Civil War: Battle of Petersburg

Civil War: Battle of Petersburg

Released Feb 2017

Command Union or Confederate forces near Petersburg and Richmond in 1864. Fight for a nation divided. Massively updated in 2026 with online multiplayer, 3D battlefield units, improved AI, and a powerful Scenario Editor for creating and sharing your own battles.

81% positive · 245 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence

Where to buy

Steam $11.99
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Evaluation

Civil War: Battle of Petersburg originally launched on February 8, 2017 as a complete, self-contained turn-based wargame featuring four historical scenarios. The developer shipped a small cluster of patches and feature additions in the weeks following launch — bug fixes, leaderboard improvements, two new gameplay modes, and a hot seat save feature — with the last recorded update arriving on September 2, 2017. There have been no developer news posts since that date. The store description and short description are notable: they describe the game as having been "extensively rebuilt and expanded for modern systems" and the short description specifically calls out a "Massively updated in 2026" version featuring online multiplayer, 3D battlefield units, improved AI, and a Scenario Editor. This indicates a significant update was shipped in 2026, but this appears to represent the completion of a modernization effort rather than the start of an ongoing content cycle — the store description frames it as a finished rebuild, not a roadmap for future additions. No DLC has been listed, no expansions announced, and no future content has been signaled. The game presents as a complete product — now in its rebuilt 2026 form — with no outstanding developer commitments or announced future content.
Evidence
Short description states the game was 'Massively updated in 2026' with online multiplayer, 3D battlefield units, improved AI, and a Scenario Editor — indicating a substantial rebuild was shipped in 2026
store metadata · Jan 1, 2026 source content shipped
high
Store description frames the game as 'extensively rebuilt and expanded for modern systems' while preserving the original four historical battles — language of a finished product, not an ongoing content roadmap
description source ambiguous
medium

Content

2 of 2 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Cult Software
Achievements
2
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · PvP · Local/Split Screen

About this game

Civil War: Battle of Petersburg is a turn-based tactical wargame focused on the fighting around Richmond and Petersburg during the final year of the American Civil War.

Originally released in 2017, the game has been extensively rebuilt and expanded for modern systems while preserving the fast and accessible hex-based warfare of the original.

Command infantry, cavalry, artillery and generals across a detailed historical battlefield. Use terrain, positioning, concentrated fire and flanking attacks to break the enemy line.

The rules are easy to understand, but every battlefield presents a different tactical problem.

Four Historical Battles

The base game includes the four original historical scenarios:

  • Battle of the Crater

  • Bermuda Hundred

  • New Market Heights

  • Cold Harbor / Richmond

Each battle features historically inspired formations, terrain and objectives built around the historical Petersburg battlefield map.

Play them individually and master each engagement across multiple difficulty levels.

Tactical Turn-Based Combat

Every formation has a limited number of movement and combat actions each turn.

Success depends on how you use them.

  • Maneuver infantry through favorable terrain

  • Position artillery to dominate important approaches

  • Use cavalry to threaten exposed flanks

  • Protect your general

  • Exploit weakened enemy formations

  • Attack from behind for a +40% flanking bonus

  • Decide when to advance and when to preserve your forces

Battles are designed to move quickly without sacrificing tactical depth.

Two Ways to View the Battlefield

Switch instantly between two complementary battlefield views.

Classic View

Experience the battlefield from the distinctive tabletop perspective of the original game, with upright formations and a cinematic view across the historical map.

Tactical View

Move to a clearer command-oriented battlefield view designed for quickly reading formations, terrain and objectives.

Change views at any time during battle.

Significantly Improved Battlefield AI

Compared to the original 2017 release, the battlefield AI has been substantially improved to provide a more challenging, believable and tactically varied opponent.

Enemy forces now make much better use of:

  • Battlefield objectives

  • Defensive terrain

  • Artillery positioning

  • Flanking opportunities

  • Local counterattacks

  • Reserve formations

  • Vulnerable or isolated units

  • Withdrawal and defensive situations

Rather than simply advancing toward the nearest target, the AI evaluates the developing battle and reacts to threats, opportunities and changing objectives.

Higher difficulty levels increase the challenge further through stronger positioning, more aggressive tactical decisions and more demanding battlefield situations.

The result is a far more capable and responsive opponent, while preserving the fast turn-based flow of the original game.

Play Against Other Commanders

Battle another player locally or across a network.

Multiplayer modes include:

  • Online Versus

  • LAN

  • Hotseat

  • Play by Email

Host private matches with friends or create public battles for other players to join.

Configurable turn timers, in-match communication and AI takeover for abandoned battles help keep longer engagements practical to play.

Scenario Editor

Create your own Civil War battles with the built-in Scenario Editor.

Design battlefields, place formations, define objectives and build scenarios using the same tactical systems as the official battles.

Share your creations through Steam Workshop, browse community scenarios and build anything from historical engagements to completely original battles.

Community-created scenarios can be played by anyone who owns the base game, with no additional DLC required.

Built for Replayability

Civil War: Battle of Petersburg can be played your way.

  • Historical single-player battles

  • Significantly improved battlefield AI

  • Multiple difficulty levels

  • Classic and Tactical battlefield views

  • Online multiplayer

  • LAN

  • Hotseat

  • Play by Email

  • Scenario Editor

  • Steam Workshop

  • Steam achievements and leaderboards

  • Steam Cloud

Whether you want a quick historical battle, a demanding tactical challenge, a long match against another commander or a scenario of your own creation, the same battlefield system supports them all.

Expand the Petersburg Campaign

Two optional Grand Campaign expansions add 15 missions each, persistent armies, headquarters management, historical formations, equipment, supplies and new battle objectives.

Union Grand Campaign

Lead Grant's armies through the expanding siege, cut the Confederate supply routes and carry the campaign through to the final breakthrough at Petersburg.

Confederate Grand Campaign

Defend Richmond and Petersburg, raid Union supply lines, preserve increasingly scarce forces and fight through the final Confederate withdrawal.

Both Grand Campaign DLCs also unlock their official historical scenarios for individual Single Battle play.

Take command. Read the battlefield. Break the enemy line.

Last evaluated Aug 23, 2026
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