Steel Division 2 gets a release date, and returning players get free divisions

Steel Division 2, Eugen Systems’ gargantuan RTS wargame, now has a release date. It’s due out on April 4 and can already be preordered on Steam. The developer has also revealed that owners of Steel Division: Normandy 44 will get exclusive divisions drawn from the original game. Check them out in action in the trailer below.

The Back to War pack’s exclusive units include the Sherman Jumbo tank, Long Tom 144 mm howitzer, Panzer III N, Do 217 Bombing plane and 350 others, split into eight divisions. That bumps the total number of units to a whopping 950 if you own the original. There’s no need to preorder the game to get the pack, either.

If you want to take the war for a spin before April 4, a beta is planned, though you’ll need to preorder to get access. The Commander, General and Total Conflict editions will also come with a 48-hour head start for preorders.

I got to take a look at Steel Division 2 in a hands-off demo last year, and it's hard not to be impressed with the sheer scale of the thing. It zooms in on Operation Bagration, but still presents it at 1:1 scale with countless troops and vehicles all under the player's command.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.