Homeworld 3 delayed until May, as the developers make 'the final tweaks needed to deliver at the level of quality that we strive for and you deserve'

Homeworld 3
(Image credit: Gearbox Interactive)

Homeworld 3's mothership needs just a bit more time in spacedock before heading out for places unknown. Gearbox announced on Wednesday that Homeworld 3 is being delayed by two months, from its planned March 8 release date to May 13, 2024. 

In a statement about the delay, Gearbox and Blackbird Interactive said that they recently brought in playtesters from outside their studios to play the campaign in its entirety. "After careful analysis of feedback, we made the decision to delay the global launch of Homeworld 3 until May 13, with advanced access set for May 10, to ensure that we’re making the final tweaks needed to deliver at the level of quality that we strive for and you deserve," the developers said.

The space RTS has been on a long journey to release, starting with a crowdfunding campaign on now-shuttered investment site Fig that originally pegged a 2022 release. That slipped to 2023, then February 2024, then March. I have a feeling the May 13 date will be the one to finally stick.

"To say that you as a community of players have been waiting patiently for this next installment would be an understatement, and we are deeply appreciative of that," said Gearbox and Blackbird Interactive. "We will continue to keep you updated on our progress."

I had the chance to visit Blackbird Interactive and play a good chunk of Homeworld 3's campaign late last year, and it's certainly promising—you can read more about it in the cover story of last month's PC Gamer magazine. There was also still a lot for Blackbird to finish in that build I played, from cutscene animations to performance optimization. I suspect a couple more months for polish will be a blessing.

Homeworld 3 is an ambitious return for the series. Not only is it attempting to carry forward the mood and storytelling of the beloved first two games, it's also trying to lure in new players with other modes, including PvP and co-op. The co-op mode, War Games, has a bit of a roguelike spin to it, with randomized artifacts that change the makeup of your fleet. A War Games run lasts less than an hour, and in that time you'll accrue several relics that may turn your weakest little fighters into more fragile yet armed-to-the-teeth ships capable of shredding enemy carriers at the expense of their own lives, or improve your frigates' range, encouraging a more defensive playstyle. 

A demo of War Games is currently playable in Steam Next Fest, if you want a taste of Homeworld 3 to tide you over until May. According to our calendar of upcoming PC releases, there's not much else currently on the schedule for that month, which might make it a good time to get stuck into a strategy game as complex as Homeworld. 

Wes Fenlon
Senior Editor

Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. Wes plays a little bit of everything, but he'll always jump at the chance to cover emulation and Japanese games.

When he's not obsessively optimizing and re-optimizing a tangle of conveyor belts in Satisfactory (it's really becoming a problem), he's probably playing a 20-year-old Final Fantasy or some opaque ASCII roguelike. With a focus on writing and editing features, he seeks out personal stories and in-depth histories from the corners of PC gaming and its niche communities. 50% pizza by volume (deep dish, to be specific).

Read more
Killing Floor 3 screenshot
Following a disastrous beta test, Killing Floor 3 is delayed less than three weeks before launch: 'We've realized we missed the mark'
Image of Yasuke striking an enemy in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows is delayed again 'to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months'
The Alters trailer still - Two Alters talking as one cleans up food trays from a table
The Alters is altered again: 11 Bit Studios' survival game about creating alt-universe versions of yourself on a hostile alien world is delayed
A hobbit holding a tray of leafy greens in her hobbit kitchen
'A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to,' but it's a different story for hobbits because Tales of the Shire is delayed again
Shodan, the villainous AI from System Shock
Nightdive's spent 6 years on its update of System Shock 2, so it's now the '25th Anniversary Remaster' and will finally announce its release date on March 20
black ops 6 season 1
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Season 3 has been delayed, as the devs say they're 'taking the time to deliver a great experience' for what will be a 'big moment' for Call of Duty
Latest in RTS
Earth vs Mars screenshot - Martian troopers vs Earth light tanks
Relic's new project is a 'smaller indie-style' game about a martian invasion of Earth
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition promo art
Age of Empires 3: Definitive Edition DLC promised last year is cancelled: 'We announced content before it had been built, and we now feel that announcement was premature'
Tempest Dynasty faction
The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
Former Age of Empires developer says the RTS genre's stuck in a rut: 'you're still playing the same game'
Creeper World IXE
Creeper World IXE breaks the RTS mold and adds a dash of Noita's alchemy to the gooey war
A large blue factory complex in Industrial Annihilation
Planetary Annihilation successor has a bumpy landing on Steam, and the backers aren't happy: 'So bare bones that it's basically an asset show without a game'
Latest in News
Concept art of WoW's upcoming player housing system, showing a warm homestead with a welcoming figure in shade.
WoW flexes its MMO player housing system in a new blog post, and it really might just beat FF14's dated furniture placement into the dirt
spectre divide
Spectre Divide and its studio are shutting down after just six months: 'The industry is in a tough spot right now'
Naoe looking at the wrist blade in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft backflips, says Assassin's Creed Shadows will support Steam Deck at launch, but I doubt I'll actually want to play it there
Henry from KCD2 wearing nice outfits
'Diversify your fashion endgame' with this Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod that gives Henry fly new gambesons, pourpoints, and caftans
Masked Counter-Terrorist in helmet in forefront with sunglasses and beret-wearing CT in background touching headset
There's hope yet for Classic Offensive after its Steam rejection: The team behind the Counter-Strike 1.6 revival mod is in touch with Valve about its 'concerns'
Recently appointed Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.
Here comes Intel's new CEO: a semiconductor veteran that won the same prestigious award as Jensen Huang and Lisa Su