Homeworld 3 will launch by the end of 2022, watch the new gameplay trailer

Homeworld 3 will launch on Windows PC in the fourth quarter of 2022, Gearbox Publishing announced Thursday at The Game Awards. Gearbox and developer Blackbird Interactive also released Homeworld 3’s first gameplay trailer and revealed new details on how the game will work, signaling the return of classic 3D space battles plus a few new wrinkles.

The original Homeworld was developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 1999. The real-time strategy game was well regarded for its complex space battles, which allowed players to maneuver and fight in three dimensions. The franchise expanded in 2003 with Homeworld 2 and later, in 2016, with Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. It is also being developed into a tabletop role-playing game by Modiphius Entertainment.

What makes Homeworld 3 special is that the team at Blackbird includes many of the original developers behind the 1999 classic. That includes its CEO, Rob Cunningham, who was the art director for both Homeworld and Homeworld 2.

“Homeworld 3 is the realization of the vision of what we set out to create in the Homeworld series, with modern technology allowing us to push beyond our wildest dreams of large-scale dynamic space combat packed with emotional sci-fi storytelling,” said Cunningham in a press release. “We could not be more excited.”

Image: Blackbird Interactive/Gearbox Publishing

Image: Blackbird Interactive/Gearbox Publishing

Image: Blackbird Interactive/Gearbox Publishing

The third installment of the Homeworld franchise will include the same heady space combat that earned the original so many game of the year awards. This time around, battlefields will include massive, derelict spacecraft called megaliths, which will allow for unique tactical options including hit-and-run attacks and ambushes. Developers also said that the game will include fully simulated ballistics, meaning that both line of sight and cover will be important factors in the final game.

From the news release:

Scars on your ships linger. Strike craft pilots and capital ship captains pass along critical information through battlefield chatter. In addition to conquering the game’s campaign, players can challenge each other to intense 1v1, free-for-all or team battles, or tag team in an all-new co-op mode with a roguelike twist. Homeworld 3 will be the deepest and most satisfying gameplay experience in the series yet.

Homeworld 3 is now available to add to your wishlist on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.