Five million Russians are practising their Warface

It looks like Crytek's gamble on a free-to-play future is paying off. Warface, their self-described "AAA 4 Free" FPS, can now boast an impressive 5 million registered users in its Russian test market.

"Reaching the five million registered users mark speaks volumes about the quality and appeal of Warface," opines Vladimir Nikolsky, VP of Warface's publisher, the Mail.Ru Group. "With a combination of first-class visuals and gameplay that is second to none, Warface stands out from the crowd and promises to attract even more attention from players in the future." Admittedly, he's biased.

Warface is Crytek's attempt at bringing "console game quality" (sigh) to the free-to-play market. The CryEngine 3 powered shooter is holding its closed beta tests in Europe and North America, and is still listed for release in the fast-fading twilight of 2012. With this year already seeing the likes of Tribes: Ascend and Planetside 2, are you planning to join Russia in its mass display of Warface?

Thanks, Joystiq .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.