Bethesda has reactivated Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory’s dedicated multiplayer Servers, granting the classic 2003 FPS a new lease on life.

While not one of the best FPS games around, it still stands out for its intricate map design and class-based gunplay that encourages tight teamwork. The free-to-play shooter was added to Steam for the first time back in April, but up to now only supported community servers using custom maps and mods.

“We’re excited to announce that we’ve deployed official Dedicated Servers for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory,” Bethesda subsidiary id wrote in a blog post. “Though the community has hosted – and continues to host – servers with a variety of mods and custom maps that we highly recommend, we also understand that many players are looking for a more nostalgic experience.

“So, starting now, you’ll be able to find official servers running the vanilla Enemy Territory Campaign ruleset, with all six original maps and no mods! We’ve set up servers across multiple territories to better ensure players from around the world can play with relatively low ping.”

Glimpse back in time

Enemy Territory has become something of a cult classic over the past 19 years. The multiplayer-only shooter originally launched as a spin-off to Return to Castle Wolfenstein and gained a lot of traction among FPS enthusiasts for its semi-realistic competitive matches that pulled from the acclaimed gunplay of its base game.

It’s also something of a dying breed. With no player progression, unlockable items, cosmetics, or microtransactions, Enemy Territory is a very different style of game from Overwatch 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, and other FPS heavyweights we're used to nowadays. Combat is also super fast-paced – fitting for an era of FPS when Quake and Unreal Tournament ruled the roost.

Playing as the Allied and Axis forces, eight-player teams will duke it out across asymmetric, WW2-era maps dotted with objective points. The five classes – Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Field Ops, and Covert Ops – each sport unique abilities and weapons that need to be coordinated at a frenetic pace.

The game's four new dedicated servers will be hosted in the US, Europe, Australia, and UK, covering most of the English-speaking world and likely the bulk of the game’s slim player base. It’s certainly worth checking out if you want a free glimpse into FPS history.

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