Airsoft is a combat sport that originated in Japan, and was brought to the UK about 20 years ago. It is now played in several different countries around the world, including America, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and several parts of Europe. Players use battery or gas operated replicas to fire spherical 6mm plastic projectiles in competition with one another, similar to paintball. However, unlike paintball, these replicas look and feel like the real thing, and they are capable of semi and fully automatic fire.

Internally, the replicas bear more resemblance to a remote controlled car than a real firearm, and it is impossible to convert them to fire live rounds. In addition, the non-marking nature of the projectiles and the realism of equipment means that a highly diverse range of scenarios is available to the player - everything from a standard capture-the-flag to a carefully planned and executed hostage rescue.