Delta Force Guide#
Delta Force is a free-to-play tactical shooter developed by TiMi Studio Group (Team J3) and published under Tencent’s Level Infinite label — the official successor to the classic Delta Force franchise. The China server launched simultaneously on PC and mobile on September 26, 2024, with the global PC open beta following on December 5, 2024, and the game has since expanded to mobile and consoles. By its second anniversary on October 8, 2026, China DAU had passed 58 million — an all-time peak that puts the title squarely in Tencent’s “evergreen game” tier.
What makes Delta Force unusual for guide readers is its breadth: one launcher, several shooters. Hazard Operations delivers high-stakes PvPvE extraction, Warfare throws massive squads into vehicle-heavy combined-arms battles, and alongside them sit a 3v3 arena, 5v5 demolition, a story campaign, and even fishing. This hub breaks that sprawling platform down into a page-by-page reference system, written from a live-service systems and economy perspective.
Game Information#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game | Delta Force |
| Developer | TiMi Studio Group (Team J3) |
| Publisher | Level Infinite |
| Genre | Free-to-play tactical shooter (extraction, large-scale warfare, and arena modes) |
| China Release | September 26, 2024 (PC + mobile) |
| Global Release | PC 2024-12-05 / mobile 2025-04-21 / consoles 2025-08-19 |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4 (multiplayer) and Unreal Engine 5 (campaign); fully upgraded to UE5 from S11 |
| Current Season | S11 “Reorientation” (opened September 4, 2026) |
| Content Scale | 13 maps, 50+ weapons, 11 vehicles (as of the August 2025 console launch); the official operator page currently lists 17 operators |
| Anti-Cheat | Tencent’s in-house kernel-level ACE (Anti-Cheat Expert) |
| Milestone | 58 million China DAU (2026-10-08, all-time peak) |
Release Timeline#
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | China server launches simultaneously on PC and mobile |
| 2024-12-05 | Global PC open beta (Steam / Epic); global wishlists pass 2.5 million |
| 2025-02-21 | Black Hawk Down single-player / co-op campaign arrives as DLC on PC |
| 2025-04-21 | Global mobile launch; 10 million+ new players worldwide in four days |
| 2025-08-19 | Launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X |
| 2026-09-04 | S11 “Reorientation” opens with a full upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 |
| 2026-10-08 | Second anniversary of the China server; DAU passes 58 million |
Game Modes#
Delta Force is not a single-mode shooter but a multi-mode shooting platform. Understanding each mode’s role is the first step to planning your time:
| Mode | Type | Core Gameplay |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard Operations | Extraction (PvPvE) | Bring in gear, extract with loot, drop everything on death; up to 3-player squads; secure-container goods survive failed extractions |
| Warfare | Large-scale multiplayer | Assault, domination, blitz, and siege sub-modes, with vehicles and battlefield support |
| Rat’s Nest Arena | 3v3 fast-paced | Small maps and short rounds — the arena for aim training and operator matchups |
| Black Tide Demolition | 5v5 bomb | Round-based attack/defense that keeps gun customization, operator abilities, and the economy |
| Black Hawk Down | Single-player / co-op campaign | Story campaign based on the 1993 Somalia conflict (DLC) |
| 1v1 Duel Room | Custom | “Let’s Spar” custom rooms; no gear value at stake |
| Training Grounds | Practice | A free space to learn weapon feel and operator abilities |
Why This Guide Tracks the Long Game#
Delta Force updates fast: seasons land roughly every two to three months, each bringing new operators, new weapons, and sometimes new maps and modes. S11 “Reorientation” alone added support operator Rover, Layali Grove 2.0, the new Warfare map Mogue Old Town, the Black Tide Demolition mode, and a fishing system. Version awareness is therefore essential — every mechanic in this hub is described as of S11 (after September 4, 2026), with exact numbers subject to in-game values.
The DAU curve (12 million to 20 million to 30 million to 50 million to 58 million) shows a live-service title with a long lifecycle rather than a one-hit spike. It is never too late to jump in: the matchmaking pool is huge, gear thresholds cleanly separate newcomer and veteran lobbies, and the growth path is clear.
Development and Testing Timeline (2023-2024)#
Before the September 2024 launch, the game went through roughly a year and a half of testing rounds. The cadence maps Team J3’s development path: validate the extraction core loop first, layer on large-scale Warfare next, and roll out dual-platform and campaign content last:
| Date | Test Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2023-04 | First mobile test under the codename “C” |
| 2023-07 | China publishing license approved |
| 2023-08 | First PC gameplay demo shown at gamescom |
| 2023-11 | PC “Valley” test — Hazard Operations opens to players for the first time |
| 2024-03 | “Zero” test — Warfare joins the testing rotation |
| 2024-06 | “Gemini” test — PC and mobile run simultaneously in the final pre-launch round |
| 2024-08 | gamescom reveals the launch date and shows Black Hawk Down campaign gameplay |
Hazard Operations was the most heavily polished mode — quality tiers, gear thresholds, and extraction rules were already in place during the “Valley” test.
Market and Operations at a Glance#
Beyond the DAU curve, a few verified figures show where the game sits in Tencent’s lineup and in the shooter genre:
- Steam concurrent-player peak: 198,809 in July 2025, spiking to 210,413 on 2025-08-24 — the first weekend after the console launch (SteamDB)
- Registered users: passed 25 million within roughly the first month
- Evergreen threshold: Tencent’s bar for an “evergreen game” is a quarterly average mobile DAU above 5 million or PC DAU above 2 million, plus annual revenue above 4 billion yuan — Delta Force cleared it long ago
- Sales-chart performance: a stable Top 3 finish on the 2026 National Day golden-week grossing chart, peaking at No. 2 (Qimai data)
- Industry context: Gamma Data estimates China’s shooter market grew by more than 10 billion yuan in total during 2025, with extraction shooters the core driver; per iResearch, mobile shooters accounted for 24.2% of total user time in 2025, overtaking MOBA for the first time
- Steam reception: “Mixed” as of the August 2025 console launch, across 134,922 reviews — an older snapshot; current sentiment is per the store page
S11 “Reorientation” Season at a Glance#
S11 was dated at the preview livestream on 2026-09-01, with maintenance in the early morning of September 4 and servers up at 8:00 AM. The full season track and event list lives on the season-pass page; here is the quick-reference table:
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Engine | Multiplayer and campaign fully switch to Unreal Engine 5; the update package is roughly 75GB (replaces underlying assets) |
| New Operator | Support operator Rover (Rowan Walsh) — the first operator who fights alongside a military dog, Clover |
| New Weapons | 98K bolt-action sniper and AA-12 full-auto shotgun, plus the M700 repeating kit, Thompson SMG, MDR assault rifle, 93R pistol kit, and a rapid-feed kit for the QJB machine gun |
| Map Overhauls | Layali Grove 2.0: waterways opened up, radar-blocking zones removed, train extraction changed to lever-pull, a one-minute door delay, then a three-minute wait; Space City adds randomized lever points and reworked extraction mechanics |
| Warfare | New map Mogue Old Town: convoy-breakout mechanics, Black Hawk helicopter squadron support in the decisive phase, and drag-rescue |
| New Modes and Features | Black Tide Demolition Beta on September 27 with its own honor emblems; “Let’s Spar” 1v1 duel rooms open September 9; a play-as-Demulan boss mode from the Polaris Patrol storyline with dedicated entries and extraction points; fishing (unlocked at Action Level 17, fishable waters in Zero Dam, Layali Grove, and AZ3, with catches listable on the market) |
| Second Anniversary | Staged login and mission rewards totaling 3,900 limited-time Delta Tickets for free; Daniel Wu’s “Flying Tiger” skin returns; offline celebrations in Chongqing on September 25-26 |
Weapon and customization details sit in the weapons sub-guides, and the two reworked maps have their own pages — all available in Chinese via the NTGame Delta Force section linked at the bottom of this page.
Hazard Operations Entry Requirements#
Entry requirements in the extraction mode directly set match intensity, so new players should plan their loadout around them. Verified thresholds:
| Map · Difficulty | Entry Requirement |
|---|---|
| Zero Dam · Classified | 112,500 Havoc Coins |
| Layali Grove · Classified | 112,500 Havoc Coins |
| Brakkesh · Classified | 187,500 Havoc Coins |
| Brakkesh · Top Secret | 550,000 Havoc Coins |
| Space City · Top Secret | At least 600,000 Havoc Coins |
Paid extraction points cost 10,000 Havoc Coins on Normal and 40,000 on Classified, and close once four players have paid. The full rules for all six extraction-point types are in the extraction sub-guide.
Operator Unlocks at a Glance#
With 17 operators, unlock routes vary widely — first separate what you can get for free from what takes grinding or spending (the full list and team compositions are in the unlock-comps sub-guide):
- Starter operators: D-Wolf, Stinger, Shepherd, Luna
- Low-cost unlocks: Vyron (day 4 of daily check-in), Toxik (Genesis season pass level 15), Hackclaw (collect 500 GTI event tickets)
- Season progression: Nox (S4, April 2025), Bit (S7 “Assara” season, November 2025), Butterfly (S8 “Morphosis”, January 29, 2026, unlocked on the free pass), Morse (S9), Rover (S11 free-pass unlock)
On progression planning: master the four starters first, then fill gaps by mode — Hazard Operations mains should prioritize support and recon for sustain and intel, while Warfare mains should prioritize assault and engineer for push power and fortifications.
Getting Started: A 30-Minute Path#
If you only have half an hour to get oriented, read in this order:
- The Game Information and Game Modes tables above — know what the game is.
- The beginner’s starting page (Chinese site) on picking your first mode and the gear-threshold ladder.
- The extraction guide’s table of extraction-point types — memorize three numbers: 10 seconds, 3 minutes, and 10,000 / 40,000 Havoc Coins.
- The season-pass page’s reward breakdown — claim the entire free track before you play seriously.
FAQ#
Is Delta Force free to play?#
Yes. Delta Force is free to play on PC, mobile, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Black Hawk Down story campaign is paid DLC on PC.
When was Delta Force released?#
The China server launched on September 26, 2024 on PC and mobile simultaneously. The global PC open beta followed on December 5, 2024, mobile went global on April 21, 2025, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions launched on August 19, 2025.
What modes does Delta Force include?#
Hazard Operations (PvPvE extraction), Warfare (large-scale battles), the 3v3 Rat’s Nest Arena, 5v5 Black Tide Demolition, 1v1 duel rooms, the Black Hawk Down campaign, and training grounds.
How many operators are there?#
Seventeen, across assault, support, engineer, and recon roles, per the official operator page.
What season is the game in now?#
S11 “Reorientation,” opened September 4, 2026 — the Unreal Engine 5 upgrade season, bringing new operator Rover, Layali Grove 2.0, and the Black Tide Demolition mode.
How big is the player base?#
China DAU passed 58 million on October 8, 2026, an all-time peak at the two-year mark; registered users passed 25 million within the first month.
What are the Hazard Operations entry requirements?#
Verified thresholds run from 112,500 Havoc Coins on Zero Dam and Layali Grove (Classified) up to at least 600,000 on Space City (Top Secret). Paid extractions cost 10,000 coins on Normal and 40,000 on Classified, and close once four players have paid.
How do I unlock fishing?#
Reach Action Level 17, then fish in the waters of Zero Dam, Layali Grove, and AZ3 — catches can be listed on the market.
Related Rankings#
Best Shooters · Best Co-op Games
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — operator profiles and team compositions, weapon systems and customization, map breakdowns, extraction mechanics and bosses, the economy and market, season passes, Warfare mode, esports, and platform FAQs — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Delta Force section.