Lead a city-state to prosperity through cunning, commerce, and heroes in a hybrid strategy game
Reverie World Studios and indie.io are proud to announce that the latest in a long lineage of hybrid strategy games, City States: Medieval, will release into Early Access on Steam on April 20, 2026. As city-state leaders, players navigate the complex political and economic landscape of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Aided by heroic leaders, they will have to master commerce, diplomacy, and, when necessary, warfare to prevail… Or fade into obscurity.
The vibrant 12th century provides a backdrop for rewriting the history of some of the most prominent city-states of the era during the last of the medieval renaissances. As science, arts, and culture experience a revival thanks to the influx of classical works preserved in Middle Eastern cities, the growing power of kingdoms and religious strife create a fertile ground for conflicts from the Atlantic to the Urals – and incredible opportunities for trade and commerce.
Players take control of one of the city-states that rose to prominence thanks to their strategic location in the middle of these trade routes. From Novgorod in the frigid Rus, through the affluent Italian Genoa, to the arid Tripoli in Syria, each is an economic engine that can provide incredible wealth through careful planning and defense of trade routes devoted to twelve distinct trading goods, from silk to spices.
However, wealth attracts predators, and eventually, players will have to defend their claims. The engaging real-time strategy combat known from previous Reverie World Studios titles has been refined further, combining it with elements of tower defense to represent the dramatic sieges of cities from the Middle Ages. At the frontlines of both combat and diplomacy will be heroes, great leaders known from the pages of history who lead the city-states and represent the player’s own power and influence.
Their presence grants players full control over their city, its territories, and armies, as well as providing powerful bonuses. Conversely, whenever they are away, players only have a limited ability to issue commands, and the city-state is forced to make do with a maintenance government in their hero’s absence.
The mechanic requires a completely different strategic approach, forcing players to carefully weigh their options and turning every expansion into a high-risk, high-reward venture. The leader’s presence can tip the scales and force even great powers to bargain with the player’s city-state… Or leave it vulnerable to an invasion while the hero is tied up in distant lands.
High Middle Ages, high risk, high stakes in a unique hybrid real-time strategy game: Lead a city-state to victory in City States: Medieval on April 20, 2026!
Other RTS Game News: Base building RTS, Repterra, launches April 28th.
