Company Of Heroes 3 Release Date, Gameplay And Factions - What We Know So Far
There haven't been a lot of new RTS games coming out lately. It feels like "Age of Empires 4" has had to carry the brunt of the weight for the genre recently as it seems Blizzard won't be releasing a "Warcraft 4" or a "Starcraft 3" any time soon. That doesn't mean that there aren't other well-known franchises with new games on the horizon, however. Many RTS fans who appreciate a slightly more modern setting have been looking toward "Company of Heroes 3."
The first "Company of Heroes" game came out all the way back in 2006, followed closely by several large expansion packs and a sequel in 2013. "Company of Heroes 2" got its first and only major expansion in 2014 and then the franchise went dark for a while. Many wondered if there would ever be another, then "Company of Heroes 3" was announced in July 2021 via a cinematic trailer that showed American soldiers fighting to help reclaim an occupied Italian village. A bunch more information has come out about Relic Entertainment's next RTS giant since then. Here's what we know about it so far.
What is the release date for Company of Heroes 3?
The first thing most people who're interested in playing "Company of Heroes 3" will want to know is when they'll actually be able to get their hands on it. Well, the good news is that they probably won't have to wait very long. The official "Company of Heroes" YouTube channel recently posted a brand new live-action trailer to advertise the North African Operation that will be part of the upcoming game as well as to announce that it is now available for preorder. The release date was not included as part of the trailer itself, but the description below the video states that it will be released on November 17, 2022. This date is also now listed on the game's Steam page.
In the meantime, the developers are also looking for fans to help gather feedback on the new Deutsches Afrikakorps faction and one of the first singleplayer missions in the North African Operation. Those who are interested in partaking in some preliminary game testing can do so during Mission Alpha, which runs until July 19.
It seems that "Company of Heroes 3" will be a PC exclusive, like the rest of the games in the franchise, and there will be two versions available. There will be a standard edition that will launch at $59.99 and a Digital Premium Edition that will include a Premium DLC pack and three legendary cosmetic packs which will launch at $79.99.
What will Company of Heroes 3's gameplay be like?
While it looks like "Company of Heroes 3" will follow similar mechanics to the previous titles in the series, it also looks like Relic Entertainment is going to be making a few changes in accordance with feedback that it has received from the franchise's core fanbase. In a video released by the developers, Gameplay Lead Matt Phillip talks about what the team is emphasizing in "CoH3." "There are just so many different mechanics that really, kind of just bolster that tactical gameplay experience," he said. "This is definitely a game about positioning, cover, suppression, flanking, retreating, garrison, use of indirect and combined arms – and all these things coming together to create, kind of, this beautiful ebb and flow."
Relic Entertainment has announced two major campaigns that will be available at launch: The Italian Dynamic Campaign and the North African Operation. In another video about the missions that will be available, Lead Single-player Designer Sacha Narine stated, "we want our missions to adapt to how you play and we want them to feel different based on the choices you've made throughout your campaign. There is a lot of variety in what you are doing in each mission." The team went on to discuss the variety of tasks players will be asked to accomplish in each mission, emphasizing that each will give the player unique challenges that can be solved in a number of ways, regardless of which faction they are using or what tools they have at their disposal.
What Factions are in Company of Heroes 3?
One of the features every RTS game needs is the ability for players to choose from a variety of factions. There have been four factions announced in "Company of Heroes 3" so far: US Forces, British Forces, Wehrmacht, and Deutsches Afrikakorps. Each of them will have unique units and abilities, so a given player might find one much more tailored to their playstyle than others.
According to the website, the US Forces are designed to be more aggressive, and "benefits from superior production, mobility and combined arms." Meanwhile, the British Forces are designed to be easier for new players as they have a less complicated tech tree and easier to use units. The German Wehrmacht returns as well, emphasizing defense and the ability to break through enemy lines, though the website also mentions that several new features have been added to help distinguish them from how the faction played in previous games. Finally, the Deutsches Afrikakorps is the latest addition. This army was designed with mobility in mind, with mechanized units that were designed to traverse the desert terrain. Additionally, the website states that this faction "can call in additional support from its Battlegroups, requisitioning vehicles, artillery and infantry, such as the Italian Bersaglieri and Guastatori."
Like in previous titles, it is also possible that more factions may be added after the game's release.