Choose ARMA: Combat Operations
Choose ARMA: Combat Operations if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. ARMA: Combat Operations launched in 2008.
ARMA: Combat Operations vs Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux
ARMA: Combat Operations and Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. ARMA: Combat Operations (2008) is 9 years older than Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux (2017). Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux scores higher on Steam reviews (84.1% positive) than ARMA: Combat Operations (71.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux
Choose Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux if you want a Strategy and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2017) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux launched in 2017.
Both ARMA: Combat Operations and Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux sit in Action on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 ARMA: Combat Operations |  Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2008 | 2017 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Strategy, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | 4.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 71.2% positive (118 reviews) | 84.1% positive (69 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Bohemia Interactive | Bohemia Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- ARMA: Combat Operations (2008) is 9 years older than Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux (2017).
- Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux scores higher on Steam reviews (84.1% positive) than ARMA: Combat Operations (71.2% positive).
ARMA: Combat Operations vs Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux — FAQ
- Should I play ARMA: Combat Operations or Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux first?
- If you want chronology, ARMA: Combat Operations (2008) came out before Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux (2017). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are ARMA: Combat Operations and Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux similar?
- They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux have multiplayer like ARMA: Combat Operations?
- No. ARMA: Combat Operations supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Arma: Cold War Assault Mac/Linux is listed as single-player only.