Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs ARMA 3
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is an FPS open-world game from Bohemia Interactive (2010) while ARMA 3 is an FPS open-world game from Bohemia Interactive (2013).
What each one is
Steam files Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead under FPS and Open-World. In contrast, it files ARMA 3 under FPS and Open-World.
Three years after the conflict in Chernarus, portrayed in the original Arma 2, a new flashpoint explodes in the Green Sea Region. Coalition forces led by the US Army are deployed to Takistan to quickly restore peace and prevent further civilian casualties.
Experience true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox. Deploy with a wide variety of single- and multiplayer content, a massive arsenal of modern weapons and vehicles, and limitless opportunities for content creation. Authentic, diverse, open - Arma 3 sends you to war.
At a glance
| Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead | ARMA 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.7/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (92%, 22,247) | Very Positive (90%, 294,969) |
| Critic aggregate | 73/100 | 74/100 |
| Price | $3.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2010 | 2013 |
| Developer | Bohemia Interactive | Bohemia Interactive |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead vs ARMA 3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadFPS open-world gameARMA 3FPS open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadSimulation, Military, ActionARMA 3Military, Action, ShooterThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadScore 7.7 · 92% on Steam · 73 criticARMA 3Score 7.7 · 90% on Steam · 74 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead22,247 reviews · 3 add-onsARMA 3294,969 reviews · 22 add-onsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead ✓$3.99ARMA 3$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Arma 2: Operation ArrowheadPlayableARMA 3PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueArma 2: Operation Arrowhead and ARMA 3 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The cheaper right now: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead ($3.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: ARMA 3 (294,969 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SimulationMilitaryActionMultiplayerTacticalRealisticStrategyShooter
Where they differ
ModernDifficultThird Person
CombatOnline Co-OpThird-Person Shooter
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is demanding, for players who want a challenge. ARMA 3 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead | ARMA 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core quad-core |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | — | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead · ARMA 3.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and 0 for ARMA 3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
If you like one, also try
Common questions
How different are Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead and ARMA 3 in scope?
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead has drawn 22,247 Steam reviews and ships 3 add-ons. ARMA 3 has drawn 294,969 Steam reviews and ships 22 add-ons.
Is Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or ARMA 3 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead rates higher (7.7 to 7.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead or ARMA 3?
Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead is cheaper right now at $3.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.