When does the RTS title Company of Heroes 3 hit PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S | X?
Company of Heroes 3 Release Date: FMay 30, 2023
Company of Heroes 3 was initially released exclusively on PC on February 23, 2023, published by SEGA, and developed by Relic Entertainment using the Essence Engine 5.0, the same engine used to develop Age of Empires IV. Company of Heroes 3 is set to hit next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox S | X on May 30th, 2023. The game is now available for pre-purchase on the PlayStation Store.
Although the game was originally set to release on November 17, 2022, the game was delayed so Relic Entertainment could get “additional time to work on overall improvement, balancing, and fine-tuning of CoH3 to ensure they'll meet player expectations and deliver the deepest tactical experience in the series yet. We'll finally see in a couple of days if these improvements make for a great game.
Company of Heroes 3 Campaigns
In Company of Heroes 3, players will be playing on the Italian and North African fronts of World War II. The Italian campaign is played out with a massive strategy map where players decide which skirmish to play next, with side missions that will help the player amass more territory for the allied powers. The more territory you control, the more resources you have under your control Meanwhile, the North African campaign has players leading armies one map after the other, linearly.
As of this time, there are three confirmed forces that players can control – German, UK, and US. In the Allied Campaign, players will be able to control both UK and US forces at the same time which adds more complexity to the gameplay. Outside of the playable factions, there are partisans that you liberate on the campaign map, then control them on the campaign map to create traps and do subterfuge.
The campaign map allows a huge amount of control by players over their army management. Players can send their air units to scout ahead of enemy territories, have engineers remove booby traps and artillery bombard enemy forces. When your forces meet on the campaign map, your army has a chance to completely annihilate the enemy forces before entering the RTS battle, as long as you hold a higher power against the enemy.
COH3 RTS Gameplay
Relic Entertainment promises the biggest and best Company of Heroes game yet in COH3. In the RTS battles, players will experience large-scale battles on epic maps. Relic Entertainment added the new tactical pause system, taking a page out of tactical RPGs' book. While the action is paused, players are still able to give commands to their units, giving players more flexibility. This also allows players the time to make sense of the chaos of the battlefield – but only in single-player.
Destruction has also been dialed up, with tanks rolling over whatever's small enough to be trampled beneath their treads, and artillery being strong enough to knock down walls where infantry have been sheltering for cover. But fallen structures can now also be used as new, albeit smaller cover, which infantry can use to their advantage. The game will have fantastic lighting and sound systems that will sell the destruction even more.
Something new as well is infantry breaching buildings. In case you want to save some of the infrastructures for your own cover, you can choose to breach the buildings instead of knocking them down with cannon fire. While sometimes your infantry will use grenades to flush out the enemy units occupying the position, the destruction would be less as compared to artillery. Engineers can even use flamethrowers to send them packing.
Just like previous Company of Heroes games, it's not all about obliterating the enemy forces. Players will have to achieve objectives and earn victory points. These are more varied in the campaign, with scenario-specific goals, but in skirmishes it's about flushing out enemies, routing retreating units, holding positions, and capturing objective points.
Commanders and Sub-Commanders
Companies contain units of the same type, and each one is led by a commander, with its own tech trees, access to generic troops, and unique abilities. Detachments, on the other hand, can fight on the campaign map, and have special abilities, but can't engage in the RTS battles. They can buff any nearby troops on the campaign map in case a Company enters a battle within their range of influence.
Subcommanders serve as advisors on the campaign map, giving players some direction on what to do next and how to engage the enemy. Sometimes, subcommanders could have different opinions, and it will be up to the player to decide where to go next. Subcommanders will give players various perks when players follow their advice, making it important for players to give a listening ear to them.
Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition
The launch of the console edition came with a trailer that provided a glimpse of the game's key features. One such feature is Full Tactical Pause, which allows players a moment to breathe amidst the firefight to assess the battlefield while all actions are paused – as well as queue up commands during the temporary stasis.
The console edition offers a custom UI, full gamepad support, and special features that will allow players on console to play at their own pace.
Players who pre-ordered of Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition will receive bonus items on launch. There is also a Digital Premium Edition that comes with the Devil's Brigade DLC which contains World War II-inspired cosmetics as well as the game's first expansion, set to launch on consoles in 2024.
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