Relic Entertainment has announced the Company of Heroes 3 20th Anniversary Update, version 3.0, launching November 5, 2026 on PC via Steam. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Company of Heroes franchise, and Relic calls 3.0 the biggest update to the game since release. Relic announced the update and its audio preview in a Steam community post. Relic’s full 3.0 announcement details the complete feature list.
The update touches visuals, environmental and weather upgrades, audio, smarter AI, gameplay and balance refinements, new and refreshed maps, campaign enhancements, new cosmetics, and new Final Stand content.
3.0 Feature Scope and Launch Details
The visual pass adds new snow and rain weather, enhanced fog and atmospheric effects, improved soldier lighting, dynamic terrain wetness, animation improvements, new and expanded environmental art sets, new industrial, winter, and autumn battlefields, and grittier VFX for explosions and flamethrowers. On the audio side, weapon firing sounds, impact and explosion effects, and vehicle destruction audio all get upgrades, and the music selection expands with classic tracks from Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2.
Multiplayer receives a major economy rework aimed at larger team games, alongside an artillery rebalance, changes meant to reduce massing vehicles, and a stronger emphasis on positioning. Relic reworked one existing Battlegroup and made small adjustments to others. The AI gains improved combat-assessment logic for late-game performance and unit build prioritization, plus smarter engagement and retreat decisions. UI additions include status decorators and unit health bars with a new healing animation, and matchmaking now evaluates possible matches differently.
The Italian Campaign resource system is reworked into three tiers. Manpower is used for building units, Munitions is used for abilities, and Fuel is used for upgrades. These tie directly into the towns you liberate and which resources you need. Towns now offer an exclusive upgrade choice, with more powerful upgrades as you progress. Enemy attack waves are more reliable and harder to deal with.
Final Stand releases with 3.0 on November 5. It adds a new 3-player mode compatible with all Battlegrounds with scaling difficulty, a new Battleground called Dam Busters with a unique mechanic where your combat advantage ebbs and flows, 13 new player units, 14 new abilities, 35 new passive technologies, 8 new enemy units, and balance updates across all four factions.
Cosmetics include four premium sets. Climb to Glory is for US Forces, Edelweiss is for Wehrmacht, Bloody Baltic is for British Forces, and Cold Snap is for Deutsches Afrikakorps. A new Victory Point called Industrial is also included.
New Multiplayer Maps and Confirmed Versus Unconfirmed
Five new multiplayer maps arrive with the update.
| Map | Player Count | Modes |
|---|---|---|
| Vire River Valley | 2v2 | Skirmish, co-op, and custom games |
| Ancona Railyard | 1v1 | All modes |
| Foggia Airfield | 3v3 | All modes |
| Turin Steelworks | 4v4 | All modes |
| Radarstation Mammut | 4v4 | All modes |
Three existing maps get visual refreshes. Langres Winter for 1v1, Mignano Summit for 3v3, and Rapido River Crossing for 4v4.
Confirmed by Relic
- November 5, 2026 launch date on PC via Steam
- 20th anniversary framing
- The visual, audio, AI, and multiplayer changes listed above
- Five new map names and their player counts
- Four cosmetic set names and their factions
- The Final Stand additions
Not stated by Relic
- Price of the four cosmetic sets
- Name of the reworked Battlegroup
- Exact release time on November 5
- Whether 3.0 content lands on consoles that day
- Specific balance numbers
Team Games and the Campaign Economy
The economy rework, artillery rebalance, and anti-vehicle-mass changes all target larger team formats, which pair with the new 3v3 and 4v4 maps. A player queuing for Foggia Airfield or Turin Steelworks should expect the late-game resource and vehicle meta to shift, though Relic has not published specific balance numbers.
In the Italian Campaign, the three-tier resource split means a commander who spends Manpower to field units will run short on Munitions for abilities and Fuel for upgrades, turning town liberation into a build decision. Final Stand co-op gains a third player slot, and the Dam Busters Battleground pushes players to press when momentum is on their side through its ebb-and-flow mechanic.
Total War WARHAMMER III patch 9.0.4 recently addressed campaign fixes, and the Hearts of Iron IV energy rework open beta reworked a strategy game’s resource system along different lines.
