End of year reviews. Because tradition. And I’ve got no beers handy…

It’s felt like a quiet year in Airsoft, certainly I think we’re all feeling the squeeze on social media because the world is absolutely terrified of guns and cool things. Thankfully, this isn’t regulated media so I can say whatever the fuck I want. In recent years of course the world of Airsoft has been largely driven by the media, but that bubble seems to be bursting not only because of the censorship, but to be perfectly honest a lot of the content is old and tired, and a few of the bigger names seem to have disappeared from the scene. We’ve lost a few from the hobby completely, some I think have just run out of ideas, some just disappeared, and others have moved on. But the world keeps turning and it’s a great opportunity in 2025 for new faces and new ideas to come to the fore. Gone are the days of endless scopecam vids, or “ex soldier runs around an old factory floor destroying some kids that just wanted a fun afternoon out”. I don’t even see unboxing videos cropping up now, though I thank god I’m spared the paint-drying excitement of watching someone open a cardboard box.

I do feel that the last 5-10 years have seen Airsofters focused solely on buying stuff, and I think that novelty has worn off, much like too many Christmases, and the drive from the community now needs to be in giving players better game day experiences. Too often I see players turn up at skirmish to show off their new toys (which may or may not work) and then give up by lunchtime; and that’s not saying that sites aren’t delivering good game days – my local certainly does, but it’s perhaps those players not being able to apply themselves correctly/getting absolutely slapped by rental players, or that they’re more interested in shopping than actually getting out and playing.

Airsoft is at its best as a team sport, working together to find solutions and achieve objectives and having fun with your mates. However, I see very few teams on the field these days. Sure, there are a few groups wearing the same patches in the safe zone, although noticeably less than a decade ago, but there’s little teamwork or practice evident once in the field. We’ve all become very used to seeing “Airsoft player destroys” rather than “Airsoft team destroys” as the clickbaits on YouTube. Instagram accounts with individuals desperately seeking sponsors or celebrity status still outweigh the combined team efforts and loadouts. There’s little in the way of thought, technique or tactics; it’s just discount codes, professional photoshoots and “hey everyone look at me in my new printed t-shirt”. Which gets very dull very quickly. I’d love to see more teams presenting themselves at events in the next 12 months, and more useful content online (which I’ll be doing a bit of myself).

The Guns

Guns remain the centrepiece of the sport, and of course we all love them, but there’s been very little in the way of interesting new releases this year. I know there’ll be loads of people who’ll say that they got some new release this year, but the truth is they’re all getting pretty similar in looks and performance. Instead of players with interesting, beautifully constructed replicas, most games now are a sea of HPA-powered LMG’s – especially those stubby M249 paras that cost less than most pistols now – wielded by players who can’t do much more than walk around in the open with their fingers on the trigger spraying plastic in all directions. I’m waiting for the day one of them declares it as a DMR just to get more power out of it and then uses it for CQB with a 3000rd drum mag and a binary trigger.

I know a lot of players like to think they’re high-speed, low-drag operators with their keymod M4 that looks like it came from Temu, but there’s such huge scope for more historical guns and yet most of the manufacturers are still trying to flog pistol carbine kits or endless amounts of these crane-stocked modern AR’s (SSR4 for example). Can we not look forward to something different once in a while?

In terms of performance and upgrades, despite all the shiny new parts, there just isn’t any noticeable improvement. The biggest hurdle is reliability, with an expectation now that you must bring a backup because your gun will go down at some point during the day. There are a few smaller parts makers that are making some good components (Namech, DTech Precision, Masada) that are worth the investment but on the whole, we’re just being treated to different coloured CNC parts and unnecessary MOSFETs that offer little in the way of innovation.

The Gear

There has been an enormous growth in cheap gear recently with AliExpress and Temu offering a lot of cheap tactical stuff, even to the point that some UK “manufacturers” are just importing it and passing it off as their own designs. It’s still pretty awful looking, personally, but it does work for those players who are brand new and want to get stuck in. There are two very distinct camps in Airsoft, those who skirmish and are happy running the cheaper stuff (Temu, Viper, KMCS, 8Fields, Emerson, Novritsch, Fujin) and then the big event crowd who strive for the real steel stuff or higher end gear (Mim&Tech, Crye, Arktis, Tasmanian Tiger, Warrior, Zero Alpha Designs etc). Personally, I’ve moved over to the surplus side because it’s cheaper than the cheap Chinese stuff (because it’s used, not new) but just looks and fits much better, and lasts longer without stuff snapping. As a new player, it’s tempting to just go with the cheap stuff because it’s “good enough I guess” and easily replaced, and I understand people have budgets to work within, but in the longer term you will want better and it makes more sense to buy the right gear first time. I think the biggest waste in Airsoft is still wanting to buy lots of new kit to try it out before settling on something that works for you, and this is where there’s such a big void in the media content because so few players want to show you how they set up their belt order for example, and as a community that’s what we need to get better at. The gear makes more of a difference than the gun, and I’ve been banging that drum for years.

The Games

If you don’t have a good game or a good site to go to, you’re just not going to have a particularly enjoyable game day.

It’s not just the physical site though, you need event organisers that know how to put a good game together (particular shout out to Ian Maxwell and the guys at HQ Airsoft in the UK), you need players that are committed to giving it 100%, and you want as few cheating dickheads as possible. I’ve known sites in the past that are just happy to open a bit of woodland, run some very basic games, take money and go home. If sites aren’t putting the effort into good games, then they’re not going to survive in the longer term. And it’s not a case of spending loads of money developing the site – it’s knowing what works on the site you have. And good marshaling is essential, avoiding any chrono cheats or disruptive players, while paying attention to the flow of the game and making adjustments to objectives when necessary. Not everything has to be story driven or feature actors or spectacular pyrotechnics, most players are happy with games that keep them involved and don’t end up getting stuck in choke points, spending half a day getting nowhere.

2025

Looking ahead, I’ll be getting myself out and about as much as possible, mixing sniper events with Milsim as I explore the joys of playing in a team (if you want to get involved, get in touch). I’ll be doing a few more articles on rigs and loading up for weekend games, which I’ve covered a bit in the past but in a bit more detail. With any luck, I’ll be attending as many/all Black Hawk Down themed events in the UK next year, as well as the usual haunts with some old friends. I’ll post up on my Instagram where I’m playing if anyone wants to meet up, and I might get some podcasts in along the way.

With the difficulties of presenting Airsoft on social media, I’ll be here still churning out as much as possible and trying to inspire ideas, find solutions, share knowledge and challenge the norms. While others are giving up on their 48-second long portfolio of bb’s hitting people on YouTube, I’ll keep working away at the important stuff that makes a difference.

I’ve seen a few parties announce they’ve “got big plans for 2025”; I haven’t in particular but I’ll always be busy around Airsoft so who knows? Other than Novritsch releasing 30 more guns this year, none of us know what’s coming…