This New Strategy Game Is Basically Crusader Kings With Drones and Nukes
Every once in a while, a game description comes along that's so ridiculously ambitious you have to stop and read it twice, and I quote "Lead your nation in a modern grand strategy game (2008–2025), using a macroeconomic model with exchange rates, diplomacy, and hybrid warfare. Engage in kinetic warfare on the strategic map, then shift to RTS battles at focal points." is one of those descriptions.
That’s the elevator pitch for Systemic War, a newly announced title from the Polish developers at Play of Battle. It’s a modern military game that’s trying to do, well, everything. It aims to combine the deep, nation-managing complexity of a Paradox grand strategy game with the massive, real-time tactical battles of a modern RTS. I’m already exhausted and excited just thinking about it.
The game is slated for a 2026 release, but you can already go wishlist it on Steam if you, like me, enjoy the smell of potential future chaos.
Your Own Little Dictatorship
On the grand strategy layer, you’ll pick from nations like the USA, China, Russia, or Ukraine and guide them through the wonderfully turbulent years of 2008 to 2025. The developers are ditching abstract provinces for a map based on actual road and rail networks, which will dictate everything from logistics to army movements.
You get to play armchair economist and statesman, managing a complex economy based on a modern IS-LM-BP model where you’ll balance interest rates, GDP, and trade policies. The diplomacy system is centered around a conflict escalation ladder, where every action pushes the world closer to open war. And yes, if you push a nuclear power too far, you can trigger an atomic annihilation that ends the game for everyone. No pressure.
Time to Blow Stuff Up
When diplomacy inevitably fails, the game shifts into a full-blown RTS. This is the Broken Arrow and Total War part of the equation. You’ll command over 150 authentic military units, from Leopard 2PL and T-90A tanks to the drones and electronic warfare assets that define modern combat.
These brawls take place on over 25 hyperrealistic maps modeled after real-world flashpoints like Warsaw, Taipei, and Hostomel. The forces you command in these battles are determined by the choices you made on the strategic map, creating a direct link between your high-level decisions and the bloody, on-the-ground consequences.
A Quick Word on the Robots
Now, for a bit of housekeeping. In an age of developers being cagey about it, the team at Play of Battle is refreshingly upfront about their use of generative AI. They state on their Steam page that they use AI tools to create photorealistic 2D art, animations, and voices for the game. At least they’re honest.
So, Can They Pull It Off?
This game sounds absolutely bonkers, and I'm here for it. It promises the political intrigue of Crusader Kings, the economic depth of a dedicated tycoon game, and the tactical crunch of a modern military RTS, all wrapped up in one package.
Whether a relatively unknown Polish studio can actually stick the landing on a project this massive remains to be seen, but you can’t fault them for their ambition. I'll be watching this one very closely. My wishlist button has been well and truly smashed.