A new strategy game aims to be the spiritual successor to the old classic Command and Conquer. The game is well-received: The first reviews on Steam are 92% positive.
Of course, we are talking about Tempest Rising: A new real-time RTS that – as colleague Maurice Weber aptly puts it on his YouTube channel – is so heavily “inspired” by Command and Conquer (short C&C) that it comes off as quite cheeky.
Tempest Rising is being developed by Slipgate Ironworks and will be released on April 24, 2025, on Steam. However, buyers of the Deluxe Edition have been able to play since April 17.
You can watch a trailer for Tempest Rising here:
Players are excited about “new ‘old’ C&C”
What do players say about Tempest Rising? Just one day after its release, the game already has over 500 reviews, 92% of which are positive. Many are excited that Tempest Rising brings back the old gameplay feel of the C&C series.
- Rebelismus writes in his review: “So far, I can say this is exactly what I’ve wished for a long time. Good campaign/skirmish game. It feels like a new ‘old’ Red Alert from Westwood.” (via Steam)
- RavenDown thinks: “If you are a fan of Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, you will really enjoy this game. The units, the music, and the gameplay are absolutely fantastic!” (via Steam)
- schizzoo is also excited and writes: “Finally, the feeling of C&C is back. Fast base building and tank rush. I love it. Some user-friendly features and a better radar map would be helpful. But everything is well done for a release. It’s really fun.” (via Steam)
Two playable factions and campaigns
What is Tempest Rising about? The game takes place in an alternate timeline of the real world. In this timeline, the Cuban Missile Crisis led to a nuclear war, during which the old superpowers were destroyed and three new ones emerged. Out of the three factions, two are playable at release:
- The Global Defense Forces (GDF), who call themselves a peacekeeping force
- The Tempest Dynasty, which consists of a federation of states and opposes the GDF
Both factions have their own campaign, where you fight for control over so-called Tempest Vines – a mysterious and very powerful energy source.
Command and Conquer is one of the most influential strategy games, but it wasn’t the first RTS. So how did the genre begin? You can find out more in this article: Age of Empires, Warcraft or C&C are cool – But what was actually the first RTS in video game history?
