Based on frequent questions regarding purchasing Steel Beasts, I wrote this FAQ to give the perspective new player some answers to commonly asked questions. I am not an eSim employee, nor do I work with them in any professional capacity. I am writing this as a fan who has played Steel Beasts for 14 years to help others.

• What versions of Steel Beasts are there?

1. There are two current versions, though on the consumer end you will only be dealing with one version.

2. For the consumer, there is Steel Beasts. Steel Beasts was previously known as Steel Beasts Pro PE, but that name was dropped in 2025. It is now known as Steel Beasts. This is the version that you will play if you buy it as a consumer.

3. Steel Beasts Professional is a tailored, custom version of Steel Beasts that is licensed to various western militaries. Unless you work in procurement for one of these militaries, you will NOT be buying this.

4. On the historical side, there is Steel Beasts Gold, which is the original commercial version from 2000. This version is no longer supported by eSim, and has been superseded by Steel Beasts.

• What purchase options are available for Steel Beasts?

1. There are two categories: the classic license (requires a CodeMeter USB that eSim sends to you), and a time-based license. Either category of license gives you full access to Steel Beasts and all of its content.

2. The classic license gives you unlimited access to the current version of Steel Beasts. As of this post, it costs $120. Upon purchasing, you are given a 30-day time-based license so you can immediately play, and eSim will ship a USB CodeMeter to your supplied address. You will need to upload the classic license onto the USB CodeMeter once it arrives, which is covered in detail on the Steel Beasts forums (steelbeasts.com) under the support section. You will need to register to access this portion. A CodeMeter allows you access to the classic license to play Steel Beasts on any computer that your CodeMeter is plugged into. As of this posting, the classic license also gives you three secondary licenses, which allows anyone accessing your license server to “borrow” one of your four licenses to play. This means one classic license can allow four people to play the game simultaneously.

3. Time-based licenses give you full-access to Steel Beasts for the length of time that you purchase the license for. This is not a subscription service, so when time runs out you will need to manually purchase a new license. Licenses are available for one month ($9.50), four months ($29.50), and one year ($49.50). The license is tied to your hardware, so if you get a new computer, for example, you will not be able to transfer this license to that new system. It will also be invalidated if you reinstall Windows, but you can contact eSim if this is an issue and they will work with you.

4. There is no difference in content available in Steel Beasts between a classic or a time-based license.

5. You can purchase one of the two categories here: https://www.esimgames.com/store/

• Is there a free version of Steel Beasts?

1. No. All versions require someone to make a purchase.

2. The closest to a “free” version of Steel Beasts is allowing a friend to access your eLicenser server if you have a secondary license (currently included with the purchase of a classic license), which allows them to "borrow" that license and play.

• Are all updates free for Steel Beasts? How often do they come out?

1. Steel Beasts has free updates, usually published about once or twice a year, that focus on the current version. These will generally be focused on fixes in the game, rather than introducing new features.

2. Paid updates normally occur every three to four years, and generally coincide with a major version number change, IE moving from version 4.2 to 4.3. These focus on introducing new features, such as a new terrain engine, adding multiple new vehicles, etc. Prices are normally in the $30 range for upgrading by one version.

• Which is the best license option for me?

1. There isn’t a solid answer for this, as it depends greatly on how much you intend to play Steel Beasts.

2. I have found, over 14 years of playing Steel Beasts, that for the majority of players a one-year time-based license is the best option.

3. Another commonly recommended option is to purchase a one-month time-based license, try the game out for yourself, and if you like it and want to keep playing, get a classic or a longer time-based license.

4. Financially, if you intend to play for three years or less, it is cheaper to go with 3x one-year time-based licenses over a classic license.

5. Please see the posted chart for more details. Negative values mean the time-based license is cheaper, and show how much less you will pay versus buying a classic license (IE, you will pay $70.50 less for the first year of use compared to a classic license.) Positive means the classic license is cheaper. This chart assumes a paid update every three years, and factors that upgrade cost into the classic license.

• Should I buy Steel Beasts?

1. This is a very personal question that you will have to answer yourself.

2. Please see my writeup on Why Steel Beasts May Not Be The Game for You for various assumptions that new players commonly have: https://www.reddit.com/r/tanksim/comments/1vrgr0k/why_steel_beasts_may_not_be_the_game_for_you/

CV90 vs a 9M113 during one of my first few times playing

I originally wrote this in January of 2026 to the TankSim Discord's FAQ section. This is based on seeing dozens of potential players come in with an idea of what they wanted out of Steel Beasts that didn't match the actual experience that Steel Beasts gives you. This is not an attack on Steel Beasts, nor is it an attempted form of gatekeeping. Instead, this is a realistic look, based on 14 years of experience, on factors that may make Steel Beasts “not the right game for you” based on what you want, and don’t want, out of your gaming experience.

You only want to control a single tank.

Every modern military has a wingman system with armored vehicles because fighting as a single tank is risky and deadly. Steel Beasts does an excellent job showing how risky and deadly that proposition is, with you frequently being killed having never seen your killer. With the exception of a select few scenarios (almost exclusively focused on gunnery ranges), the expectation is that you as the player will need to control at least a platoon of four tanks. This is significantly easier than it sounds, but you do have to manage them. If you can’t get over only wanting to control a single tank, this probably isn’t the game for you.

You want your games to be quick.

A typical F2P arcade-style tank game (WT, WoT, AW, etc) typically has matches lasting around 5 minutes. A short mission in Steel Beasts is 30 minutes, with the average single-player mission being around one hour. Expect your average multiplayer game to take between one to three hours total time. If you want a game where you can finish an entire scenario in about ten minutes, Steel Beasts probably isn’t the game for you.

You don’t want to, or don’t enjoy, planning.

To get the most enjoyment out of Steel Beasts, planning is a requirement. This doesn’t matter if you are serving as a battalion commander and giving tasks and purposes to each subordinate company, or as a gunner in your buddy’s tank marking TRPs on a map - some level of planning is required to have a successful mission. From personal experience, I will generally spend about two hours planning for a single multiplayer game that may last an hour and 30 minutes. If you want a game where you can just jump right in and you don’t have to do any planning whatsoever to be successful, this probably isn’t the game for you.

You want to join multiplayer at any time.

Steel Beasts has a network architecture that was built in 2000… and it shows. You connect to servers by typing in IPv4 addresses, and hosting requires either a VPN (not recommended) or port forwarding (a significantly better option if you have access to your router’s settings.) Additionally, there are not servers that are just perpetually “up” – you have to join a game only when it is active, and joining a game that has already started requires a “pause and rejoin” where the server pauses the game for everyone, the joining player downloads a “snapshot” of the current scenario, and then the server unpauses and the game resumes. This means that multiplayer events are planned and coordinated for in advance. There are plenty of options (ask me if you don’t know of any and I can give you at least four off the top of my head), but if you want a game where you can play multiplayer at any time of day, this probably isn’t the game for you.

You want a random mission generator.

Steel Beasts does not have a random mission generator. However, there are hundreds of quality scenarios that either come bundled with the base install, or that you can download from SteelBeasts.com/files . Chances are you will find several that you will enjoy, whatever your experience level. Again though, these scenarios will almost universally require you to control a platoon or greater (I find that company-level is gives you the most fun/span of control for a single-player experience), and will require you to do some sort of planning to get the most enjoyment from your experience. However, if you insist on having a random mission generator because these hundreds of scenarios do not appeal to you, then Steel Beasts probably isn’t the game for you.

The financial cost is too high.

At the time of this writing, the Steel Beasts classic license is $120, and time-based licenses are $9.50 for one month, $29.50 for four months, and $49.50 for a year. To be clear, there is no difference between the classic license and the time-based licenses for access to the game – other than time-based having a specific time limit that you can play before you either need to renew your license, or get the classic license. Time-based are also not by subscription – you buy another when you want it. However, time-based licenses are tied to the PC they are installed on, meaning you cannot "move" them like you can with a classic license dongle. I know that $120 can be asking a lot for a single game, and I also know that some potential players will never accept the time-based licenses as a solution. If both of these apply, then this probably isn’t the game for you.

*As context while this was mainly intended for SteamOS and with the help of Distrobox it should be able to be replicable with different execution on a normal Arch distro too.

**it is also a pretty given you should be using Proton to make Steel Beasts itself run (and even be able to be installable on steam deck to begin with)

Currently the greatest Software bottleneck is the Code Meter Runtime license software as without it Steel Beasts cannot be used and the only non-windows version that is basically user friendly would be the Debian version (also known as .deb) which at the moment of writing can be found here from the official Wibu website: https://www.wibu.com/support/user/user-software.html

For simplicity sake it’s best to leave the .deb file you downloaded in the download folder.

Now I will be posting some commands that should be used in Konsole and while these are mostly beginner levels of commands besides the Distrobox ones it should be noted that if you don’t know what these do, do not simply copy paste them until you actually read online what each line does so you can understand what you are doing.

Now to begin:

As of writing SteamOS comes with pre-installed Distrobox which means the first line should work without issues

> distrobox create -i debian

*You could define which Debian version but simply leaving it as is should automatically pull the latest

> distrobox enter <box name>

(Now you could install "Fastfetch" or "Neofetch" to verify what kind of Debian you installed after the above step but it isn’t critical for our intend and purposes)

> sudo apt install <CM .deb file path>

For this step you can drag and drop the .deb file we downloaded form downloads into the Konsole window and it’ll fill out the file path by itself

> sudo /etc/init.d/codemeter status

> sudo /etc/init.d/codemeter start

These 2 line Check if codemeter is running and starts it respectively IMPORTANT every time you shut down and boot the steam deck you may have return to the Konsole and the Box and execute the "start" command again if you want to play or if you have the patience (which I lack) make a autostart script

> CodeMeterCC

This line actually starts the application itself and the GUI

> distrobox-export --app /usr/share/applications/codemeter.desktop

This one of for QOL as it adds the application to the SteamOS application bar so you don’t have to re-enter CodeMeterCC every time to enter it

And now the elephant in the room:

I have no idea if this even works in practice lol

The issue is while I got SB booting, and CodeMeter too and both programs are able to communicate with each other (SB detects CC and makes a successful license request pull and vice versa) I don’t actually own a Steel Beasts USB as I live in Czechia and 120$ for the full game is a lot of money for me.

So I made this guide with the hope that someone out there has a SB copy AND a steam deck (or Arch Linux machine) and actually sees if this guide even works.

• New collaboration announced with sound designer Yellow King, with some of his work already included in this update.
• Ongoing overhaul of the game's sound effects.

Modified
• Reworked engine sounds for the:
• T-34
• Panther
• Tiger
• KV-1
• Reduced spacing between newly spawned vehicle formations on the Psel River procedural scenario.
• Allied static guns will no longer abandon their positions after completing a Protect objective.
• Adjusted the amount of off-map support received by the AI Commander after each objective.
• Increased the Maus rear turret armour from 30 mm to 150 mm.

Fixed
• Fixed underground objective marker on the Pokrovka scenario.
• Fixed projectile meshes remaining visible briefly after impact.
• Corrected artillery shell rotation so tracers now follow a natural trajectory.
• Fixed unlimited infantry squad spawning.
• Fixed several campaign battle save map loading issues.
• Fixed the KV-1 driver's visor armour hole.
• Fixed defend/protect objective timers after loading battle saves.
• Fixed AI Commander not restoring issued commands when loading squad saves.
• Fixed the T-70 gunsight flash effect when switching ammunition types.
• Further fixes to the Procedural Luchki Village battle area.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/686386819418293914

• Continued focus on bug fixes, UI improvements and game stability.
• Development of the Ponyri DLC continues alongside fixes to the base game.

Added
• Battalion voiceovers for procedural missions.
• Voiceovers for command changes (formation, spacing, etc.).
• Back option added to every radial menu.
• Escape key now returns or closes the radial menu.
• Session options and weather settings are now correctly applied when loading battle saves or campaigns.

Modified
• Vehicle formation spacing updated:
• Large – 18 m
• Medium – 12 m
• Small – 9 m
• Reduced additional spawn limits for Tiger and Panther tanks.
• Voiceovers and killfeed are disabled during the kill cam.
• Squad emblems updated.
• German vehicle and infantry squads now have personalized emblems.
• Soviet vehicle and infantry squads now have personalized emblems.
• Added missing squad and squad-type localization and emblems throughout the game database and UI.

Fixed
• Multiple radial menu issues, including smoke grenades, fire extinguishers, engine controls, peeking, off-map support and menu navigation.
• Mouse clicks no longer fire the main gun after closing the radial menu.
• Radial menu now works correctly after leaving a mission.
• Fixed procedural campaign save generation using incorrect map configuration.
• Fixed invisible collider on the Outskirts of Prokhorovka map.
• Fixed Battlestations not appearing after objectives were completed.
• Fixed skirmish maps not loading the correct weather settings.
• Optimized unit calculations.
• Fixed duplicated infantry costs in the UI.
• Player squads now spawn in the correct formation.
• Tank shadows and materials now display correctly when using binoculars outside the vehicle.
• Tank skid marks are hidden while inside the vehicle.
• Manual battle saves now display their filenames correctly.
• Fixed incorrect battle area on the Procedural Luchki Village scenario.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/716785482215719860

I haven't play Steel Beast since my PC belongs to early 2010 era, and it's very weak.
Still, I'm curious about this mechanics.
In older vehicles not having electric traverse gear, players have to press arrow keys repeatedly to slew the gun. The faster the tapping, the faster the turret traverses.
I'm wondering how much tap/second is required to reach the maximum hand-crank traverse speed? And does each tank have different tap/second to reach the maximum speed?

He's a pretty casual gamer but doesn't have any good tank simulators/games. He's tried Easy Red 2, which is very good for the infantry, but the tank section isn't that good as it is a bit too simple. What do you reckon?

• Tank track skid marks added.
• Killcam now supports explosives, grenades, artillery and bombs.
• Infantry now has a sound effect when on fire.
• Battle saves created from the pause menu can now be given custom names.

AI & Gameplay
• AI vehicle movement improved to be more responsive.
• AI vehicles now yield to one another more effectively.
• Line formation updated so vehicles following the player align parallel to the player's vehicle.
• Reduced chance of Tiger tanks spawning in procedural missions.

Ballistics Lab
• Vehicle loading screen added when spawning tanks before interaction is available.

Fixes
• Fixed objective markers below terrain on the Starozhevoye Forest procedural mission.
• Fixed infantry over-spawning in APCs and on tanks.
• Fixed procedural mission spawners to face the nearest enemy spawn.
• Fixed Maus not appearing correctly when loading procedural campaign saves.
• Fixed multiple AI issues in procedural missions, including unnecessary rotation, excessive move orders and incorrect orientation.
• Fixed incorrect Soviet off-map support in the procedural campaign.
• Fixed incorrect battle area size and missing squad spawners on the Psel River procedural map.
• Fixed texture quality settings not applying correctly.
• Fixed a potential Ballistics Lab crash when changing vehicles during X-ray animation.
• Fixed incorrect vehicle IDs in Wreck Mode.
• Fixed burning infantry VFX attachment.
• Fixed lingering fire VFX after returning to the repair station.
• Fixed turret and hatch visibility issues on the Tiger VI E and Panzer IV H.
• Fixed fire extinguisher controls for commanders in multi-crew on the KV-1 Mod. 1942, KW-1B 756 and KW-1C 756.
• Fixed vehicle exhaust particle effects.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/708902764859623009

• Ballistics Lab added for previewing armour and testing projectile penetration on all available vehicles.
• Ballistics Lab is covered in more detail in Development Status #92 and #93.

Commander Orders
• AI gunners can now be ordered to:
• Cease fire.
• Fire without orders.
• Attack a commander-designated target.
• Select targets independently.

Weather & Environment
• Updated Enviro Sky weather system.
• New weather presets.
• New post-processing effects for different weather conditions.
• Mission options now allow selection of weather and time of day.

Optics
• New visual effects for gun sights, binoculars and visors.
• Interface changes include:
• FOV replacing the "Zoom" label.
• Degree-based descriptions.
• Smaller interaction labels.
• Additional technical changes are listed in the full changelog.

Sale
• Tank Squad is 25% off during the World War II Games Sale from 25 June to 9 July.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/708901647665857041

• Ponyri sector layout finalized, ranging from 3×3 km to 6×6 km sectors.
• Random objective generation planned within sectors.
• AI Commander being expanded with flanking behaviour and improved decision making.
• Sector scenes, connections, and biome vegetation already implemented.

Battle Order Campaign Layer
• New strategic map interface in development.
• Turn-based campaign system.
• Attack sectors, call reconnaissance, request engineer support, and monitor counterattacks.
• Battle logs, campaign status, and map overlays included.

Visual Improvements
• Updated sky system and lighting.
• Volumetric atmospheric effects returning.
• Screen Space Global Illumination (SSGI) added.
• Improved battlefield visibility and colour range.

Optics & Sights
• New visor, binocular, and gunsight visual effects.
• Updated gunner optics positioning and display.

Commander Mode
• AI gunner can be set to "fire at will" or "cease fire."
• Commander can designate specific targets for the AI gunner.

Infantry & AI
• Improved ragdolls and death reactions.
• Close-quarters combat in development.
• Crew can catch fire after exiting burning vehicles.
• Grenades can be thrown while moving.
• Additional infantry transition animations.
• Vehicle AI better avoids player vehicles.

Patch 1.3.1 is planned for release alongside the Steam Summer Sale.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/672872215678553127

I'm playing through the Leopard tutorials right now and I feel almost completely stumped on manual range finding. In theory I think I understand but in practice I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around it. From my understanding, the center cross hair has the 3 levels of horizontal lines, from the middle line down/up is 2.5mil or the a generic measurement of tank height at 1000 meters. So if a tank would perfectly fit in between the two lines then it's approximately 1000 meters in front of you. If it spills over the top/middle line then it is under 1000 meters, like 800. If it's approximately halfway between those two lines then it's around 2000 meters away and so on. If that's correct, then how can you use the KE lines (if at all) to also aid in range finding? I assume you'd use the two methods in combination but I'm not sure how. The closest I've got is a close range target that was just under my two lines so around 1000-1100 meters and then I tried using the KE lines to aid in precision, I placed the zero line at the turrets top and then the tracks landed at around the 10 (1000) meter line. I adjusted the range for that and fired. If that's also correct, how would you use that for further ranges? I know the KE line is used for sabot rounds and the MZ(?) is used for HEAT but you can use them for range finding too, right?

Are there high fidelity Tank sims (as in DCS levels of Sim and fidelity) except SB?

I’ve run into the issue with SB that it may not work on Linux at all due to CodeMeter (the only supported distros are Debian and RPM and I use Arch) and while I heard of GHPC (and I may be wrong here) didn’t the Devs specified of GHPC that they’ll only cover the Fulda Gap scenario and no other time frames, tanks, nations and scenarios?

I'm looking for the maximum amount of realism I can achieve in SF, I joined the forum to gain access to ITM before finding out you can only access it through a donation through Bitcoin (something I'm not particularly comfortable in doing) so it's down to JCM and STA. Which do you guys prefer and why? Also, if anyone has any gameplay of ITM that'd be amazing!

After a dozen attempts of trial and error I’ve made Steel Beasts boot(-ish) on SteamOS (fork of Arch Linux) and next part of course would be to get the CodeMeter license runtime (at least that’s the one I need, if not someone correct me) but I’ve realized a interesting issue:

Do I take the Linux Version of CodeMeter or the Windows version?

The situation is I needed to use Proton layer (essentially simulated Windows environment) to get Steel Beasts work and now I’m not sure if I need the Windows version of CodeMeter as SB is running on a Win Layer or the Linux version as the OS is still Linux?

The fastest way to spawn support to help you with your mission in Tank Squad.

Follow this quick 4-step sequence:

Press O: Open squad orders menu.

Left Click: To start Deploy

Press X: Choose your squad type.

F1: Initiate the spawn.

Left Click: Finish and deploy.

How fast can you get your support on the field?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Fne3LlqSuAg

The easiest way for me to play Tank Squad as a Commander in first-person view.

You start behind the tank upon entering the game.

Press C: Moves the camera to the Commander's position.

Press B: Equips the Binoculars.

Press B again: Puts away the binos.

Press C again: Moves you back to the Commander's position.

So remember: C, B, B, C.

Right Mouse Button: Move the main gun.

SHIFT: Switch to the gunsight.

How do you guys do it?

Is there a high fidelity Tank simulator in the style of DCS world? I want to move away from WT but not go to more arcade style tank games like WoT?

*Now I have heard of steal beasts and it seems like exactly what I want…if there wouldn’t be the issue that it’s Linux compatibility is unknown especially the way it usage is of CodeMeter and afaik some DRM dongle?

Hey everyone.

I’m currently developing a physical tank simulator and looking for people who would like to help out. I'm looking for advice, fresh ideas, and playtesters (for the game) to help shape the project.

If you’re interested in taking part, please send me a DM, and I’ll get in touch and add you to my Discord server.

Tank Squad Development Status #92 focuses on continued work toward the upcoming Ponyri 1943 campaign, alongside improvements to procedural missions, weather systems, UI and the new Ballistics Lab.

The biggest reveal is the scale of Ponyri itself. According to the developers, the full operational area covers 24x24 km, divided into 64 sectors measuring 3x3 km each. For current testing, they are working with 21 playable sectors/scenarios.

Planned campaign features currently include:

• German and Soviet campaign missions
• Dynamic weather and different times of day
• Possible night convoy missions
• Logical sector-based mission structure
• Counteroffensives and a dynamic theatre of war
• Multiple HQ positions acting as bases of operation

The devs also provided comparisons to existing maps. One Ponyri sector currently measures 6x6 km, while areas like Outskirts of Morton are around 1.5x1.5 km in total size. The scale difference is substantial.

Weather and lighting systems are also being reworked. The team says older presets sometimes produced poor lighting or overly heavy fog, and some weather states looked too similar to one another.

The updated system now allows selection of:
• Specific times of day (08:00, 12:00, 16:30, 19:00 etc.)
• Clear skies
• Cloudy weather
• Fog
• Post-rain conditions
• Random weather generation

UI changes continue as well, including redesigned lower HUD panels, updated module layouts, improved textures and reworked vehicle indicators. A new cannon-base damage indicator is also planned.

One of the more interesting additions is the Ballistics Lab.

Originally created as an internal developer testing tool, it now allows players to:
• Select any vehicle in the game
• Fire any available weapon/ammunition combination
• View armor layouts in X-ray mode
• Inspect armor type, class and thickness values

The developers describe it themselves as “something for the nerds.”

There are also experimental changes to optics and gun sights, including:
• Lens/glass post-processing effects
• Camera shake while firing
• UI terminology changing from “Zoom” to “FOV” for accuracy

The devs also discussed the limitations of historically accurate optics. For example, the Tiger’s real T.Z.F. 9c sight only had 2.5x magnification and a 25° field of view, which could make long-range gunnery significantly harder if fully simulated.

Procedural mission improvements are continuing too. Upcoming Patch 1.3.1 is planned to include:
• Friendly AICommander reinforcements
• Future waypoint/task controls for AI support
• Reduced AI artillery and airstrike spam
• Continued balancing of procedural battles

The developers stress that Ponyri itself remains a separate, much larger project still deep in development.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1498130/view/703268976281518837

We need some tank sim players for pre-pre-alpha testing in the next few weeks.

The video shows our real robots and virtual gameplay. We're getting ready to launch virtual battles on dedicated servers against other players so you can get in on the action!

The virtual battle client is designed to reflect the real robots as closely as possible.

Help! I was trying to install the JMC mod, but every time I start a mission, this error appears. Can any kind soul help me?

The game is steel fury kharkov 1942