Polystrike is an upcoming competitive shooter comparable to Counter-Strike, but it takes the vastly popular FPS to a whole different perspective. It’s a top-down tactical shooter that we described as ‘combining CS gameplay with Dota perspective’ when lead developer Mark Møcherad posted an update last year. It’s now a standalone title running on Unreal Engine.

Much like Counter-Strike, players will choose their weapons, armor, and equipment rather than be stuck within predefined classes. The project began in 2019 as a community-made Source 2 mod (for Dota 2), but it has broken away from its roots to become an original IP – recently officially registering trademarks for the title. And now, you can wishlist it on Steam.

Press release in full

AUGUST 17, 2026 – Robin Entertainment today announced POLYSTRIKE, a competitive top-down tactical shooter where information, positioning, sound and teamwork matter more than raw reflexes. Built from the ground up for the top-down perspective, POLYSTRIKE puts 5v5 tactical combat at the heart of an original universe centered on the conflict between Iron Will and Vanguard.

In POLYSTRIKE, every battle is part of a larger war. Players choose their weapons, armor, helmets and equipment rather than being locked into heroes or predefined classes. Loadouts define battlefield roles, while equipment is physically represented on each character, allowing players to read what teammates and opponents are carrying and adapt before and during an engagement.

Sound is a core source of information. Footsteps change across surfaces and movement speeds, while weapons and environmental sounds can reveal activity beyond a player’s field of vision. Combined with dynamic fog of war and directional visibility, POLYSTRIKE rewards players who listen, predict, communicate and control angles before contact is made.

The game’s primary 5v5 objective goes beyond a traditional static bomb site. A mechanical Spider Drone crawls toward the living Iron Fish, hacks its systems and forces it to initiate a self-destruction sequence. The Iron Fish can react to the battle and move through the environment, turning the objective itself into part of the battlefield.

Each map is designed as its own operation with a distinct visual identity, atmosphere, mission and tactical challenges. Different characters, equipment and methods of deployment help connect individual matches to the wider conflict, from arriving by boat in one operation to deploying alongside armored vehicles or helicopters in another.

FROM MOD TO ORIGINAL IP

The story of POLYSTRIKE began in 2019 as a community-made mod. Within its first week, the project attracted more than 200,000 players. For creator Mark Mocherad, that response became the starting point for a larger ambition: to take the core idea beyond the limitations of a mod and build an independent game around an original world, factions, characters and intellectual property.

In 2020, Valve contacted Mocherad regarding the project’s use of Valve intellectual property. Continuing in that direction would have meant keeping the project non-commercial and operating within Valve’s IP. Mocherad instead chose the independent path, beginning the journey toward a standalone POLYSTRIKE built around its own identity and universe.

The modern POLYSTRIKE is the result of that decision. Robin Entertainment is developing the project as a long-term original IP, with competitive PvP as its current focus and a universe designed to expand over time through new missions, environments, stories and future PvE experiences.

“POLYSTRIKE has been in my mind for years,” said Mark Mocherad, Founder and Game Director at Robin Entertainment. “The original mod showed me that players were interested in tactical combat from a top-down perspective, but I wanted to build something we could truly call our own. Choosing the independent path gave us the freedom to create our own factions, world, objectives and identity. This announcement is the beginning of that larger vision.”

POLYSTRIKE is currently in development for PC, with Steam as its primary launch platform. The game is planned as a premium release with no pay-to-win mechanics. Robin Entertainment’s current priority is building the strongest possible competitive multiplayer experience before expanding the universe further.

Watch the official POLYSTRIKE announcement trailer and wishlist the game on Steam. Follow Robin Entertainment and POLYSTRIKE’s official channels for future development updates, playtests, trailers and announcements.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.