), 12 singleplayer showcases, 3 faction showcases, 9 multiplayer scenarios, 10 firing drill challenges, more than 20 vehicles and 40 weapons, 5 factions, the scenario editor and modding support”.

The first episode of single the game’s player campaign, Survive, will be made available within one month of release, followed by the remaining episodes, Adapt and Win, “in the months thereafter”. Project lead Joris-Jan Van 't Land explained the decision to delay the campaign in a post on the Bohemia’s blog, saying: "As game creators, we love developing and playing through campaigns so, to those awaiting ours, we say: sorry for the delay. After talking a lot about a focus on quality over the last year, it simply did not feel right to compromise now. Rather than pushing back the entire game, we launch this year with an awesome package - a splendid kick-off for the Arma3 experience."

Players can get in on the action now by picking up the regular Arma 3 beta for £30/$45, or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition for £40/$60 on Steam and Store.bistudio.com. Both packages will include the final retail game and Bohemia says their prices will increase in the run-up to launch.