Company of Heroes 3 gets surprise pre-alpha preview, available now

The last mainline Company of Heroes game came out in 2013.

What you need to know

• Company of Heroes 3 is set to hit PC in 2022, although there's no word on a more exact timeframe.
• Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy game series set during World War II. The third installment will take place in the Mediterranean.
• Players can join a pre-alpha preview starting today and going until Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. PT.

It's been a while since we've seen a new mainline game in the Company of Heroes series. The real-time strategy franchise, which has players choosing between two warring factions during World War II, hasn't seen a new release since Company of Heroes 2 in 2013. The last DLC was released four years ago.

However, fans learned today from developer Relic Entertainment and publisher Sega that Company of Heroes 3, which moves the series to the Mediterranean, is set to hit PCs in 2022. Players will take on either the Allies, who are looking to retake Italy, or the Axis, who are looking to defend it.

Fans of Relic Entertainment, the company also behind Age of Empires 4 and Homeworld, had been teasing the announcement on its Twitch channel with a countdown and a map of the Mediterranean Sea.

Alongside the announcement, the studios revealed a few new features that'll be joining the game, bringing it up in line with more modern RTS games. First off, is what's called a Dynamic Campaign Map, which allows players to strategize on the ground, in the air, and at sea. The second is Full Tactical Pause, which brings a pausing feature to the proceedings. Players can pause the game to better coordinate moves, and it's something we've seen in a lot of strategy games over the past few years.

We don't know exactly when the game is set to release in 2022, but fans can play an early build starting today. A pre-alpha build is available on through players' Steam accounts and will be playable until Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. PT. Here's how to join:

1. Go to companyofheroes.com and hit the big play now button in the top right corner.
2. Sign up for a Relic account or log in if you have one already.
3. Check your email for a confirmation and click the link in the email to complete your profile in the CoH-Development program.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to log in on the community portal.
5. Connect your Steam profile on the Rewards page.
6. Follow the prompts to claim the pre-alpha preview.
7. The Company of Heroes 3- Pre-Alpha Preview should now be in your Steam library.

We don't know much else about what's to come, but check out some screenshots below.