Ubisoft’s 2010 military strategy game RUSE is back on Steam, more than a decade after being delisted from multiple platforms. The beloved strategy game is now available to Steam users who purchased the original PC version and to newcomers — and it’s been impressively updated with all of its DLC intact and added support for Valve’s Steam Deck.
Developer Eugen Systems announced the return of the real-time strategy game on Tuesday, writing on Steam that it was “thrilled to bring RUSE to a new generation of players and welcome back old veterans of our evergreen popular World War II RTS.” The developers boast that RUSE “holds a unique position in the genre for favoring deception, strategy, and tactical wit.”
Eugen Systems also explained why it’s taken 11 years to get RUSE back on Steam.
“While we developed and launched RUSE in 2010, the game didn’t officially belong to us,” the developer said. “Sidelined due to distribution constraints, we could do nothing in the subsequent years to help the players who contacted us for assistance or tried to obtain the game. Recently, we received the opportunity to return RUSE to our catalog. This allowed us to re-release this pillar of the RTS genre, with some added extras!”
RUSE cast players as the commanders of various WWII armies, including those of the United States, France, Germany, Japan, USSR, Italy, and the U.K. Each faction has its own units, play styles, and strategies. Key to RUSE‘s gameplay is the ability to bluff your opponents; using special RUSE cards, players can influence enemy perception, reinforce their troops, or gain crucial intelligence.
Here’s the game’s official description.
R.U.S.E. is a uniquely distinctive real-time strategy game where bluffing become your most powerful weapons to lead your nation to victory. Immerse yourself in World War II with the exclusive IRISZOOM® engine, which gives you an unparalleled view of the battlefield, from close-up inspection of individual units to a bird’s-eye overview reminiscent of board gaming.
In R.U.S.E., every battle is a battle of wits and perception. Deploy RUSE cards to deceive your enemy, camouflage your troops, deploy decoys, or spy on your opponents.
RUSE was originally released in 2010 for PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Xbox 360. The game later came to Mac, and in strong indicator of when RUSE came out, enjoy this trailer that highlighted the game’s support for multi-touch surfaces. It even supported PlayStation Move controllers, which further reflects the period when it was released. After being delisted in 2015, RUSE‘s online servers were shuttered in 2024 by Ubisoft.
Developer Eugen Systems went on to create other strategy games, including Act of Aggression and Steel Division: Normandy ’44.
RUSE is now available in Definitive Edition form for Windows PC via Steam for $29.99.