Arma: Cold War Assault is a military tactical shooter developed by the Czech studio Bohemia Interactive. It was originally released in 2001 as Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, published by Codemasters, and was renamed Arma: Cold War Assault in 2011 after Bohemia and Codemasters parted ways and the Operation Flashpoint name stayed with the publisher. It is widely regarded as the foundation of the long-running Arma series.
Set in 1985 at the height of the Cold War, the game places the player in a fictional conflict across a set of large, open islands, including Everon, Malden, Kolgujev, and Nogova. It broke from the corridor shooters of its day with vast outdoor environments, drivable land, sea, and air vehicles, realistic ballistics, and an emphasis on tactics and vulnerability: a single bullet can be fatal, and engagements often play out at long range across open terrain. A lengthy campaign, standalone missions, and a powerful mission editor gave it enormous depth and a long modding life.
Built on Bohemia's Real Virtuality engine (internally codenamed Poseidon), Operation Flashpoint was a critical success and is remembered as a milestone in large-scale military simulation, directly inspiring the Arma games and influencing the wider tactical-shooter genre. In 2026, for the title's 25th anniversary, Bohemia Interactive released its engine and game source code under a GPL license and issued a modernized remaster, Arma: Cold War Assault Remastered, cementing the game's status as one of the more openly preserved PC titles of its era.
