15 Best Reload Animations in Games

PlanetSide 2

For the uninitiated, Planetside 2 is a gargantuan multi-player shooter with thousands of players working together across multi-continental maps in all out planetary war. The bulk of the game’s reload animations aren’t the short snappy type we see in Destiny 2 or Borderlands 3. No, they’re frequently drawn out, a hair’s width lengthier than the reload animations we typically see. Without prior thought, this may seem counterintuitive, but the deliberate design choice to momentarily lengthen reloading encourages tactical play rather than breakneck pace. It gives us chance to savour the animations too, for whilst they’re by-and-large a few frames lengthier than other games, they’re no less rhythmic. Observe the SAS-R sniper rifle; the gun hovers a moment too long between magazine changes, but this only serves to add crunchy impact when the player smashes the replacement in.