Nuke your neighbours in the massively multiplayer RTS game 'OpenFront' now

18 Sep 2026 at 8:53 am UTC | Last updated: 18 Sep 2026 at 8:59 am UTC
By Liam Squires-Hand

OpenFront has jumped over from being a browser game to a Steam release, and I can see it easily sucking away lots of my time firing off nukes at my neighbours. Note: personal purchase.

What exactly is it? Imagine a simplified and much faster version of Paradox's grand strategy games. It's online and all in real-time where hundreds of real players battle simultaneously on a single shared world map. You start off by building up and taking over a few neutral territories, and then try to keep expanding as much as possible building alliances or nuking other players out of existence.

The developer mentioned the web version has seen "over 1 million monthly active players" and the Steam reviews are flowing in giving it a Very Positive user score even this early on for it.

A game that looks simple on the surface, and interacting with it really is simple, but that's quite deceptive. You have to play it smart and watch your economy closely. Expanding too much too soon and being overly aggressive could end up resulting in you being completely wiped off the map. In a way, the expansion system reminds me of the classic Galcon series of games.

YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show Direct Link Key Features

• Expand by directing your forces into unclaimed territory and weaker nations.
• Build ports, cities, and missile defences to strengthen your borders.
• Trade and negotiate — in-game ally requests let you broker truces with neighbours.
• Escalate from conventional warfare to nuclear strikes as the match reaches its endgame.
• Naval warfare adds a second front — control the seas to project power across the map.

You know what else is awesome to see? It's open source on GitHub! However, something that is not disclosed on the Steam page, is that they appear to be using Claude AI to help with development - something to keep in mind about it.

I've been playing it on Fedora KDE 44, using the Wayland launch option and it has been working great. Although, the Steam Overlay doesn't seem to work with it. Absolutely no problems finding a game, there's masses of people playing it thanks to the web version.

With it being in Early Access the developer said they're going to use the funding towards expanding it across mobile, a bigger clan system, new cosmetics, additional maps and modes, Steam Deck optimisation and more.

Release Date: 📅 17th September 2026Platform: 🐧 Native LinuxDevs:Openfront Inc, Evan PellegriniOfficial links:SteamOfficial Website 🌐 External Sources: GitHub - OpenFrontIO Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com. Tags: Early Access, Native Linux, Indie Game, MMO, New Release, Open Source, RTS, Steam, Strategy | Apps: OpenFront 4 Likes Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:PS5 Linux dev quits after "the only hypervisor bug left" was reported to SonyActive Matter developers put up an incredibly distasteful AI notice on SteamBazzite Linux 44 for handhelds finally launches with some massive upgradesGhostship - the Super Mario 64 PC port from Harbour Masters gets Vulkan, post-processing, a web player and more All posts need to follow our rules. Please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Readers can also email us for any issues or concerns.