New Unreal Engine 4/5 strategy games coming in 2023 and beyond

Strategy games have been a staple genre for PC players for years, with titles like StarCraft, Warcraft, and Civilization amassing massive fan bases over the years. It shows no signs of slowing down, with the below upcoming and recent releases utilizing Epic's Unreal Engine.

Frostpunk 2

Frostpunk, 11 Bit Studios’ first "society survival game" is finally getting a sequel. Players are tasked with keeping the citizens of their city alive during a volcanic winter, with some harsh conditions working against them.

Frostpunk 2 takes place 30 years after the events of the first game, and players must balance growing the city, keeping its citizens alive and well, and ensuring that production of goods does not halt due to a variety of issues such as political unrest, inclement weather, and outbreaks of illness.

The game is expected to be released on PC in 2024, but no details on other possible console versions have been revealed so far.

Homeworld 3

Homeworld 3 by Blackbird Interactive is the long-awaited sequel to Homeworld 2, built in Unreal Engine 4. In an expansive campaign set in space, players will be tasked with eliminating a scourge known as "The Anomaly.”

Homeworld 3 will include a detailed ballistics system in which projectiles are given travel time after being fired from ships, allowing players to maneuver their fleet behind cover or turn their units in different directions to soften the blow of attacks. During battle, players will also need to gather resources to expand their fleet by building a variety of ships.

Back in May, Blackbird announced that the game would be delayed until February 2024 due to a lack of polish. It will be released on PC, but a console release appears unlikely given the series' traditional real-time strategy (RTS) gameplay reliant on mouse controls.

Stormgate

Stormgate is an upcoming UE5 free-to-play title from Frost Giant Studios, which is made up of former StarCraft and Warcraft developers, with the game being viewed as a sort of spiritual successor to the classic RTS franchises.

In the RTS, players assume command of either the human defenders of Earth, alien invaders, or other unknown factions in a vibrant world with a mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements.

In terms of gameplay, it appears to be very similar to StarCraft, with players controlling various groups of units and constructing bases to secure resources and gain an advantage over their enemies to defeat them. The game also includes co-op modes that allow up to three players to compete against AI opponents.

Frost Giant is even committed to competitive gameplay, allowing players to organize grassroots esports tournaments directly from within the game. Players can also use the editor tools provided to make new maps for use in any of the game's modes, including the aforementioned competitive mansions.

Although no release date has been specified, we do know that it will be available for free on PC whenever it becomes available.

Manor Lords

Manor Lords, a medieval strategy game developed by Slavic Magic, promises to combine "deep, organic, and realistic city building with large scale, tactical battles" by utilizing Unreal Engine 4.

In typical RTS fashion, players will be dropped into a world with limited resources and a handful of units, to grow their small group into a massive city with an army of soldiers ready to repel attacks and launch assaults on their opponents.

One of Manor Lords' main draws is the lack of a grid-based placement system, which allows players to freely place buildings at any angle and in any location, resulting in realistic-looking settlements.

Manor Lords is scheduled to be released on PC by the end of 2023, though it could be delayed until 2024 because it is the work of a single developer.

Gord

Gord is a strategy game from Covenant.dev that combines elements from RPGs, city-builders, and RTS games. Set in a dark fantasy world, players are tasked with establishing a fortified settlement (a gord) in the northern lands by a king who has conquered the south.

Demonic monsters occupy the player's settlement and can be sent on fetch quests, sent into battle, and must manage their health, sanity, and faith. If villagers' resource meters are depleted, they will suffer from a variety of effects such as losing the ability to use magic, making poor decisions, and death.

When the villagers engage in combat, the RTS element of the game kicks in, with players controlling their movements in a StarCraft-style system.

Gord was released in August and is now available for $34.99 USD on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Unannounced EA Star Wars title

This list is completed by a project that has yet to be revealed and is likely years away given the lack of information shared by EA.

Bit Reactor, a new studio comprised of XCOM and Civilization developers, is currently working with Respawn Entertainment to develop a strategy game set in the Star Wars universe.

There is no further information on the project, but it is expected to be built with Unreal Engine 5, as Respawn's Jedi: Survivor and its upcoming Star Wars FPS are both powered by Epic's engine.