Systemic War: When HOI4 Meets Broken Arrow — A First Look at the Steam Demo
If you’ve ever wished you could fight the battles you wage in a grand strategy game — or wanted your RTS skirmishes to actually matter on the world stage — then the demo for Systemic War (Steam, October 2025) might scratch that itch. It’s rough, rough enough to make you cringe in places, but it’s also one of those rare experiments that insists you pay attention. Here’s my take on it after an hour in the trenches.
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🎯 What is Systemic War?
At its core, Systemic War aims to fuse two strategy genres:
A grand strategy layer (a la Hearts of Iron IV) where you manage nations, economies, diplomacy, and logistics.
A modern-era RTS mode (think Broken Arrow / WARNO) where frontline encounters are fought in real time.
Its Steam page describes it as a modern grand strategy game spanning 2008 to 2025, where your strategic choices are tested in RTS battles that alter the course of the war. Steam Store
The demo is available as part of Steam Next Fest, free to try for a limited time.
🧩 My Demo Experience: Rough, But Intriguing
Let me be clear: the demo is very, very rough. It’s filled with placeholders, limited functionality, UI quirks, and parts that feel more like a concept than a polished build. But despite all that, there’s something compelling about it that kept pulling me back.
Here’s how it plays out:
Grand Strategy Layer
The strategic layer is minimal in the demo. You can move divisions, manage frontlines, and deploy artillery support. That’s about it.
Infrastructure, production, and macroeconomic systems (that promise to exist) are barely functional here.
You can mostly ignore the RTS battles if you choose — the game will “auto‑resolve” them. But that feels like throwing away a teaser of what the project could be.
RTS Battles
When two opposing units collide on the strategic map, you have the option to dive into a real-time battle.
In the battles, you control modern hardware: tanks, infantry, some support units, and artillery. I didn’t see naval or air support in this build (though they might be planned).
The battlefield feels like a specialized Total War style map: certain cities get their own layouts, terrain matters, and objectives aren’t always obvious. There’s an option to not micromanage and just issue high‑level priorities instead.
So, yes — it feels like HOI4 letting you scratch that RTS itch.
🔍 Pros & Cons
What Works (Even in This State)
Ambition & Concept: The idea of marrying grand strategy and tactical RTS in modern warfare is bold and rare. That duality is the heart of why this demo stuck with me.
Setting & Stakes: A modern-day theater means the battles feel weighty. You're not moving abstract units on a map — you're dealing with places people recognize, weapon systems that feel current, and strategic decisions with lived-world implications.
Optional Depth: You can bypass the RTS entirely, which gives flexibility depending on how much micromanagement you want.
What Needs Work
Unfinished Systems: The grand strategy systems barely exist right now, making much of the experience feel hollow.
Polish & Usability: UI bugs, placeholder text, and rough balancing impede the show‑piece enough that it can break the mood.
Limited Scope: No air or naval forces (in demo), and battles lack some of the force multipliers you’d expect in a modern war game.
🧭 Why You Should Watch This Game
Even if the demo is too rough to fully recommend now, here’s why I’m watching it:
It dares to bridge two genres that often exist in isolation. If done right, success or failure in a single battle could ripple into state-level outcomes.
It’s set in modern times — a bold move. That opens up tensions, technologies (drones, EW, cyber), and conflicts that feel relevant.
The scaffold is already there: real maps, 150+ unit types, diplomacy, and infrastructure promises. The challenge now is filling in the skeleton.
✅ My Verdict (For Now)
Don’t expect a finished product. Don’t expect deep strategy systems yet. But do expect potential. If you like watching ambitious strategy experiments, this demo is worth at least one or two hours of curiosity.
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