Quick answer
Airsoft is a team game where players eliminate opponents by hitting them with 6mm plastic BBs fired from replica guns — electric rifles (AEGs), gas blowback (GBB) guns, high-pressure air (HPA) and spring-powered snipers. Hit players call their own hits.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Ammo: 6mm plastic BBs, typically 0.20g–0.40g. No paint, minimal mark.
- Power limits: each field sets its own, commonly around 350 FPS for full-auto rifles and around 500 FPS for bolt-action snipers, with minimum engagement distances.
- Safety: eye protection is mandatory at every field — no exceptions.
- Age: each field sets its own minimum playing age, often 12 with a parent or guardian. Check the field's page.
- Scale: Airsoft Catalog lists 6,183 guns and 103 UK fields.
How a game works
Two teams play objective games — capture the flag, attack and defend, last team standing. Hit players call their hits and walk back to respawn. Games run from 10-minute CQB rounds to weekend-long MilSim scenarios.
Where to go next
Related reading
Beginner
Your first airsoft skirmish — what to expect, what to bring
The honest version, not the marketing version
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AEG vs GBB vs HPA — which platform should you actually start with?
Honest tradeoffs, not the YouTube hype version
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Eye protection that actually works — the buyer's guide
ANSI Z87.1, anti-fog, mesh vs solid, and the £15 mistake everyone makes
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