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Crestbound
Every victory has a cost. Lead a mercenary company through a punishing tactical RPG where victory is only half the battle. Command hex-grid fights, then manage contracts, injuries, camp labor, weapon mastery, and 550 nodes of Crest research to keep your warband alive and paid.

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Features
Single-player
Family Sharing
Profile Features Limited 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔

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?

“Crestbound is a solo-developed passion project, and Early Access is the best way to build it alongside the community. The core gameplay systems are already in place, and the game is fully playable, but I want to get it into players’ hands as early as possible so I can gather feedback, improve balance, and shape future content based on real player experiences.

My goal is to create a deep tactical RPG with strong replayability, and community feedback will help ensure the game grows in the right direction.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The current plan is for Crestbound to remain in Early Access for approximately 12–24 months.

As a solo developer, I want to leave enough time to expand the game’s content, continue balancing and polishing systems, and incorporate community feedback without rushing development. The exact timeline may change depending on how development progresses and what improvements players feel are most important.”

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

“Early access ships with one complete continent, we plan to have four total continents – including another 30+ Crests – for 1.0. ”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version includes a complete playable gameplay loop:

* Recruit and manage a roster of adventurers.
* Explore and complete tactical missions.
* Equip, train, and develop your units.
* Collect loot and improve your company.
* Progress through a fully playable starting region with 5 nations.

The core combat, progression, roster management, equipment, and campaign systems are already implemented and actively being expanded and refined.

Currently, the game contains one complete region of content. Planned updates include three additional regions, new classes, enemies, equipment, events, progression systems, and a substantial endgame experience.

Players should expect ongoing balancing, content additions, quality-of-life improvements, and feature expansion throughout Early Access.”

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

“Yes.

The game will be offered at a lower price during Early Access as a way to thank players who choose to support development early and help provide feedback.

As final artwork is added and the game approaches full release, the price is expected to increase.”

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

“Community feedback is one of the main reasons Crestbound is launching in Early Access.

I actively review player feedback, bug reports, balance suggestions, and feature requests. While I have a long-term vision for the game, I want the community to help shape its growth by highlighting what’s working, what’s missing, and what could be improved.

Feedback on areas such as class balance, progression pacing, difficulty, quality-of-life features, and new content priorities will play a significant role in development decisions throughout Early Access.

As a solo developer, having players involved early helps me focus my time on the changes that matter most to the people playing the game.”
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About This Game

Crestbound is a turn-based tactical RPG about running a mercenary company through a long, punishing quest.

Each week, you return to camp with a simple question: what can your company afford to do next?

Scout new recruits. Negotiate contracts. Pay wages. Treat injuries. Reforge weapons. Research ancient Crests. Train units. Then choose your next mission, deploy your squad, and survive the fight.

Victory matters... but so does what it costs you.

Lead a Mercenary Company

You are not controlling a band of chosen heroes. You are managing a warband with a payroll that never stops.

Every fighter has an annual contract, a weekly salary, a scouting profile, traits, gear, wear, morale, and long-term value. You can build around promising recruits, squeeze value out of aging veterans, or take a risk on an unknown free agent before they retire from the adventuring life.

The strongest squad is not always the one you can afford.

Tactical Hex-Grid Battles

Battles play out on painted 2.5D boards where positioning, line-of-sight, and timing decide who walks back to camp healthy enough to fight again next week.

  • Pips, Pace & Strain: Spend action pips across 100+ abilities on a dynamic pace timeline. Wait to act sooner, push a unit into overextended for a big play, or redline their Strain and risk a mid-battle Collapse.

  • Readied Reactions: Control the board with directional overwatch zones, weather the battle behind blocks and parries, or bait attackers into lethal counters.

  • Living Battlefields: Use terrain, choke points, and elemental fields to control the fight. Push and pull enemies, set up combos, or summon help to manage the field.

Survive the Campaign, Not Just the Fight

Crestbound is built around attrition. A clean victory without a large reward can still leave your company cash-strapped, and a desperate win could send have your roster to the infirmary for weeks.

Between battles, your camp is a worker-placement engine. Gold covers payroll, building upgrades, the Blacksmith's fee, and beds in the Infirmary or Tavern – but Scout Points, Research Insight, and Rations only come from posting healthy units to camp buildings for the week. Every fighter you bench to gather intel, study Crests, or drill at the Training Yard is a fighter missing from your squad on mission day.

Scout, Sign, and Build Your Roster

Free agents do not reveal everything up front.

Use your Scouts to uncover traits, combat profile, potential, hidden value, and contract expectations. You might find a future star hiding behind a modest ask — or overpay for someone who looked better than they really were.

Contracts expire. Salaries matter. Loyalty matters. And if you cannot re-sign your best units, they may walk.

Research Ancient Crests

Recover fragments from 10+ different complete Crests research trees spanning 500+ nodes.

Mix and match across Steel, Holy, Duel, Scout, Arcane, Forbidden, Sea, Storm, Tinker and Alchemy. Crest research trees open new abilities, perks, weapons, and strategic options. Your company’s identity grows through what you choose to study — and what you can afford to ignore.

Reforge Weapons, Bind Runes, and Master Gear

Your roster’s equipment is part of their progression.

Improve weapons and armor at the Blacksmith, bind runes into gear, and master weapon types to unlock new abilities and attribute boosts. A fighter’s build is shaped by their training, equipment, crest research, and battlefield experience.

Procedural Missions With Regional Identity

Travel across the first continent, Zephyros, through 5 distinct nations – the bandit-ridden roads of Argent, arcane spires of Erud, rain-swept cliffs of Brine, flowery woods of Fleurent and the copper smog of Corvus.

Each weekly contract is generated from the region's factions, threat budget, objectives, enemy formations and reinforcement waves – alongside 20+ scripted quests and boss encounters. 

Every Week Is a Decision

Do you field your full starting six for a high-threat contract, or bench two veterans at the Scouting Tower and Stables so the company can eat and recruit next month? Do you pay for an Infirmary bed to rush an injured carry back into the line, or hold your gold so payroll doesn't tank company morale?

The battle starts on the hex grid.

The war is won at camp.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

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

Generative AI is used in sprites, backgrounds and other visual assets.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
    Minimum:
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: Dual-core 2.4 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Vulkan 1.0-compatible or Direct3D 12 feature level 12_0 GPU; Intel HD/UHD 520-class or better
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 13.0+
    • Processor: Apple Silicon M1 or Intel Core i5-class Mac
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Metal 3-capable GPU
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
* Starting February 15, 2024, the Steam Client will no longer support 32-bit games or macOS 10.14 or lower.