Gunship Origins is a combat helicopter game reminiscent of the great helicopter simulators of the 90s, but with modern co-op multiplayer, cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Steam Deck) support, and all the love an indie game developer can put into it.

You start as a fresh US Army Aviation recruit, sometime in the early 2000s, joining up as the west coast of the USA is being invaded by a strong and determined enemy, well-equipped with Soviet-era equipment. All across the Pacific coast, enemy soldiers, tanks, APCs, artillery, and more are pushing inland, and the call from US leadership has gone out.

Your skill, determination, and grit are needed to defend your country.

As you progress, you'll experience flight training, weapons training, and (optionally) officer training. You'll then be sent into the fray with a variety of helicopters: Apaches, Blackhawks, Kiowa Warriors, and more.

On the weapons side, you'll deploy 30mm chainguns, Hellfire missiles, HYDRA-70 rockets, Stinger anti-air missiles, among others.

You'll face enemy T-72, T-80, and other main battle tanks, BMP infantry fighting vehicles, BTR armored personnel carriers, ZSU anti-air artillery and SAM anti-air missiles, infantry equipped with a variety of weapons, and others to be announced later.

You'll need a great team with you if you're going to succeed. If you take the officer route, you'll be the commander of a platoon of helicopters. As you progress you will be able to recruit and manage a whole roster of AI pilots and CP/Gs. Scout for the top flight school graduates, recruit them to your platoon, assign them to pilot and CP/G seats to be your wingmen based on their aptitudes and capabilities. But be sure to take care of them; losing an experienced crew is the ultimate loss.

Aside from your AI pilot roster, you'll also be able to fly with your human friends. Gunship Origins supports up to 8 players in co-op multiplayer: 4 pilots and 4 copilot/gunners, in a maximum 4 helicopter flight.

Missions are designed to take around 25 to 35 minutes – when lunchtime rolls around, grab your buddies and fly a quick mission. You'll be done with time to finish your sandwich and get back to work.

As you complete missions, you'll be promoted through the ranks – both the Warrant Officer track as well as commissioned officer track. You'll also receive medals and awards for your heroic actions.

Gunship Origins is designed to work well on mid-level computers, Windows, Macs, and Linux machines, as well as Steam Decks. You don't need a gamer rig to play it. In fact, even lower end machines can participate – you can turn the graphics level way down to achieve a good enough framerate to play with your friends. Or, if you do happen to have a top notch gamer rig, then crank everything up and enjoy the views.