Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire

2004 I-deal Games RPG, Strategy

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot confirmed

LinuxNative

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic Not rated

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 751

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3/5

Design today3/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

78%

1,727 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not confirmed

A Mac version is sold. Not yet confirmed on Apple Silicon.1

LinuxNative

Native Linux version.1

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire running today

Install a DirectDraw wrapper such as cnc-ddraw or DDrawCompat to stop slowdowns and crashes; the bundled WineD3D does not fix the slowdowns (PCGamingWiki).
Start the game from WF6.exe in the game folder, run it as administrator and set Windows 7 compatibility mode if it does not launch (Steam Community).
If the game shows a black screen on start, delete or rename Intro.slf in the Data folder to skip the intro movie (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Wildfire is a standalone expansion of Jagged Alliance 2 that began as a fan mod and replays the original campaign with new maps, mercenaries, weapons and a much tougher enemy. You hire a squad of mercenaries to free the island nation of Arulco from its dictator, managing money, towns and militia on a strategic map. Combat is turn-based and played out sector by sector in an isometric view.

Developer: I-deal Games
Released: 2004
Genre: RPG, Strategy
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Reviewers at release praised the demanding missions, the smarter enemy and the large world, while warning about dated graphics and a very steep difficulty; PC Games gave it 7 out of 10. GameBanshee noted that the Steam release arrived with known bugs and planned patches that never came. Players today still rate it highly as a harder take on a classic. The common complaints are punishing difficulty, enemies that hide and force repeated reloads late in the game, and trouble getting it to run on newer Windows.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The full campaign is included and the game has no online services to lose (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
No widescreen, ultrawide or 4K resolutions are supported (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
The game has no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
Slowdowns and crashes on modern Windows are fixed with a DirectDraw wrapper, though a rare bug can freeze an enemy turn and force a restart (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

3/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Everything runs through mouse clicks on the map and menus, with keyboard shortcuts for common orders. There is no controller support or key remapping, but the turn-based play suits the mouse well. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game runs only at a fixed 1024×768 4:3 resolution with no widescreen, ultrawide, 4K or windowed option, so text and menus look small and blurry on today's screens. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, pcgames.de.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Outside the optional Iron Man mode, saving is free at any time, with Ctrl+S to save and Alt+S to quicksave, and players lean on frequent saves and reloads to get through hard fights. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
There is no tutorial, and even the easiest difficulty throws strong, well-armed enemies at the player from the first sector. Players say newcomers should start with the original game instead. Source: steamcommunity.com, pcgames.de.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Later sectors fill up with extra soldiers and tanks, and surviving enemies hide in corners and on roofs, which turns fights into long cycles of creeping forward and reloading. Source: steamcommunity.com, pcgames.de.
Camera and movement never fight the player
The game uses a fixed 2D isometric view that scrolls with the mouse or keys, with no camera to wrestle with in turn-based combat. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.