Strategy and Wargaming

Fulqrum Publishing and Ukrainian studio Best Way are happy to announce the Final Beta weekend for the highly-anticipated real-time strategy title Men of War II will begin on Thursday, August 10, and conclude on Monday, August 14. This Final Beta weekend marks the third time fans will have access to the game ahead of the release on September 20th, 2023, via Steam, Epic Games Store and other digital store fronts. It will be available to download for free via the Men of War II Steam page, where players can immediately head to and sign up for access today.

During the open beta, players will be able to experience Men of War II’s Classic Modes, a highly-requested feature from the community, which will take players back to the multiplayer experience of previous Men of War games. Players will be able to simply select which nation they want to play as, and will immediately have access to all that nation’s units in each match. There are no battalions and echelons, with the player calling in their forces based on a combination of each unit’s individual timer, as well as the player’s own pool of resources.

Meanwhile, fans looking for a new experience can check out the Realism Mode, which offers a higher chance of disabling and capturing enemy vehicles, fewer visual cues concerning the visibility and health of their units, a more limited range of fire for weapons and many more gameplay changes.

This Final open Beta is based on community feedback from thousands of players who have already played, tested, and provided their thoughts on the previous two public tests on everything from unit balance to optimization improvements. The version in this Beta will closely mirror the full release experience, with further features, lots of content, and other modes added at launch. The developers will continue to work on polishing and balancing based on fresh player feedback from this Beta. Players’ progress and saves in this open beta test will not carry over to release.

More game information is available on the Men of War II webpage.

Evil Twin Artworks is proud to announce its newest game, Victory at Sea: Atlantic, a naval combat game set in the Atlantic Theatre of World War II.

Victory at Sea: Atlantic builds on the success of our previous naval combat games, Victory At Sea and Victory at Sea Pacific. In this game, players will experience an immersive naval combat experience that includes an epic new weather system, highly detailed ship models and more in depth tactics.

One of the most exciting new features of Victory at Sea: Atlantic is the overhauled combat mechanics for ships, submarines, and aircraft. In addition, players will be able to engage in aircraft bombing raids on land targets and undertake espionage and sabotage of enemy targets.

Our team has worked hard to create a new campaign mode that includes the management of energy, food, and population, adding a new strategic dimension to gameplay and making protection of the Atlantic trade route vital to victory. Players will need to navigate enemy wolf packs that stalk Allied shipping lanes as they strive to complete their missions.

Victory at Sea: Atlantic also boasts enhanced AI and improved performance, making it a game that is not only visually stunning, but also incredibly responsive and fun to play.

Visit the Victory at Sea Atlantic Website for more information.

BattleGoat Studios is very excited to announce July 25th 2023 as the official release date for our upcoming title Supreme Ruler 2030. Supreme Ruler 2030 is a next generation Geopolitical Real-Time Strategy game for PC, developed by BattleGoat Studios and distributed through Steam.

The game offers players the opportunity to choose a region and take on the role of that nation’s leader. Nearly all present day countries and regions will be represented, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Players have control over the finances, industries, military, research and diplomacy of the selected country. Gameplay is in variable speed real time, allowing actions while paused for planning and faster speeds to watch the action unfold. Government ministers are there to assist players, allowing them to manage what they want, and automate less important decisions.

During the recent Steam NextFest, thousands of strategy game enthusiasts played our Demo scenario “Battle of Russia”, featuring a near-future crisis and civil war following the death of President Vladimir Putin. The full game will include four future Campaigns as well as four Sandbox maps, including an isolationist near-future world in 2030, a Sandbox based on the current geo-political conditions of 2023, and a “Shattered World” future where nations have collapsed into regional conflicts.

Expanding on past titles the game includes a rebuilt game engine for 64 bit support, DirectX 11 graphics, and a more robust AI for both military and country management. Improvements for lighting, effects, water and terrain provide a better visual experience. Performance improvements allow faster gameplay. Revised storylines, military inventory, research tree, country relationships and heads of state create an entirely new Supreme Ruler experience.

The Supreme Ruler series is the longest-running PC game franchise still in active development, with the series having just celebrated 40 years since the original release of the text-based “Supreme Ruler” game for the TRS-80, and 15 years since the release of the award-winning Supreme Ruler 2020, which set a new bar for scale and scope in strategy games.

For more game information visit the Supreme Ruler 2030 Steam page.

Highly anticipated RTS to feature incredible wealth of content – multiple single player epic campaigns, tons of multiplayer modes, robust mod support, and more at launch

Fulqrum Publishing and Ukrainian studio Best Way are today thrilled to announce that the highly-anticipated next instalment in the beloved strategy franchise, Men of War II is coming to PC on September 20th, 2023 via Steam, Epic Games Store and other digital store fronts. Along with the release date, a new trailer unveils a plethora of never before disclosed content; even more, including gameplay features highly requested by fans of the previous Men of War games, will be showcased soon.

Watch the Men of War II Release Date Trailer HERE.

Epic Narrative Campaigns

At launch, the game will feature three huge single-player narrative campaigns, which will guide the player through explosive fictional stories set against a historically accurate background. Featuring plotlines from three global powers – the Americans, Soviets and Germans – players will utilise military strategy to lay waste to their adversaries and fulfil various tactical objectives.

The American campaign, ‘The Falaise Pocket’, sees players taking on the role of Allied troops facing the task of eliminating German forces west of the Seine.

‘Thwarted Blitzkrieg’ is the Soviet campaign, and follows an almost hopeless situation for the USSR, as they struggle to slow the encroaching German tank forces.

In the German campaign, ‘On Their Own Soil’, players act as an old soldier amidst the collapse of the Third Reich, following the difficult road of retreat and loss, in a war that was never truly his own.

Each story chronicles the breadth of struggle and conflict from the historical backdrops that they are set upon, giving the player a realistic experience with intense real-time battle action.

Alongside these heart-stopping narrative battles, six further bonus standalone missions provide players with even more heart-stopping action.

More game information is available on the Men of War II webpage or via Steam.

Community Chosen Wards & Wardens Pack Tapped for August

In a dynastic system, it is very important to leave the throne in the right hands. In most cases, you can’t choose your children, so it is crucial that you instruct them in the lessons of life and leadership while they are still willing to listen. In Crusader Kings III: Wards & Wardens, the rough road of royal childhood is yours to experience.

Wards & Wardens is a new event pack for Crusader Kings III, chosen by the Crusader Kings community in a vote last winter. This event pack focuses on the perils and potentials of being a child ruler, educating the children at court and furthering your learning in adulthood. This event pack is scheduled for release on 22 August 2023, and is included as a part of Crusader Kings III’s Chapter II content pass.

Crusader Kings III: Wards & Wardens includes:

Childhood Education Events
Visiting Universities for adult characters
More Childhood Personality Events
Hostage Events for foreign children placed at your court
Child-rearing events with courtiers, including a new court position, the Wet-Nurse.
Child Regency Events for the training or usurping of rulers who have not reached adulthood.
Four New Music Tracks

This pack also includes a free update for all Crusader Kings III players, with a new hostage system, the new Eccentric character trait, new event art and new animations.

Crusader Kings III: Wards & Wardens will be available on 22 August 2023 for the suggested retail price of $4.99/£4.29/€4.99.

More information is available on the official Crusader Kings III: Wards & Wardens webpage.

Arms Against Tyranny Focuses on Northern Europe and New Arms Developments

In times of crisis, it is important to be nimble, especially when you are the weaker party. Pay attention to the swiftly changing winds of diplomacy, build an army that can take advantage of weather and terrain to outfox a superior foe, and find alternate paths to prosperity and security. Sometimes, Winter is your only ally. Even if you can’t retreat into the cold forests, there are tactics and techniques available to anyone who would take Arms Against Tyranny.

Arms Against Tyranny is the latest immersion pack for Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox Interactive’s best-selling grand strategy wargame about the years around World War II. In Arms Against Tyranny, players will encounter new alternate histories and National Focus Trees for the nations of Scandinavia and Finland, with a heavy emphasis on the Winter War and Finland’s struggle against Soviet invasion.

This pack also includes new ways to develop your armament industries, and sell weapons designs to warring nations.

Features of Hearts of Iron IV: Arms Against Tyranny include:

New Finnish National Focus Tree: Walk the diplomatic tightrope of a democratic nation trapped between threats, develop a capable defensive army, or pursue alternate historical paths of collaboration with the neighboring tyrants.

New Swedish National Focus Tree: Resource rich and fiercely independent, Sweden can be the center of a unified Scandinavian resistance, or a game-changing ally in the ongoing battle of ideologies.

New Danish and Norwegian Focus Trees: With the benefit of hindsight, can you prepare these small nations for the storm of war that is about to wash upon their shores?

Military Industrial Organizations: Customize your armaments industry by encouraging national corporations to specialize in the types of weapons and technology you desire for your armed forces.

International Arms Market: Become the quartermaster of the world by selling arms and equipment to the warring nations, receiving civilian factory capacity in return.

And more: New unit art, 10 new songs, customization of Special Forces units and greater divisional specialization.

Hearts of Iron VI: Arms Against Tyranny will be accompanied by a major free update available to all Hearts of Iron IV players.

Watch the Hearts of Iron IV: Arms Against Tyranny Official Announcement Trailer HERE.

For more game information please visit the official Hearts of Iron IV website.

It is a big and exciting world, full of big and exciting events. Great tournaments. Royal weddings. Grand tours through the countryside. There is too much to see out there to spend your life hidden behind castle walls. So saddle up and ride forth in Tours & Tournaments, a new expansion for Crusader Kings III.

Paradox Interactive’s award-winning medieval history game expands its unique blend of strategy and role-playing with a host of new events that make the map more than a list of places to conquer. In Tours & Tournaments, you can travel through your realm to check on your vassals. Attend royal weddings to demonstrate your loyalty to a distant lord. Or, if you are brave enough, enter competitions of body or mind in tournaments. Each activity opens new scope for intrigue, while also allowing new strategic paths with a chance of improving characters’ skills or traits.There are no guarantees, and danger still lurks around every corner. But with great risk, comes great renown.

Watch the Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments Release Trailer HERE.

Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments is available for the suggested retail price of $29.99/£24.99/€29.99 and launches with a major free update to Crusader Kings III for all players.

More information is available on the official Crusader Kings III website.

Latest Europa Universalis IV Expansion Highlights Most Popular Nations

Build the great empires of the early modern world in new ways with Europa Universalis IV: Domination, available today. The latest expansion pack for Paradox Interactive’s flagship historical grand strategy game adds a wagon-load of new choices, missions, and historical flavor to a game already bursting with endless possibilities.

Centered on the most popular and powerful nations in Europa Universalis IV, Domination revisits and revises once familiar pathways while adding more historical context and challenges to great nations like China, England, France and more. In some cases, branching missions will force you to make a choice that will irrevocably change the course of your nation, focusing your priorities in a particular direction.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Domination release trailer HERE.

Europa Universalis IV: Domination is available now for a suggested retail price of $19.99/£16.75/€19.99.

More game information is available at the official Europa Universalis IV website or vial the games official Steam page.

Pack the royal baggage, get the carriage sorted and don’t forget to gather your entourage, because royalty travels in style. Visit your vassals, travel to a grand foreign wedding or take your turn at the jousting lists – all potential occasions for intrigue or advancement. And now the date of departure is set – you can enjoy the luxury (and peril) of medieval travel in Crusader Kings III: Tours and Tournaments on 11 May 2023.

Watch the Crusader Kings III: Tours & Tournaments Pre-Order Trailer HERE.

In Tours and Tournaments, your character will be able to change the course of history through grand activities. Whether it is becoming master of the arena at a tournament, impressing your vassals with an extravagant royal wedding, or personally touring your realm on a grand tour, all of these activities could have world-changing consequences. Not to mention the perils of leaving an ambitious regent at home to rule in your stead while you see the world.

Crusader Kings III: Tours and Tournaments will be available on 11 May 2023 for the suggested retail price of $29.99/£24.99/€29.99 and will launch with a major free update to Crusader Kings III for all players.

Players can pre-order Tours and Tournaments now, or, if they like, purchase Chapter II for Crusader Kings III, a bundle of upcoming content for the game with an unbeatable price.

The Chapter II pack can be ordered now, for a suggested retail price of $34.99/£29.50/€34.99.

More game information is available on the official Crusader Kings III website.

Commanders wishing to begin their campaign on World War 1’s Western Front before March 30 can purchase from today to immediately assume control.

Frontier Foundry, the games label of Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV), and developers Petroglyph (Command & Conquer™: Remastered, Star Wars™: Empire at War), invite players to take control and lead their chosen side to victory in World War 1 RTS, The Great War: Western Front, available from 17:00 BST // 18:00 CEST // 12:00 EDT // 09:00 PDT today in early access to those who have pre-ordered the game. Players who purchase the game before March 30 can also take their place in the command trench immediately, for a suggested retail price of £29.99/€34.99/$34.99.

Commanders can enhance their experience with the Victory Edition. This includes a detailed digital field guide providing additional in-game intelligence, five digital wallpapers, and Frank Klepacki’s evocative soundtrack, encompassing a myriad of complex and conflicting emotions which reflect World War 1. Victory Edition is available via Steam at a suggested retail price of £34.99/€39.99/$39.99.

Watch the official The Great War: Western Front Pre-Order Trailer HERE.

The Great War: Western Front offers players the opportunity to relive or redefine history in one of history’s most pivotal conflicts, taking command of either the Allied Forces or the Central Powers. Taking total control of the Western Front as both Theatre Commander and Field Commander, players will be required to make difficult decisions in both turn-based grand strategy and RTS gameplay to preserve their faction’s National Will across an immersive campaign which spans the duration of the war, and can be extended beyond 1918 based on their actions. Players can choose to start at the outbreak of the conflict in 1914, or in 1916, assuming leadership at a pivotal point where public support is fading and both sides turn to new technologies such as aviation and tanks in an effort to break the stalemate.

As forces meet on the battlefields, Commanders must carefully consider their supply and weigh up the prospect of the conflict to come. With both sides attempting to push back the enemy, each battlefield reflects the changing seasons and retains the damage caused by previous battles as the cost of the war takes its toll on the landscape. Every decision tips the balance of each battle on a sliding scale, from suppressing key emplacements with artillery and increasing their visibility with observation balloons during an attack, to designing detailed trench networks which provide unique strategic options whether attacking or defending. Victory may be achieved, but at what cost?

Alongside the campaign, Historical Battles allows Commanders to relive key battles from the Western Front, set against Imperial War Museums’ archive footage, and will put their tactical awareness to the test. Additionally, players can improve their battle readiness in a dedicated tutorial, refine their skills and create their own battles from the ground up in Skirmish mode, or take on their fellow Commanders in individual 1v1 Multiplayer battles.

Visit playthegreatwar.com for more game information.