15 Best Reload Animations in Games

Escape from Tarkov

The animation team who’ve worked on ultra-tactical FPS Escape from Tarkov clearly prioritised realism; their gun reloads are patient – surgical, even – offering players a feeling as weighty and tactile as any reload animation on this rundown. Of course, the success in Escape from Tarkov’s reload animations rests on the weathered appearance of the game’s weaponry too. There’s an immense attention to detail in the brushed metallic surfaces, with battle scars glinting in the sun’s reflection. The disciplined reload animations highlight these visual details for sure, but there’s tons of nuance in their movement too. For instance, one of the PPSH-41 submachine gun’s animations sees a magazine require a little brute force to jiggle out of the catch; each of the game’s Kalashnikov rifles features an ultra-satisfying click as the magazine pops back into its receiver; the plume of hot smoking barrels artfully follow the muzzle’s arc.