Relic Entertainment will release the 3.0 update for Company of Heroes 3 on November 5, 2026 for PC via Steam. Timed to the 20th anniversary of the Company of Heroes franchise, the studio describes it as the biggest update to the real-time strategy game since launch, spanning a visual and audio overhaul, smarter AI, multiplayer balance changes, a reworked campaign economy, new maps, and expanded Final Stand content.
Visuals, weather, and audio
The visual pass adds snow and rain weather effects, enhanced fog and atmospheric effects, improved soldier lighting, dynamic terrain wetness, and animation improvements. New and expanded environmental art sets accompany industrial, winter, and autumn battlefields, while explosions and flamethrowers receive grittier effects. Audio upgrades cover weapon fire, impact and explosion effects, and vehicle destruction, and the soundtrack expands with classic tracks drawn from Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2.
Multiplayer, AI, and UI
Multiplayer receives a major economy rework aimed at larger team games, an artillery rebalance, changes meant to reduce massing vehicles, and a stronger emphasis on positioning. Relic reworked one existing Battlegroup and applied smaller adjustments to the rest. The AI now assesses combat more effectively for better late-game performance and unit build prioritization, and it makes smarter decisions about engagements and retreats. UI additions include status decorators and unit health bars with a new healing animation, and matchmaking now evaluates possible matches differently.
A three-tier campaign economy
The Italian Campaign’s resource system splits into three tiers. Manpower builds units, Munitions funds abilities, and Fuel pays for upgrades, with each tied to the towns you liberate. Towns now offer an exclusive upgrade choice, and upgrades grow more powerful as you progress. Enemy attack waves become more reliable and harder to deal with.
Five new maps and a three-player Final Stand
Five new multiplayer maps ship with the update: Vire River Valley (2v2), Ancona Railyard (1v1), Foggia Airfield (3v3), Turin Steelworks (4v4), and Radarstation Mammut (4v4). Three existing maps receive visual refreshes: Langres Winter (1v1), Mignano Summit (3v3), and Rapido River Crossing (4v4).
Final Stand gains a three-player mode compatible with all Battlegrounds, with difficulty scaling to the team. The new Dam Busters Battleground introduces a mechanic that makes your combat advantage ebb and flow. The mode also adds 13 player units, 14 abilities, 35 passive technologies, and 8 enemy units, alongside balance updates across all four factions.
Four premium cosmetic sets — Climb to Glory for the US Forces, Edelweiss for the Wehrmacht, Bloody Baltic for the British Forces, and Cold Snap for the Deutsches Afrikakorps — and a new Industrial Victory Point complete the release.
Sources
- Reporting source: GamerHeadlines
- Official announcement: Relic Entertainment
