Defilade Guide & Wiki
Defilade is RBGames' old-school isometric RTS set in modern warfare: soldiers find cover, drag wounded comrades behind walls, dive from grenades, dig trenches and interrogate prisoners, while you build a base, secure supply lines and fight across fully destructible battlefields. The public demo arrives on December 1, 2026, with Steam Early Access on December 15. This wiki tracks every confirmed system — units, base building, FOBs, supply, cover, medics, prisoners, squads, modes, maps and multiplayer — and marks what still needs demo testing.
Updated Nov 12, 2026
Release: December 15, 2026 — Steam Early Access
Demo: December 1, 2026 — public, free (delayed from late October)
Developer: RBGames (solo developer) — Godot Engine, no publisher
Platforms: Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel)
Genre: Isometric modern-warfare RTS — base building, supply lines, destructible battlefields
Multiplayer: Single-player, online and LAN co-op & PvP, cross-platform multiplayer
Wishlists: ~302,000 (third-party estimate, Nov 5, 2026; 30-day gain +174,595)
Latest update: November 7, 2026 — Front Lines mode and destructible buildings shown
Launch
- Defilade release date and Early AccessDefilade launches in Steam Early Access on December 15, 2026. A free public demo arrives first, on December 1, 2026, after being pushed back from late October. The game is coming to Windows and macOS; the price has not been announced yet, and there are no Steam achievements listed.
- Defilade demo: what's in itThe Defilade demo launches on December 1, 2026, free on Steam. The build includes the reworked base layer (a steel-hangar factory, a research building with a satellite dish, a green build grid, manpower that runs out and capture points that matter), squads and orders, the rebuilt AI commander and the new soldier animations. Not in the demo: the Snow Farms, Countryside and Rivers maps, breakable bridges and drowning, the bridge tank, green camo and branch-covered tanks, rebel ambushes and the sandbox enemy commander.
- Defilade update timelineDefilade has no patch notes yet — it is pre-release. The official timeline runs from the Steam page going live on September 21, 2026, through wishlist milestones (12,000 in 17 hours, 70,000 in week one, 100,000 in two weeks, 200,000 in a month, ~302,000 by November 5), the squads and AI commander rework in October, the Front Lines mode and destructible buildings shown on November 7, and the demo moving to December 1 with Early Access on December 15.
Reference
- Defilade FAQDefilade releases in Steam Early Access on December 15, 2026; the free demo is December 1. It is a single-player and multiplayer isometric RTS for Windows and macOS, built by solo developer RBGames in Godot. The price, player count, console versions and Steam Deck rating have not been announced.
- Defilade system requirementsWindows minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-6500 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X, 8 GB RAM, 4 GB VRAM with Vulkan support (GeForce GTX 1650 or Radeon RX 570). Recommended: Windows 11 64-bit, Core i7-10700 or Ryzen 7 5800X, 16 GB RAM, RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT (8 GB). macOS minimum: 10.15 Catalina, Apple M1 or a 2017-or-later Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Metal-capable Radeon Pro 560 or Intel Iris Plus 650.
- Defilade developer — RBGamesDefilade is developed by RBGames, a solo developer building the game in Godot. He cites Red Alert, Sudden Strike 2 and Company of Heroes as influences, has an official Discord, and says he turned down publishing offers because a deal would have pushed release to about spring 2027. The game is self-published.
Getting started
- Defilade beginner guideDefilade is an old-school isometric RTS: capture points generate the manpower you spend on units and buildings, supply trucks keep your army supplied, and a Forward Operating Base (FOB) is how you hold ground. Build a factory and research building early, connect a FOB to your lines with roads, keep supply trucks alive, and use ATTACK MOVE and SECURE AREA instead of trickling units in. Losing your last FOB is game over.
- Defilade controls and hotkeysConfirmed Defilade controls: number keys select squads, Shift-click adds to a selection, Q and E turn the camera, drag sets which way your tanks face, and the orders ATTACK MOVE and SECURE AREA are bound. Waypoints and formations (or AUTO) are also in. The rest of the keybinds are in the game's Controls menu and are not published yet — we will list them after the December 1 demo.
Units
- Defilade units overviewDefilade's confirmed unit types are infantry, tanks, helicopters, drones, artillery and a bridge tank. Infantry do the tactical work — finding cover, rescuing the wounded and taking prisoners — while tanks, helicopters, drones and artillery provide the firepower. The bridge tank lays a new bridge so armor can cross rivers. Exact stats, costs and counters are not published yet; the December 1 demo is the first public build.
- Defilade infantry guideDefilade infantry handle the tactical layer themselves: they find cover behind trees, wrecks and walls, go prone, drag wounded comrades to safety, throw grenades back and surrender when broken. You give the broad orders. Squads split into fire teams, soldiers earn ranks and veterans end up in full armour, and captured soldiers can be interrogated for intel. The exact stats are not published; the December 1 demo is the first public build.
- Defilade tanks guideDefilade tanks are the direct-fire arm, and the confirmed control is that you drag to set their facing. Tank traps, mines, wire and concealed positions are the defenses you can build against them; FPV drones and artillery are the other threats. Green camo and tanks covered in cut branches are in the full build but not the December 1 demo, and the bridge tank is how armor crosses a river after the bridges are down. Armor, damage and range values are not published.
- Defilade drones guideDefilade uses drones in two ways: as a unit type in the roster and as an FPV strike threat that soldiers dive away from. Camouflage netting is the confirmed anti-drone defense, and the developer lists drones alongside tanks and helicopters as the game's vehicle layer. Range, damage, cost and whether the December 1 demo includes drones are not confirmed.
Base & logistics
- Defilade base buildingDefilade base building is physical: you place a structure, then soldiers walk to it and build it by hand. Construction can happen mid-combat, buildings can be destroyed and repaired, and the demo adds a steel-hangar factory, a research building with a satellite dish and a green grid that shows where you can build. Core buildings are the factory, research building, barracks, helipad, medic tent and FOB, plus trenches, walls, wire, mines, tank traps and camouflage netting.
- Defilade Forward Operating Bases (FOBs)A Forward Operating Base (FOB) is how Defilade extends your army forward. Troops fight from it, resupply there, and it raises your unit cap. FOBs can be captured, they connect to your lines by roads used by supply trucks, and losing your last FOB is game over. Build them near the capture point you want to hold, not at your spawn.
- Defilade supply linesSupply lines are how Defilade keeps a forward army alive. A completed FOB connects to friendly lines by roads used by supply trucks; if the road is cut or the trucks are ambushed, the FOB stops being supplied. The AI commander guards its own trucks and raids yours, so a match is often won by cutting a road rather than by assaulting a base.
- Defilade defensesDefilade's confirmed defenses are trenches, concrete walls, barbed wire, mines, tank traps, MG nests, watchtowers and camouflage netting. Build them in layers: obstacles first, fire second. Wire and tank traps stop the enemy; MG nests and infantry kill what the obstacle stops. Camouflage netting is the confirmed anti-FPV-drone measure.
Combat
- Defilade cover systemDefilade's cover system is object-based: almost every object on the map can be used as cover, including trees, vehicles, blown-off parts, walls, corners and trenches. Soldiers lean around corners, go prone, crawl, vault low cover and garrison buildings. Attack cover by flanking or with explosives, not by walking into its front.
- Defilade medics and casualtiesDefilade medics use stretchers to pick wounded soldiers up; if one medic is killed, the other medic drags the soldier instead, and soldiers try a rope rescue if a normal rescue fails. Medic tents recover casualties, and rescued veterans keep their ranks. Keeping a medic alive is how you keep an experienced squad alive.
- Defilade prisoners and interrogationIn Defilade, broken soldiers can surrender, and captured soldiers are interrogated for live intel. The prisoner can spill information on you or the enemy, and the Rebel faction can interrogate prisoners in its tunnel networks. The exact intel types, interrogation time and whether prisoners can be rescued are not published.
- Defilade squads and ordersDefilade lets you make squads and bind them to number keys, pick a formation or AUTO, split a squad into fire teams, and queue waypoints. The two key orders are ATTACK MOVE (move and fight on the way) and SECURE AREA (take and hold a position). Use fire teams to bound: one covers while the other moves.
Modes & multiplayer
- Defilade Front Lines modeFront Lines is a Defilade mode where the front line moves in real time. The November 7 gameplay showed large battles, artillery support and capture points, with the front shifting as one side pushes the other back. The exact rules, team sizes and win conditions have not been published; the December 1 demo is the first public build.
- Defilade Survival modeSurvival is a confirmed Defilade mode, but its rules have not been published. The developer's update list names Survival alongside trench warfare, barbed wire, tank traps, camouflage netting and a bigger airburst nuke. We do not know the wave structure, whether it is solo or co-op, or whether it is in the December 1 demo.
- Defilade multiplayer and co-opDefilade's Steam page lists single-player, multi-player, online and LAN co-op, online and LAN PvP, and cross-platform multiplayer. The player count, dedicated-server support and whether the December 1 demo includes co-op or PvP are not published. The game is built for both solo play and group play.
- Defilade mapsThe Defilade maps named so far are Grasslands, Rivers, Snow Farms and Countryside. Grasslands and Rivers were announced on October 4; the November update lists Snow Farms, Countryside and Rivers as not in the December 1 demo, so map availability is still changing. The game also has fully destructible buildings, breakable bridges and drowning, which change how a map plays.
- Defilade destructible environmentsDefilade's battlefields are fully destructible: buildings collapse, craters and debris persist, structures can be repaired, and bridges can break apart and drop soldiers into the river. The developer built the destruction so it does not disappear for performance, which means cover is temporary and routes change during a match.
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