Frequently Asked Questions

This page answers common questions about Dust Front RTS, a paid single-player post-apocalyptic real-time strategy game by the solo developer rtsDimon. For more depth, see the Gameplay Overview and the Getting Started guide.

Is Dust Front RTS free?

No. It is a paid game. The price has not been announced yet. The demo is free.

Is there multiplayer or co-op?

Dust Front RTS is single-player. No multiplayer, co-op, or competitive mode has been announced, and the developer has said plainly that the project does not need it. His stated reasoning is that the game is a real-time strategy with a global map and nothing more, that the replayability mechanics were built for solo play, and that supporting a small multiplayer community would pull attention away from the single-player game. The asymmetrical, outnumbered battles are fought against the campaign's forces, not against other players.

Will there be a skirmish mode against bots?

The developer has said it is possible, and that it would let you play the factions the campaign does not cover. He has also said the game is heavily tied to the global map, so a skirmish mode would most likely only become available after finishing the main game. Nothing about it is confirmed or dated.

What platforms does it run on?

PC (Windows) only. No other platforms have been announced. The published minimum requirements are listed on the System Requirements page. The developer has said he planned to make Linux builds but had not tested performance, which is why Linux support is not listed on the store.

When does it release?

The release is to be announced. There is no confirmed date or window. The developer has said he will not answer the question until he makes an official announcement, because he prefers avoiding a delay by design rather than managing one afterward. The game is currently wishlist-only; see Release and Platforms for the latest status.

Is there a demo or playtest?

Yes. A playable demo released for the Steam Next Fest on June 15, 2026. The developer calls it a finished demo rather than early access or the full game. It stayed up for one extra week after strong demand. Rather than removing it then, the developer decided to keep it available for an indefinite additional period, with no further demo patches planned for now; it will still be shut down at a later, unannounced time.

It lets you try the real-time side of the game: a siege battle against a fortified enemy base, with a choice of two factions and a difficulty multiplier you can tune. The full game's release is still to be announced; the demo date does not set a launch date. Adding the game to your wishlist is still the most reliable way to be notified at launch.

How many factions are there?

Four in total: three dominant factions plus one additional group. They are the Fourth Industrial Empire, the Evolved Mutants, the Robotic Escalation, and the Armed Groups of bandits and rebels, which the developer counts as the additional side. See the Factions page for what has been said about each.

Which factions can you play?

At release the game assumes a single campaign, played as the Empire. The developer has said he wants to make that one campaign complete and polished rather than spreading effort across several, and that campaigns for the other factions could be added later as separate content or updates depending on how the project does. Treat the single Empire campaign as the confirmed scope.

What languages are supported?

English and Russian, both with full audio. Russian is the source language for the game's text, and the English version is translated from it. The developer has said the finished game will support at least a couple more major languages.

Will the game support mods?

The developer's standing answer is probably not, though he has said he may consider adding mod support in the future. He has separately said that modding the localization files will be made easier, so translation work is the one area explicitly opened up.

Are there Steam achievements?

The developer has said he wants to add achievements along with some other platform features, and that integration with a streaming service would also interest him. None of this is confirmed for launch.

Will it come to other stores?

The developer has said he does not mind releasing on other storefronts but has not looked into it. Only the current listing has been announced.

What makes Dust Front RTS different?

It combines two layers of strategy in one campaign: classic real-time battles where you build a base and command an army, and a turn-based grand-strategy global map where you manage economy, territory, and technology. Your troops persist as veterans that gain ranks and move between fronts as strike groups or defensive garrisons, so you can lead the same units from the start of a war to its end. The battlefield itself deforms, burns, and collapses as you fight over it. The deeper systems are covered under The Global Map, Units and Armies, Technology and Doctrines, and Destruction and Terrain.

How long is the campaign?

A single campaign is designed to run for roughly 15 hours. The developer's standing question and answer post gives a lower figure of about 6 to 8 hours for someone who already knows everything in the game, and notes that replayability and depth mean it can be played differently more than once. The game focuses its content on one faction's campaign rather than several, by design: it is built as a systems-driven strategy game centered on capturing territory and fighting methodical battles, not a long story-linear experience.

Who is making it?

Dust Front RTS is developed and published by rtsDimon, whose given name is Dmitry, working as a solo independent developer with his own funding. He has said he began work on his first prototypes for the project around eight to nine years before the question and answer post was first written. It is an indie real-time strategy game with grand-strategy elements, a procedurally generated world, and a non-linear campaign.

Is it trying to revive the genre?

No. The developer has said reviving the real-time strategy genre was never his intention and that the game positions itself as niche rather than for everyone.

Is there mature content?

Yes. The game contains death animations of human units and mutants, with blood and corpses.