Sudden Combat is the newest indoor gaming facility in Sterling, VA, offering exteme laser tag & paintball ReBall. With 3 separate rooms for black light laser tag and one room for paintball Reball and a large lobby space, your gang can get all of their energy out on a rainy, cold or too hot to play outside day.
Sudden Combat offers extreme laser tag for ages 7+ and paint less paintball called Reball (no mess but still hurts like a real paintball) for ages 10+. The OK reviewers, boys ages 8 and 10 and their parents, arrived 10 minutes early for their 2 pm reservation time for sudden combat laser tag. They were greeted by a no-nonsense desk clerk who checked them in, confirmed that they filled out the liability waivers online and told them to wait in the sitting area until they were called.
The waiting area, which consists of leather couch seating, video games, restrooms, a pool table and air hockey table and also housed 3 party areas all open to each other. The waiting area was clean and well organized. About 15 minutes after check-in, we were called into the Alpha room by a staff member.
He gave them very brief instructions on how to play and how to use the guns. They started playing with 2 other people they didn’t know and divided up into even teams. After they were armed with their military vests and M14 look alike guns and told where their base camps were, the game began in the barrier filled arena, also equipped with an oversee platform to shot from.
Everyone followed the rules and were kind when players ran out of ammunition. Note you get 150 shots before you have to get your gun reloaded by the game manager on duty, which is at a desk near the front of the arena. After each game, players hung out near the large 
digital stats screen which told players which team won, who had the most “kills” and who was shot the most. After a couple rounds of tiring but fun play (the guns are very heavy), 8 more players joined in the game arena.
The second go-around was definitely more chaotic and with a full arena, there was a lot of cheating. Between players continuing to shoot players that were out of ammunition and going to the service desk to get reloaded, players standing at the reload table shooting players getting reloaded and players standing in the other team’s base area shooting players as they get re-charged the game became a little frustrating. Before we knew it, our game time was over.
On the ride home, the reviewers decided that they had a great time but were thinking it might be better to have an ammunition reload desk in each team’s base area so less cheating would happen during the game.
Additional Information
- Sudden Combat laser tag pricing is as follows. $10 for 1 round; $25 for 3 rounds per person Monday to Thursday. 3 rounds is $28/person Friday to Sunday.
- We didn’t try out the Walk On Tactical Reball, however the cost is the same as laser tag.
- Be sure to fill out the liability waiver online to save time at check in.
- Even for open play, make an online reservation for the time you want to play, otherwise game player space is available on a first come first service basis.
- Birthday parties are available and cost $350. That fee includes 12 players, weapon & vest, 3 game rounds (Approximately 4-5 matches per round), 2 cheese pizzas and 2 fountain drinks, exclusive use of a party area, online party invitations, a dedicated party host, paper products, and a t-shirt for the birthday jumper. Additional participants are $22.
Photos by Mara Conners
