Strategy veterans Ironward have released a playable demo for Atre: Dominance Wars, their upcoming 4X fantasy RTS and RPG hybrid. The demo is available now on Steam and will be featured during Steam Next Fest starting February 23, giving players an early look at one of 2026’s more ambitious strategy titles.
Known for the squad-based shooter series The Red Solstice, Ironward is taking a very different approach with Atre: Dominance Wars, blending large-scale real-time strategy, roleplaying systems, and narrative-driven decision-making into a single experience.
A 4X Strategy Game Where You Play as a God
Set in the unstable world of Atre, Dominance Wars casts players as powerful Elders striving for godhood while the land itself is being reshaped by a cataclysmic event known as The Merge. The world dynamically changes based on player actions, spellcasting, alliances, and story choices, creating a constantly evolving battlefield.
Rather than focusing on a single path to victory, the game offers three distinct win conditions — Conquest, Ascension, and Omnipresence. These competing objectives encourage shifting alliances, betrayals, and political maneuvering as players attempt to block others from achieving their goals through bounties, coordinated attacks, and strategic sabotage.
Tactical Depth, Avatars, and Narrative Consequences
Players expand their influence by building and upgrading settlements, managing territory, and leveling up powerful Avatars who lead armies into battle. Artifacts can be forged and equipped to further customize these Avatars, adding another layer of progression and strategic depth.
Narrative choices play a key role throughout the experience. Lore-driven events present players with difficult decisions that can reshape the world in unexpected ways. Using godlike powers opens Gates to other realms, introducing powerful threats and consequences that can dramatically alter the balance of power.
To survive The Merge, players must locate and claim Thrones, anchoring their world at the cost of their physical form. Doing so grants access to new abilities that can bring prosperity to allies — or devastation to rivals.
What’s Included in the Demo
The Atre: Dominance Wars demo offers nearly two hours of gameplay, including the game’s prologue, tutorial, and a time-limited Skirmish or Online mode that supports multiplayer. Designed to be highly replayable, the demo gives strategy fans a strong taste of the systems and depth planned for the full release.
Atre: Dominance Wars is currently scheduled to launch on PC via Steam in 2026. The demo is available now and will remain playable throughout Steam Next Fest, making it a prime opportunity for strategy fans to see what Ironward has been building.
