Little Kitty, Big City
Little Kitty, Big City
Game
Game2017
Afghanistan '11
Developer Every Single Soldier, Retro Epic
Afghanistan '11 is a turn-based strategy computer wargame developed in 2017 by Every Single Soldier, and published by Slitherine Software. Set during the War in Afghanistan, the player controls an American forward operating base who is tasked with capturing a series of villages from the Taliban, while winning the hearts and minds of the local population, and then transferring control of the area to the Afghan… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Jul 17, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
68
Fresh
128 positive · 60 negative
95% range 61–74%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 128 | 60 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
1 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
302 of 407 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstAs an Afghan vet myself, I can honestly say the therapy value of this alone made it worth the price. Clever mechanics accurately catch the whackamole nature and ultimate futility of the war I fought. In the end, the things you need to do to win are not things we as the West could do, in game as in life. It's frustrating, and there's a lot of abstraction, but in the end, it's true, and doesn't lie to you. Respect.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like the actual United States in Afghanistan, the developers have abandoned this game that is currently filled with bugs. It is in no state to be on its own, but instead of fixing it, they left it as is.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game kinda hits home as i was in Eastern Afghanistan during 2011 too, never saw 10th Mtn Div there though. But anyways, Im personally a very strong supporter and huge fan of strategy games. It means alot to have such an important and defining moment in my life bieng represented in a way I can really appriciate as a strategy fan. In my opinion as an Infantryman that directly served in this theater, I have to say the Devs did a pretty good job of nailing down alot of the aspects of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unrealistic. ANA actually fights the Taliban after Western withdrawal.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, reflective of reality. ANA Handover wasn't handled very well. One turn in and my troops immediately lost to the Taliban SMH. 10/10 would Saigon again
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically GWOT themed Whack-A-Mole game. Fairly predictable after a couple hundreds turns. Once you figure out an effective strategy the game cheats rather than reward determined players. Lame. Glad I bought it on sale.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Had potential but the dev never finished patching it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm pretty torn up about this game, since I sincerely believe that there is a gem hidden under the rough surface, but this is just... a typical Slitherine wargame, which means three things. Ugly, like very much. See, I play video games for 34+ years, I don't really care about graphics, but I do care about messed up/badly mapped textures, or when all units look like the same and such. It's just ugly, devs seemingly didn't care to the level that it affects functionality/gameplay experience.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love this game, played a lot before owning it on Steam, but dropped cause of brightness critical bug which prevented you from playing the game past 30-40 turns cause of how bad the screen hurted your eyes. Now it is fixed, but the game still is so damn rough and counterintuitive in some aspects, that it can be played only by COIN fans exclusively, cause it just have not enough competition on a market. Games from this developer are unique and scratch the itch of counterinsurgency simulator.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was loving this game for the first dozen hours or so, then it just devolves into a tedious, repetitious slog. 3/5 stars Come on Steam devs, allow us users to rate our games from 1 to 5 stars... Change the rating system. DO IT
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game abandoned in a buggy and unfinished state by the developer.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great concept & setting. The innovative game mechanics work and are fun. Special bonus point for a not-so-daily setting. But why negative? Thats why: - Unfriendly controls - way too much clicking for everything - 100 times the same standard tasks to do - no automation at all. And these tasks need a lot of clicking... - Most boring music/sound I've heard for a veeeery long time - Very uninteresting graphic. I really don't need graphics, normally I'm fine with simple 2d graphic. But here... its…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun to play, just feels kinda weird now lol
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The controls are pretty iffy and there's a complete lack of automation, I quickly got bored of having to manually switch between and tell 10+ squads to sweep for mines every 2 minutes. I love the idea of the game, but these two things just ruined it for me, if you like taking things slow and have quite a bit of patience, you'll probably enjoy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Edited: Game is actually worse than my initial review. I finally got to play game on my wife's laptop without the glaring brightness, but after playing a full game, when I get to US withdrawal, a bug still allows US troops to be purchased and deployed at cheaper than they were before the "Withdrawal" Unplayable. Shader bug makes the screen get brighter each time you hit end turn button. By turn ten, it starts frying out your eyes and giving you a headache. By turn 20 it looks like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I would like to rate Afghanistan 11 on the basis of gameplay, graphics or concept, I can't. That makes me rather disappointed. The problem: The developer does not appear responsive to issues. That's not to say they never respond; you've just given up hope by the time they do. This is unfortunate as my attempts to play the game are depressingly uniform. Every. Single. Game crashes. The crash will also persist across saves, so every time it comes time to move that unit, Game Crash!…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Basically this is Vietnam '65, but they added a broken tutorial and IEDs that spawn instantaneously and for free directly outside of your bases every time there's an election. In Vietnam '65 you and the AI played two different games, but it was balanced and had its charm. In Afghanistan '11, the AI gets defibbed with free things every 20 turns regardless of how little income you have left them with. Yawn. Cheating AI is lame, man.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: There is combat but you spend most of your time thinking about logistics, planning the delivery of a few resource types to various units and locations safely. Depend on your preferences that's either the most boring sounding thing in the world or the game's main selling point. Combat: The combat is present and in a sense it is very traditional with various ranged and melee (not literally) units to hit the enemies with percentage based odds of wining or loosing. On the other hand it is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On the surface - very similar to Vietnam 65, with a much greater scope, depth and complexity, features that sound great. Underneath - a far worse experience. I gave it a few tries, but the UX, UI, and implementation stop me every time. I hoped they updated it with some polish, but no such luck. Very unfortunate, I would have loved to play something with these features, but done well.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is certainly not for the average military simulator fan; it's a game for true history buffs who really want to immerse themselves in the military and political quagmire that was the Afghanistan War. On my first playthrough, I played the game as if I was always waiting for the next battle, and I ran out of resources really fast and shut down my first "skirmish" session after just ten minutes. On my second playthrough, I prioritized the minutiae of being an occupier: hearts-and-minds,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really do like this game. I have played it extensively. It still drives me crazy that a serious bug has still not been fixed. Late in a mission, when you have many special forces units, one or two spec ops will totally bug out. Sometimes they go completely invisible. Eventually they will throw a fatal exception when selected. It makes it impossible to finish the mission when you choose to promote many of your units to spec ops. Developers! Please fix this bug. I have emailed crash stats…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Someone thought they had a great idea by making the game bright like the desert is in reality. Despite numerous complaints the developers are taking your money and moving on to other things. Teach them to fix the last game before releasing the next and DO NOT BUY IT.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A real shame. There is a lot to like here but far too much busy work distracting from the actual fun part of the game and no modding support to customise it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Games decent, but the devs have moved on, and abandoned the game. So, is it worth $30? No, not in my opinion. I'd recommend it on sale, but even then with the understanding that the game is bought as is, and is no longer receiving updates from the dev team while bugs are still present, and being reported by users. In fact I'd be wary of buying from these guys again so buy at your own risk.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is more about proper logistics and building infrastructure than direct combat, which is a refreshing thing in my opinion. And for the most part, the mechanics work quite well. However there are a few imho really unfair issues: 1) It's impossible to protect transport trucks. No matter how many MRAPs are in a convoy, or how close friendly infantry is, Milita units can simply appear out of nowhere, destroy a single truck and disappear for good. Wtf? 2) Apache attack helicopters, in real…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It could be a wonderful game. It has a good and unique concept, intriguing and, at the very core of it all, good mechanics.. Unfortunately the game is quite buggy, and at times there are some things that simply don't make sense. It feels like a title in Early Access, not something that deserves to be sold for $30. Some of the game design choices confuse me as well because they are simple quality of life things that can be found in other turn based video games or, for something that claims to be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a pain in the ass to play. The game seems to break its own rules, several times I've had empty spaces within the detection range of a drone or special forces and swept for IEDs, then I'll move vulnerable units through what should be perfectly safe terrain yet still have helicopters shot down in ambushes by units that can't possibly have moved to there or trucks blown up by IEDs no one could have placed. Your units are also woefully underpowered, the most advanced jets, howitzers…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slow, frustrating, tedious, like war.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i gave a village UN aid and water and in response they supported the taliban 10/10 would hear "village uncooperative" every village visit ever
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Afghanistan 11 is not a complete game and it never will be. I want to say that because it looks complete. The EA title is gone and there hasn't been updates in ages. Thing is when you play it you will notice a lot of weird bugs and incomplete features. Certain campaign mission are flat out broken, there's weird things going on with the IED system, units that are supposed to counter IED's (huskys which serve as minesweeper) are vulnerable to them, MOABs not functioning. Just a whole heap of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The POLITICAL POINTS castrate you throughout the entire game, you can't even lift a helicopter off of the ground without incurring a crippling "PP DEDUCTION". I seriously do not think the developers of this game knew what the hell they were doing. MONEY is what allows for military campaigns, interventions, police actions etc...hundreds of billions of dollars that comes from the Pentagon. POLITICAL FAVOR is not the currency of a successful military campaign. You need the politicians when it…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fascinating game. Best COIN (counter-insurgency) game I've seen by far. Does a good job of simulating the Afghan conflict, which necessarily means it's not like your typical war game, and can be frustrating if that's what you're used to. To address a couple of criticisms I've seen here: You can't scout with helicopters, they'll get shot down. Just like in they did irl. That's not a bug; it's in the freaking manual. You can disagree with the design decision, but if it's in the manual it's not a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's too random and oddly linear to the point where you rarely get to make actual decisions but instead have to do actions in the very specific way the game wants you to while hoping for the best. Missions go on far too long in general with most of their time taken up with clumsy, monotonous back-and-forth busywork. inb4 'well that's the point of a game about the War on Terror'. To some extent sure but wargames can aim for realism without being dull or painful to play more often than not and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here is the thing. I like this game. It is very good. If only the developers wouldn't have abandoned it with some issues left behind. Not gamebreaking issues but annoying nevertheless. The issue I have with it? The game seems to have been abandoned by its developer while some bugs have been left in the game. Posting my issues on the discussion here and over in the Slitherine forum gave me no answers how to solve the problem. Developers are not responding to the posted issues. The major…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has/had potential. Even if you get past the tutorials you will get unresponsive clicks, a currently too bright landscape (Come on Developers how could you miss this.?) and obsure ways to complete Campaign missions. Most of the US resources in the base you can't use when 'Taliban Spotted' is announced. Freezes I think. I don't know I have the points to use them. I played ROOKIE and REGULAR and either way this game is frustration on issuing orders. The logistics don't bother me...but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game with excellent new mechanics and a refreshing take on an old genre. Pros Not the typical RTS of kill all you see Need to think carefully and use each unit's strengths and weaknesses to win. Cannot just rush Nice graphics Cons Gameplay can get a bit repetitive No Waypoints or patrol routes available Either one side wins or retreats, no winning with casualties Overall, a great game!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game! Brother was in the 10th Mountain Division and I was in the 101st Airborne Division. Deployed to Afghanistan from 2010-2011. Brings back memories both good and bad.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wish there was a neutral option for this one. More about logistics and political stuff than combat or actually dealing with military ops. This is much more like a peace mission game than combat. Lots of bugs. Had to redo the first 2 tutorial missions 3 times each. Cannot even continue the third.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazingly creative, unique strategy game. There's nothing else to really compare to it to since "counter insurgent simulator" is so niche.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite a fiddly game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game would 100% recommend. The tutorials are helpful and really let you see the games core mechanics while at the same time not being to hand holding and restrictive. This game forces you to think tactically and shows that you can't when them all. Great strategical game similar to Vietnam '65. I would advise trying to pick it up on a discount as it goes on sale time to time. $30 can be a bit steep for this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't buy this game. Developers stop supporting this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good concept with unique win conditions to reflect a 'hearts and minds' war. I like the way you have to build FOBs and achieve certain objectives all the while having to defend from IEDs and insurgents. Ulitamtely I cannot recommend as it becomes 'Supply Line Micromanager' and not even in a fun way. Most of your turn involves micromanaging supply trucks back and forth and it's tedious. Some kind of automation would have helped with this. This crowds out the fun parts of the mission until…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So this is a fairly decent and fun COIN game--if a bit unrealistic. The developer though, with it's choices in new titles like the Rhodesian Bush War is really giving off... umm... how do I say this? Basically they are making a game that simulates the white apartheid government of "Rhodesia" (modern day Zimbabwe) and its attempt to preserve apartheid (white minority) rule in Zimbabwe during the "Rhodesian Bush War." The memory of "Rhodesia", incidentally, is currently quite popular among many…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game actually seems to represent that effects of not only combat, but the effects that occur do to not working with the people of the country.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I haven't played this thing in a long while, I admit. For some reason my attention drifted back to it, maybe because I was reading articles on SOFREP. I remembered the fun I got out of Vietnam '65 and how this one just didn't compare at all. After all this time I guess I just want to say I'm very disappointed. The more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that this title was a political statement from the developers about the war. I was under the impression that Every Single Soldier had…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Almost as buggy as Cyberpunk, which is sad because this could be a good addition if it wasn't for the problems. Oh you have a unit that has 100% resistance to IEDs, that can detect IEDs two tiles away and disarm them? No you don't! My huskies, when sent alone, seem to be able to run over and take damage from IEDs ... amazing. And don't even get started with placing this unit in a convoy.... Right sir we need to turn around because we're going to run out of fuel! Ok, lead element get going,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bugged out and soft locked within the first 5 minutes of playing. With a first impression that rough I decided to refund.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No longer supported, so some bugs will never be fixed. What a shame, really is a good game. Maybe buy when on a really good sale, but full price - I would pass.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There aren't many counter-insurgency wargames so this was always going to be of interest to me. The game does a good job of forcing you to prioritise your resources and decide between what is good now and what will payoff in the future. People who own the Vietnam game will recognise the key mechanics, but there are enough new features that it's worth getting.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a fun game, it’s challenging, and it gives you a small view of what they had to deal with in Afghanistan. But the game gets monotones after the 8th or 9th mission. You build roads and water works, make the people like you, control and area, get ready for the handover. It’s a good purchase if you get it on sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you are looking for something very different in the realm of historical based war games, this one adds an interesting, complex and challenging twist. Imagine your typical RTS, but instead of just worrying about money, instead you worry about scoring political points. And the ways in which you lose political points (PP). In a nutshell, unlike most RTS games where you generate money by building stuff and upgrading it, in this game you will gain PP by keeping your casualties down to a bare…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I only have a few hours on this game so far, but boy is it good! Its so good to see there is still intelligent life in game development these days. I will not write a full review since there is already a lot of them out there. Basically it's a hex, turn based game, with paper-rock-scisors type of units. You know, your average post-panzer general kind of game. What makes it shine is the novel aproach: assimetrical war. You have the most powerful, long-range units, simulated air cover, helos…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Has potential but too frustrating. Playing as Americans just feels like playing as another Afghani tribe because aside from UAV's and airstrikes they're piss weak. Spec ops and marines will often lose skirmishes and choppers will regularly be shot down by RPGs and technicals as if they were state of the art SAMs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →no support, not playable, no debugging. stay away from this!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just wanted to write a positive review to counter the communist's review below. Yes, these games tackle hard topics. Yes, sometimes you have to play as factions that Leftists find highly objectionable. No, playing a side in a wargame does not mean you endorse their beliefs. This is absurdly obvious but due to the high presence of commies in the reviews, I have to point it out. THAT SAID..Vietnam '65 is the one to get. It's polished, not buggy, fun to play, straightforward. Afghanistan '11…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2023 Damned Good Game, this is. Highly recommended. Logistics and politics are king and queen, with combat a distant third, as it should be in a war. SOLID GAME I was as surprised as you probably are. Very RNG, very map dependent (what kind of map you roll) - but if you get a map you don't like, you can just restart and reroll, no problem. On Regular, AI is challenging, and while at start you will be building water towers ("water works" in game) to get Political Points to be able to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10/10 would get gang banged by 6 IEDs just to die by the 7th one again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hearts and Minds: the two best places to shoot somebody. "Solid Copy" fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an addictive game if you like military management simulations. It has been praised by those with little military experience and those who served in the specific war. I would say it was well worth the price. You can play through a campaign that increases your ability to handle the logistics of a growing amount of troops, ground vehicles, air support helicopters and a few military transport helicopters. The missions entail increasing the 'Hearts and Minds' score (a way of measuring the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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