Action · October 15, 2023

Nuclear Option (2023)

extension1 DLCgroup100k–1M ownerstrending_up438 peak concurrentrecommend5.3k recommendations
Nuclear Option is a combat flight game set on a dynamic and realistic battlefield of the near future. Use an array of advanced weapons to change the course of battles as you intercept bombers, duel fighters, fly under the radar, or unleash the fury of nuclear weapons on enemy formations. Each aircraft comes with an immersive cockpit featuring a situational awareness HUD, identifying nearby targets and threats. Aircraft can be flown with various controllers or with a mouse-controlled 'virtual joystick', requiring no special hardware. Experience realistic flight dynamics, with stalls, spins and g-force effects fully implemented, as each aircraft is composed of up to 50 individually simulated physics parts . A highly detailed damage model means that the condition of each part affects the way your aircraft flies. Build your own missions using the included mission editor, and then fly your mission solo or with friends in PVP or PVE multiplayer combat. CI-22 'Cricket' counter-insurgency aircraft T/A-30 'Compass' light attack/trainer aircraft UH-90  'Ibis' utility helicopter SAH-46 'Chicane' stealth attack helicopter FS-12 'Revoker' air superiority fighter FS-20 'Vortex' VTOL fighter VL-49 'Tarantula' Heavy vertical lift VTOL KR-67 'Ifrit' multirole fighter EW-25 'Medusa' electronic warfare aircraft SFB-81 'Darkreach' strike bomber Nine playable aircraft, each with scenarios highlighting their capabilities Realistic flight physics, simulated across dozens of aerodynamic surfaces per aircraft Detailed damage model with 30-50 detachable parts per aircraft Player hosted multiplayer with a public lobby browser, supporting cooperative or competitive play Various AI controlled ground vehicles and AI aircraft engaging in large, dynamic battles Persistent battlefields with lingering wreckage and smoke Targeting HUD and Target view screen in cockpits Flight HUD with detailed aircraft parameters including angle of attack, velocity vector, climb rate, G force and radar altitude Many guided and unguided weapons, including guns, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, bombs, cruise and ballistic missiles Accurately simulated blast effects for explosions Accurately simulated nuclear weapons with shockwave propagation A 100km-wide map including various biomes and terrain types A new, larger naval-themed map situated in an archipelago of occupied islands Custom Mission Editor Night missions with night-vision cockpit functionality Countermeasures including IR flares and radar jammer

Action releases from 2023

223 Action titles launched in 2023 — top 6 by review volume.

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Early Access · 516
  • Flight · 469
  • Action · 449
  • Simulation · 448
  • Multiplayer · 438
  • Combat · 425
  • Military · 416
  • Sci-fi · 394
  • War · 393
  • Wargame · 387
  • Futuristic · 367
  • Jet · 363
  • Destruction · 341
  • Stealth · 340
  • Physics · 329

Peer Action titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Position in Action

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume4.1k Steam reviewsTop 66% in Action
Positive rating94% positiveGenre average: 83% — this title sits in top 19%
Concurrent peak438 playersTop 16% in Action by live player count
Engagement hours15 h averageTop 33% for session depth among Action

Features & Capabilities

Multiplayer

  • Multi-player
  • PvP
  • Online PvP
  • Co-op
  • Online Co-op

Community

  • Steam Workshop

Input & Comfort

  • Partial Controller Support

Other

  • Single-player
  • Includes level editor
  • Family Sharing

Reception Metrics

Steam community

94%Very Positive · 4.1k reviews

3.8k positive · 243 negative

Curator recommendations

5.3k

Peak concurrent players

438

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

15h

moderate (15–40 hours)

Median

8h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

3h

Current engagement

Release & Availability

Release dateOct 15, 2023
DeveloperShockfront Studios
Base price$17.99
DLC / Add-ons1 released
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksOfficial site · [email protected]

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Nuclear Option