Command knights, siege engines, and legendary heroes across 17+ medieval battlefields. Up to 8 players clash in a 7-phase turn system — hotseat or LAN. Five campaigns. Dragons. A story system that narrates your war.

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Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

““The Real Z Studio is an independent game studio based in Syracuse, NY. Clash of Crests is our debut title — a love letter to the hex wargames of the 1980s, rebuilt from scratch with modern tools and a passion for deep multiplayer.
Early Access allows us to refine core gameplay, balance units, and shape the overall player experience alongside a dedicated community of strategy players who appreciate depth, precision, and competitive play.””

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“8 weeks”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

““The full release of Clash of Crests will expand significantly on the Early Access foundation. Planned improvements include:

Additional factions and unit variants
Expanded maps and scenarios, including structured campaigns
Enhanced AI for solo and cooperative play
Improved UI/UX based on player feedback
Polished visuals, animations, and combat effects
Multiplayer refinements including stability, matchmaking, and balance updates
Customize maps and add sounds and animation to make it your own

The goal is to evolve from a solid competitive foundation into a complete and highly replayable strategy experience.””

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

““The Early Access version of Clash of Crests is fully playable and focused on core gameplay systems. Players can expect:

Functional turn-based hex combat
Multiplayer gameplay with core mechanics in place
A variety of units with defined roles and tactical depth
Early versions of maps and battle scenarios
Foundational visual assets and UI

While the core systems are stable and engaging, content, polish, and balance will continue to evolve rapidly during Early Access.””

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

““Yes. Clash of Crests will be offered at a lower price during Early Access to reward early supporters. As new content, features, and polish are added leading into the full release, the price will increase.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

““Community feedback is central to the development of Clash of Crests. We plan to:

Actively monitor player feedback on Steam discussions and Discord
Use player input to guide balance changes and gameplay tuning
Share regular updates on progress, features, and improvements
Test new units, mechanics, and ideas with the community before full release
Encourage competitive playtesting to refine the tactical experience

Our goal is to build Clash of Crests together with players who enjoy thoughtful, strategic gameplay.””
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This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: Oct 2, 2026

This game plans to unlock in approximately 8 days

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About This Game

Raise Your Banner. Command Your Army. Write Your Legend.

Clash of Crests is a turn-based medieval tactical game for 2 to 8 players, built for commanders who want more than a simple roll of the dice. Named knights, crossbowmen, siege engines, and legendary kings meet on hand-crafted hex battlefields where every phase of battle matters.

A Battle System Built for Depth

Every turn runs through a 7-phase sequence — Bow Fire, Crossbow Fire, Siege Weapons, Movement, a second Bow volley, Melee Combat, and Recovery — and each phase rewards careful positioning and planning. Units that moved can't fire. Mounted cavalry dismounts to pass rubble. A siege tower must reach the wall before the drawbridge drops. Height grants combat column bonuses; charging past a pikeman costs you dearly.  Fog of war hides the enemy. In multiplayer, Fog of Orders hides each side's moves from one another until the moment of contact.

70+ Units. 17+ Scenarios. 5 Campaigns. 

Field King Richard, King Phillip II, and dozens of named warriors — from Sir Conrad and Sir Gaston to Peasant Levies and Pack Mules. Build your force within a point budget, assign siege weapons, watercraft, and special equipment, and send them to war.  Choose from 17 built-in scenarios or load community-built maps. Five campaigns chain scenarios into narrative arcs where your losses carry forward: 

  • The Raven's War — A noble house fractures. Command loyalists or rebels across five linked battles.

  • Blood and Stone — Castle sieges define this campaign. Hold the walls or spend lives to breach them.

  • Order of the Lance — A crusading order pushes deep. Your knights are your edge — preserve them.

  • The Gospel Road — Protect civilians and supply mules on a pilgrimage route beset by ambushes.

  • The Long Road — Lead a Marauder Horde. Five brutal steppe chapters with mounted Horse Archers.

The Battlefield Is Alive

Goblin warbands roll onto the road mid-battle. An Iron Wyvern circles mountain passes. A Sea Wyrm rises near coastal crossings. Dynamic creature encounters are not scripted — they are generated from terrain, campaign state, and a roll of fate.  Fire spreads. Flaming ammunition grants +2 attack. Siege weapons terraform hexes into rubble. Scaling ladders let infantry assault castle walls hex by hex. The battlefield changes shape around you.

Story Mode

When the first blood is drawn, the game pauses and a parchment card narrate it. When your cavalry charges, when the castle gate is breached, when a knight first sees the tower he must take — Story Mode watches the battle and marks every meaningful moment with a written narrative. Fully optional. Toggle on or off at any time. 

Multiplayer — Up to 8 Commanders

Pass the keyboard in hotseat mode — a hand-off overlay hides the board between turns so fog of war is enforced even on one machine. Or connect across a local network and fight simultaneously. Up to 8 players, each with their own color, army, and point budget. 

Build. Mod. Expand

The built-in Map Editor lets you place terrain, walls, towers, villages, and siege platforms and export your battlefield as a shareable file. The Addon Pack system lets you install community unit packs and new scenarios from a single .zip file — no game restart required. New factions appear in the army builder immediately. 

Clash of Crests is a game that rewards the player who studies the board, plans two phases ahead, and knows when to charge.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Some of the artwork in Clash of Crests was produced with generative AI image tools and then cropped, composited, retouched and finished by the developer. This includes unit and character portraits, faction crests, campaign banners and key art, and some environment and prop art. Parts of the in-game lore and flavour text were drafted with AI assistance and then edited by the developer. Nothing is generated by AI while you play: all content ships with the game as fixed, pre-made assets.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: 11
    • Processor: 10th gen intel
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Intel ARC or RTX cards
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Network: Broadband Internet connection
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Sound Card: N/A
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: 11
    • Processor: 12th gen Intel
    • Memory: 16 GB RAM
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Network: Broadband Internet connection
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Sound Card: N/A
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