Zombie tactical RPG Urban Strife leaves Early Access with full campaign and final siege

Urban Strife has officially left Early Access, with developer White Pond Games and publisher MicroProse releasing version 1.0 of the post-apocalyptic tactical RPG on Steam.

The full release completes the game’s campaign and adds its climactic final siege, in which players must defend Urban Shelter against the enormous zombie horde that originally pursued them from Atlanta. Version 1.0 arrives roughly 19 months after Urban Strife first entered Early Access in December 2024.

Urban Strife combines old-school turn-based combat with shelter management, survival systems and branching RPG decisions. Players begin as a mysterious patient evacuated from Atlanta shortly before the city falls, only to be rescued by the inhabitants of a struggling survivor settlement.

Keeping that community alive requires more than simply shooting zombies. Players must secure food, medicine, fuel and building materials while repairing facilities, assigning workers and developing production chains. Every decision feeds into the eventual siege, as scavenging becomes impossible once the horde reaches the shelter.

Combat uses an action point system alongside overwatch, interrupts, stealth and body-part targeting. Firearms are governed by a detailed ballistic simulation that accounts for trajectories, ammunition types, penetration and the material used to construct cover. Thin walls can be shot through, while heavier objects such as vehicle engines can provide much stronger protection.

Large groups of zombies also move during a simultaneous phase rather than taking individual turns. This is intended to prevent encounters involving dozens of undead from slowing to a crawl while still allowing each zombie to react independently to movement, sound and nearby targets.

The survivors encountered throughout the campaign can be recruited into the player’s militia, with each character bringing their own skills, personality and unique traits. The version 1.0 update also introduces a revised profession perk system, allowing unlocked abilities to be selected more freely when building a squad.

Players must additionally decide how to deal with Urban County’s competing factions. These include National Guard remnants, the Church of Second Chance and the Shady Lady biker group. Supporting a faction can unlock new recruits, shelter improvements and story routes, but will also damage relations with its rivals.

White Pond Games says existing Early Access saves have not been wiped and can be used to access the completed ending. However, the developer recommends starting a fresh campaign to avoid potential compatibility problems caused by older save files.

Urban Strife version 1.0 is available now on PC through Steam. The game is currently discounted by 30% as part of an introductory offer ending on July 21. Steam achievements and further modding support are also planned for a later post-launch update.

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Paul McNally

Paul McNally has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade editing top-selling magazines and websites.