‘Company of Heroes 3’ release date: Relic Entertainment announces new game after 8 years and launches pre-alpha preview

“Company of Heroes” is arguably one of the most popular and well-received real-time strategy games, and Relic Entertainment just confirmed it is getting its third main series installment. While the release of the next game is not happening anytime soon, the developer has opened a pre-alpha preview that fans can access now.

‘Company of Heroes 3’ release dare: How to access pre-alpha preview

The announcement of “Company of Heroes 3” includes the release of a cinematic announcement trailer and a brief gameplay preview. But fans will still have to wait for the game’s actual launch. Relic has not yet provided a specific release date, but the next game is confirmed to launch sometime in late 2022 on PC.

On the bright side, Relic has expanded the availability of its CoH-Development program, allowing more fans to gain access to the “Company of Heroes 3” pre-alpha preview through Amplitude Studios’ Games2Gether platform. “We’ve been co-developing the game with our fantastic community members for years now, and they have been instrumental in providing consistent and meaningful feedback at every step of the development process,” Relic general manager Justin Dowdeswell said in a statement.

To join the “Company of Heroes 3” pre-alpha preview, fans will have to create a Relic account or simply sign in if they already have a CoH-Development account. They will have to link their Steam account to redeem their free pre-alpha access.

This should be a good opportunity for long-time fans to see how the game, developed using Relic’s proprietary Essence Engine is going to elevate the gameplay experience after almost a decade since the sequel launched on Windows PC. It should also be noted that the pre-alpha preview will not be available for a long time. Relic said it is only open for three weeks starting Tuesday, July 13, at 11 a.m. PDT.

‘Company of Heroes 3’ gameplay: What to expect

One of the highlights of every “Company of Heroes” game is its setting and the time in World War 2 that it covers. The third title is bringing the action to the Mediterranean, featuring battles set in German-occupied Italy in 1943. The teasers also confirmed that the gameplay includes missions to conquer territories through North Africa.

In the campaign, fans will be playing as part of the US-UK allied forces but other game modes also feature German and Italian forces as playable factions. One of the most interesting features confirmed for “Company of Heroes 3” is the Dynamic Campaign Map that Relic says will deliver sandbox-style gameplay allowing players to revisit the campaign without it feeling repetitive.