D.O.R.F. Real-Time Strategic Conflict is a real-time strategy game for PC being developed and published by DORFteam. The developers describe it as a return to classic isometric RTS play inspired by the genre's 1990s games, built around base construction, resource gathering and large battles. Players take command of one of three factions: the Union of Imperial States, the Warband Tribes or The Collective. Combat is planned to take place on land, in the air and at sea.
The game has not been released. As of September 2026 its official release date is listed as to be announced, no public demo had been released, and it was not available in Early Access. The developers' own estimate is a launch in late 2027 or 2028. Most of what this wiki describes about mechanics, units and modes comes from the developers' stated plans and development updates, so details may change before release.
Premise and Setting
The game is set in a twisted vision of Earth's future, one corrupted by genetic experiments, endless warfare and extraterrestrial anomalies. The official faction descriptions place the three powers on a single continent: the Union of Imperial States holds the north, the Collective has risen in the east, and the Warband Tribes, described as the most numerous peoples of the Second World, rule vast stretches of land and sea. The same descriptions refer to technology and wreckage left over from the Old World, which the Collective re-engineers and the Warbands turn into makeshift war machines.
The faction lore mentions rumors of so-called witches and strange creatures among the Warbands. In July 2025 the developers said the game will include some abhuman units, and in April 2026 they confirmed that civilians, civilian cars and harmless wandering critters are planned to appear on maps, while hostile wildlife was not guaranteed. The campaign story, its characters and its missions had not been detailed publicly as of September 2026.
The Name
The developers have said the name D.O.R.F. has no current meaning as an acronym. It is a nod to the playable races all essentially being dwarves, which ties into planned gameplay built around tunneling underground: mining resources, bypassing natural barriers or enemy defenses, and in some cases building underground bases. That underground layer was described in 2023, and the developers had not confirmed it as implemented as of September 2026.
Factions
Each faction has its own lore, structures, units and way of moving supplies. The developers have said they do not intend any faction to be the generic one, although the Empire is the most prominently featured so far because its art is the easiest to produce and it serves as the testbed for most systems.
Faction | Official Subtitle | Overview |
|---|---|---|
The Crumbling Empire | A northern confederation of industrialists, aristocrats and military nobility, known for armor, artillery, rail lines and concrete superfortresses, but slowly eroded by raids, corruption and sabotage. | |
The barbarians | Nomads, cults, pirates and motorized warbands fielding junkyard war machines. Planned around speed, guerilla and stealth tactics, underground supply tunnels and a very small air force. | |
The new world order | An eastern state formed from private enterprises and local militias, using re-engineered Old World technology, mobile walking structures and aerial logistics. The only faction planned to use Power. |
The official faction page labels the Collective's emblem "Triple Consortium", and a July 2026 development update refers to Consortium mobile bases. The developers have not explained how that name relates to the Collective.
Core Features
Base Building and Logistics
Players build bases of factories, refineries and defensive structures, and structures can be rotated to different facings to fit a layout. Resources do not go into a global pool: raw materials must physically travel from deposits to refineries and on to factories, so the developers intend efficient base layouts to be rewarded. After a May 2026 rework there is no hard limit on base size; size is meant to be shaped by how well a layout supports logistics. Each faction handles supply differently, from the Empire's Forklifts and trucks to the Warbands' tunnels and the Collective's drones. See Resources and Logistics for details.
In July 2026 the developers introduced the Annex System, which supplements the usual structure prerequisites and research upgrades. Annexes are structures built next to or directly onto a factory, and they unlock units and upgrades or modify what that factory produces.
Resources
The store page describes pumping oil from deposits, mining ore and gathering scrap left over from battles. The developers have also described Fuel, which every faction spends on units; Power, which only the Collective uses since the May 2026 rework; Authority, which is earned rather than mined and spent on off-map call-ins and special unlocks; and Recruits, which become infantry, vehicle crews and building staff.
Land, Air and Sea
The store page promises armies of land, air and sea units, naming enormous zeppelin bombers, multi-turret tanks, psychic warriors and clanky artillery mecha as examples. It also mentions calling in airstrikes, digging trench networks for infantry and setting up transport routes from factories to the front. The developers have said naval combat is a major design goal, with water treated as a battlefield in its own right rather than an obstacle; see Naval Warfare. Airstrikes and other aircraft sorties are handled as Support Powers. The named units shown so far are collected on the Units page.
Storming and Capturing
Infantry are planned to storm enemy-held positions and base structures and fight at close quarters inside them, and to garrison civilian buildings. Capturing an enemy factory is intended to give access to its technology. In January 2025 the developers said this would take the form of special hybrid units that combine both factions' technologies and tactics, rather than direct access to the enemy's own roster. Stances, the Command Wheel, tactical pause and related controls are covered on Combat and Unit Control, and unit ranks on Veterancy.
Terrain
Development updates have described terrain that very heavy weapons can crater (added just before the March 2026 trailer), plans for trenches dug by infantry, early work on a stacking cliff system and destructible bridges in August 2026, and a December 2025 plan for partially simulated water. See Terrain and Environment.
Game Modes
The developers plan a campaign for each of the three factions and multiplayer with up to 8 players per match. In 2024 they said each campaign should have at least 10 to 15 missions. The developers' FAQ lists online multiplayer and skirmish against AI for launch, and says a co-op campaign depends on whether its Kickstarter stretch goal was reached. A map editor, the same one the team uses for official maps and with LUA scripting, is planned to ship with the game. See Game Modes and Map Editor and Modding.
Release Status and Platforms
Item | Status |
|---|---|
Release date | To be announced on the store page and in the press kit (as of September 2026) |
Developer estimate | Late 2027 or 2028. In March 2026 the developers called late 2028 a cautious estimate and said they hoped for late 2027. |
Platforms | PC. The store page lists Windows, macOS and Linux, and the developers have said the game will launch with full Linux and macOS support. |
Storefronts | Steam page live since 2023. A GOG version is planned, likely alongside the Steam release. |
Early Access | Not ruled out, but the developers said in March 2026 that they would prefer to release the finished game. |
Demo | None released as of September 2026. The developers hoped for a demo in late 2026 with 2 to 3 missions for one faction, mainly for supporters who paid for that reward, with no guarantee. |
Mobile | The developers called a mobile version unlikely in September 2025. |
Store Details
Detail | Listing |
|---|---|
Developer and publisher | DORFteam |
Genre | Strategy |
Modes listed | Single-player, Multi-player, PvP, Online PvP, LAN PvP, Family Sharing |
Languages (as of September 2026) | English (interface, full audio and subtitles) |
Planned localization | German, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese text at launch, with a localized announcer voice; Chinese possibly later |
Content note | The developers note violent death animations and some gore |
The store page's system requirements, as listed in September 2026, are below. The Windows listing requires a 64-bit processor and operating system and the macOS listing notes 64-bit binaries. The Linux listing uses the same hardware figures as Windows but names no operating system version. The graphics requirements still cite OpenGL 3.3, even though the developers have been replacing OpenGL with Vulkan during 2026, so these figures may change.
Component | Windows and Linux Minimum | Windows and Linux Recommended | macOS Minimum | macOS Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Operating system | Windows 10 or later | Windows 10 or later | macOS 10.15 or later | macOS 10.15 or later |
Processor | Dual core, 3 GHz or faster | Quad core, 3 GHz or faster | 2016 Mac | 2020 Apple Silicon |
Memory | 4 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
Graphics | OpenGL 3.3.0, 512 MB VRAM (GeForce GTX 260, Radeon HD 4850 or Intel HD Graphics 5500) | OpenGL 3.3.0, 2 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 750 Ti or Radeon R7 360) | Not listed | Not listed |
Storage | 6 GB | 6 GB | 6 GB | 6 GB |
Development
The press kit lists the developers as John Williams, Thomas Christiaan van Leth and Gustas Kažukauskas. John Williams writes the development updates and creates almost all of the art, and Gustas is the programmer working on replacing the OpenGL graphics API with Vulkan. The team was two part-time developers in 2023 and three by 2024. In May 2026 the developers said an engineer, an animator, a writer, a composer and sound engineer, and several map makers were being brought on.
The game runs on a heavily modified fork of the OpenRA engine that, according to the developers, now bears little resemblance to the original. Because that engine is licensed under GPLv3, the source code is planned to be released as a read-only repository at launch, while the art, audio, missions, maps and rules data remain paid content. The developers have said no generative AI is used for art, audio or scripting.
The project's Patreon campaign launched in September 2022, followed days later by a first teaser and then weekly unit showcase videos on the official YouTube channel. The Steam page was announced in April 2023. A Kickstarter campaign launched on March 17, 2026, funded on its first day and closed in mid-April 2026 well above its $85,000 goal. Development updates through 2026 have covered engine optimization, a rework of the logistics systems, the Annex System and new terrain features. The full timeline is on Development History.
The developers have said most of their design inspiration comes from Command & Conquer, with smaller elements drawn from games such as Factorio and Force Commander. KKND influenced the look of the title logo and the oil pools, though most of the game's concepts predate the lead developer playing it.