ICBM: Escalation

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• Announcements·7 Sept 2026Official

  Assassin's Mace | Dev Diary and Release date

  Hi everyone! We’ve been continuing to work on ICBM: Escalation and now that the major AI update is out, we’ve been making small fixes and improvements where we can, but our attention has been mainly focused on our new upcoming DLC. As you may have been able to guess, from subtle hints like the new loading screen and Steam trading card featuring the DF-41 mobile ICBM, or less subtle hints, like that time we openly said it in the last DLC dev diary and then publicly announced it later, our newest DLC is focused on what I think many people would agree is the most obvious contender. With a substantial nuclear arsenal, a huge roster of unique indigenous units, a massive army and considerable geopolitical sway, our next DLC is about China! Like our last two DLCs, this one will feature new Chinese unit cosmetics as well as an 11-mission campaign spanning from shortly after the end of WWII and into the not-so-distant future. Now, some of you might be wondering what’s special about this campaign, and why it’s called Assassin’s Mace. While the USSR campaign focused on matching or overwhelming NATO’s capabilities, and the DLC US campaign focused on being an unbridled powertripping psychopath, China’s campaign is also asymmetrical, but this time in another direction. You see, while the US and USSR came out of WWII as obvious winners and new undisputed superpowers, China wasn't quite as lucky.Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. While we might think of China as being an economic powerhouse and a growing technological hub with an advanced military today, this wasn’t always the case. While most agree that WWII started in 1939, the Chinese were fighting the Japanese well before that, and before that, they were fighting themselves. After the Japanese were defeated, the Chinese civil war continued and eventually (sort of) ended in 1949, with the communist party routing the KMT out of the mainland and into Taiwan. Years of fighting, as well as a number of other factors...
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• Patch Notes·7 Aug 2026Official

  [EDIT] Update 1.1.4 – Improvements, AI Freeze Fix and Clarification on DRM

  EDITWe've released a hotfix (1.1.4b):Fixed incorrect video memory detection on startup -------------------------------------------- Update 1.1.4 is now available for ICBM: Escalation.Alongside the latest gameplay improvements and fixes included in today's patch, we'd like to address an issue that has recently generated a lot of discussion within the community. Some players reported freezes that were initially believed to be related to the game's DRM implementation. After an extensive investigation, we can now confirm that this was not the case.Before diving into the details, you can find the full 1.1.4 Patch Notes below.1.1.4:Fixed the problem with war planner targeting dead citiesAircraft no more can enter other faction's airspace during ceasefireFixed some performance issuesfixed a potential crash in war plannerFixed the performance drop associated with torpedoes going ashoreChanged the AI calculations regarding the territory transfersAdded a separate set of the events for Neutral unitsAdded the unit HP capping to avoid the AI going crazy when seeing the invincible Player's unitsAdded new AA gun models, which are affected by the armored vehicle techsAdded a new leader portraitEnhanced Missile Guidance is now a prerequisite for C-RAM tech, to prevent tech rushingUpdated the city artwork for DalianBombers now fire more conventional ALCMs when a nuclear ALCM is equipped, to improve hit probabilityRemoved the counter-spy radar from space centersFixed a problem with chemical artillery ranges being extended when not entrenchedFixed MANPADS elevation bug on helicopters. Attack Helicopters now only attack other helicopters and aircraft that are landing/taking off as intendedIncreased the fire rate of helicopter ATGMsIncreased the activation delay on submarines from 5 seconds to 10Missile ASATs on hunter-killer satellites can now be toggled on and offFixed 10M pure fusion light ICBM using the wrong explosion, now does more damageFixed a translation issue in Chinese where X...
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• Announcements·22 Jul 2026Official

  ICBM: Escalation - Assassin's Mace | DLC Revealed

  We’re excited to reveal Assassin's Mace, the next DLC for ICBM: Escalation.Assassin's Mace follows the rise of the People's Republic of China from the aftermath of World War II to its emergence as a global superpower. Lead China through decades of conflict, unifying the nation after the Chinese Civil War, leverage asymmetrical tactics, clever countermeasures and massive reserves of manpower to disarm and overwhelm technologically superior opponents, and transform from an underdog peasant nation into a global superpower.The DLC is now entering beta, and we’re inviting you to sign up and help us test before release. Your feedback will be essential in shaping the final version.Sign up for the beta and learn more on the official product page.Assassin's Mace - BetaLast but not least, we've released a selection of ICBM-themed Steam Community items. You can now collect trading cards, badges, profile backgrounds and emoticons.
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• Patch Notes·4 Jun 2026Official

  Update 1.1.3 — New Beta — AI Rework Next Steps

  Hi everyone, a new update for ICBM: Escalation is out now. It focuses on AI behavior, QoL improvements, fixes and more.1.1.3: Fixed the extreme performance drop caused by helicopters hanging on top of the army baseFixed the AI factions issuing the same Unban Geneva requests concurrentlyFixed the problem with the AI factions suddenly releasing helicopters they don't really have from Army BasesFixed naval monitoring station not auto-engaging against submarines with their naval helicoptersAdded a timeout before the AI players can unban tech/weaponDepth Charges and ASROC now check the fire trajectory the same way as torpedoes, to avoid firing through land massesFixed the midcourse ABMs ranges not showing on radar mapAdditionally, we are opening the beta sign-ups to test never-before-seen content. Be among the first to join and help test and refine what's coming. Last but not least, thank you for the enthusiasm you have shown following the release of the AI Rework. We are carefully reviewing your feedback to help plan the next steps and continue improving and refining the experience. Currently, the additional features and improvements planned are: Active use of special operations teams and terrorist unitsExpansion into space warfareA bio-weapons reworkImproved use of combat engineers and forward operating basesBetter unit situational awareness in edge casesImproved handling of heavily “turtled” playersMore diverse AI strategies
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• Announcements·11 May 2026Official

  AI Rework Release + S.N.A.R.E. Campaign free content

  AI ReworkThe team fully reworked the game’s AI. This is a fundamental overhaul, heavily driven by community feedback and incorporating many player-suggested tactics and improvements.The new AI is more strategic, adaptive, and less predictable in its behavior. Depending on the selected difficulty, it creates constant pressure and makes the world feel truly “alive”, with territories frequently changing hands through ongoing regional conflicts.It now handles diplomacy, conventional warfare, and nuclear escalation in a far more balanced and coherent way. Conflicts can evolve naturally over time - from early conventional engagements, through limited nuclear use, and ultimately into high-stakes, full-scale nuclear endgame scenarios.In addition to these gameplay improvements, the update also delivers significant performance optimizations, resulting in a smoother and more consistent overall experience.If you want to know more regarding the AI Rework process, please check previous Diaries:S.N.A.R.E. Campaign free content and discountsAdditionally, we are releasing the S.N.A.R.E. campaign for free. A series of five missions set across the decades (1960, 1980, 2000, 2020 and 2040), focused on heavy nuclear warfare. To celebrate, the entire ICBM series is available at a discount for a limited time. Don't miss the chance to enter this nuclear world or complete your collection. Changelog 1.1.2Fixed an occasional game freezeFixed a potential crashFixed the problem with incorrect city handling when loading MP games with destroyed territoriesFixed the problem with the AI not using all available nuclear bombsFixed the problem with incorrect rate-of-fire for AA gunsites and similar unitsFixed incorrect missile property caching that had the effect of MIRV missiles not splitting into individual warheadsAdded the possibility to independently configure Production and Science speed multipliers for the game regardless of the game type + Added S.N.A.R.E. campaignChanged the Torpedo character...
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