Firefighting Games Spark Interest at Gamescom 2025

In a video gaming landscape often dominated by fantasy duels and gunfights, one unique genre is standing out at the Gamescom trade fair in Germany: firefighting.

Both Firefighting Simulator Ignite from German developer Weltenbauer and French studio Exkee’s Rescue Ops: Wildfire aim to have a social impact beyond entertainment, whether by raising fire safety awareness or highlighting the effects of climate change on vulnerable ecosystems.

Firefighting Simulator is set for release on September 9 and offers a realistic firefighting experience in a fictional American city. Gamescom demos showcased missions where players rescue civilians from burning buildings, force doors, hook up hoses to trucks and hydrants, and extinguish fires with water or foam. Players can lead a squad of AI firefighters or tackle missions cooperatively with up to four participants.

“For many, it’s a childhood fantasy to perform heroic acts, drive the big machines, and extinguish fires,” said Fabian Winkhardt, head of the 30-member development team. Professional firefighters, part of the core audience, scrutinize every detail, from helmet colors to hose handling. Despite this, the team focused on keeping the game action-oriented and fun, aiming to inspire young people to consider firefighting or learn about fire safety.

Rescue Ops focuses on wildfires in the wooded coastal hills around Marseille, France. Developed in collaboration with France’s Valabre public safety school, the game simulates firefighting challenges like water management and wildfire spread. Chief executive Toni Doublet said the game also raises awareness of global warming’s impact, nature preservation, and survival in fire-prone areas. Players can heli-drop firefighters or call water-dumping planes to enhance engagement.

New technology, such as Unreal Engine 5, allows both games to display highly detailed environments, offering realistic experiences that appeal to professionals and gamers alike. Doublet noted that while firefighting simulators existed a decade ago, today’s hardware enables far more immersive and accurate simulations suitable even for training purposes.

The teams hope these high-fidelity firefighting games will educate, entertain, and inspire players worldwide.