Live positions
Everyone in the session on one map, updating every few seconds, in the foreground and with the phone locked.
For organisers
Run your milsim on one map
Give every player on your side the same live picture: who’s where, the objectives, the zones and the briefing. Free, no accounts, set up in minutes.
Your HQ · web command post
Every player · iOS & Android
Markers, routes and zones
Drop objectives, rally points and enemy sightings. Draw patrol routes, boundaries and no-go zones everyone sees at once.
Squad chat
Text, photos and voice notes in one session chat. Every new marker is posted there, one tap from the map.
Command post
Run the game from a laptop at app.tac-nav.com: the whole team, every marker and the chat on one big screen.
How an event runs on Tacnav
1. Prepare the map
Create a session, draw the AO, objectives, spawns and no-go zones, and pin the briefing. Save it as a template for the next game.
2. Send the code
Post the invite link on your event page or print the QR on the briefing sheet. Players join days ahead while the session waits, with nobody’s GPS on.
3. Start the game
Switch the session to Active and every phone starts sharing. Turn on Force GPS if every player has to be on the map.
4. Run it from HQ
Open the web command post on a laptop: every player, marker and message on one big screen, and you can drop markers from there too.
5. Pin your event map
Photograph the printed or hand-drawn event map and pin it onto the satellite map, so the grid everyone briefed on lines up with the ground.
6. End and debrief
End the session and GPS stops on every phone. Markers, drawings and chat stay in the session for the debrief.
Two sides?
One session per side.
Everyone in a Tacnav session is on the same side. For a force-on-force game, create a session for each side and give each side its own code. Sessions are private, so neither side can see the other’s positions, markers or chat.
Works with Meshtastic.
Pair a Meshtastic radio over Bluetooth and Tacnav sets up an encrypted channel for your session. Positions, markers and chat then go radio to radio over LoRa with no mobile coverage, and anyone who still has signal relays them to the rest of the team.
01 What does it cost?
Nothing. Tacnav is free for organisers and players.
02 Do players need an account?
No. Players install the app, scan the session’s QR code or open the invite link, pick a callsign and they’re on the map.
03 How many players can one session handle?
We’ve tested 200 phones in one session, with every position updating every couple of seconds.
04 Can the two sides see each other?
No. Everyone in a session is on the same side. Create one session per side and give each side its own code. Sessions are private, so neither side sees the other’s positions, markers or chat.
05 Which phones does it work on?
iPhone and Android. The command post runs in any browser at app.tac-nav.com.
06 What if there’s no signal on the field?
Tacnav needs mobile data to keep the team in sync. A message or marker sent in a dead spot waits on the phone and goes out once it’s back in range, and positions catch up as soon as the phone reconnects.
07 Can I keep GPS off until the game starts?
Yes. Leave the session in Waiting while players join. Nobody’s GPS is on until you switch it to Active.
08 How do I make sure everyone is on the map?
Turn on Force GPS. Players whose location access isn’t set to Always can’t use the session until they change it.
09 Can I use our own event map?
Yes. Photograph or upload your printed or hand-drawn map and pin it onto the satellite map by its corners, so the grid lines up with the ground.
10 Can I reuse the map for the next event?
Save the session’s map as a template and load it into the next one, on its own or merged with what’s already there.
11 What happens when the game ends?
End the session and GPS stops on every phone. Markers, drawings and chat stay with everyone who played, for the debrief, and only people who joined can see any of it. As the admin you can also remove anyone at any time.
12 How much battery does it use?
Sharing a live position keeps GPS on, like a navigation app. For all-day games, players should bring a power bank.