War Footing features 8 distinct scenarios at launch, each placing you in command as the Minister of Defense under unique resource constraints, starting inventories, and enemy invasion profiles. Beyond the 8 standard missions, developer Strategist's Den Games also included a dedicated hard mode variant for the Cold War Gone Hot scenario.
Every scenario operates on a turn-based timeline where each turn represents one week of preparation or active operational warfare. Here is the full breakdown of every scenario confirmed in the game data, patch logs, and official Steam achievements.
Complete List of War Footing Scenarios
The official Steam release lists 8 base scenarios, all of which are tied to individual Steam achievements alongside an overarching achievement for winning all 8.
| Scenario Name | Core Challenge & Starting Profile | Victory Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Force Modernization | Upgrading an outdated military baseline; starts with legacy utility fleets such as 140 Ural trucks | Win the Force Modernization Scenario |
| Sudden Escalation | Responding to an unexpected invasion timeline across multiple defensive lanes | Win the Sudden Escalation scenario |
| Industrial Giant | Starts with virtually no units or equipment, counterbalanced by massive domestic industrial production capacity | Win the Industrial Giant scenario |
| Iron Curtain | Thin border defenses facing an imminent, heavily mechanized enemy armor assault | Win the Iron Curtain scenario |
| Air Menace | High-threat hostile aerial environment demanding dedicated air defense systems and interceptors | Win the Air Menace scenario |
| Mass Assault | High-manpower doctrine environment focusing on sheer force volume and industrial mobilization | Win the Mass Assault scenario |
| Cold War Gone Hot | Major multi-sector invasion threatening the capital; includes standard and separate Hard Mode variants | Win the Cold War Gone Hot scenario |
| Western Proxy | Low starting budget facing NATO-style equipment; features foreign production licenses (such as MiG-29 Fulcrums and Mi-28 Havocs) | Win the Western Proxy Scenario |
Scenario Profiles and Confirmed Setups
While full tactical configurations vary by mission, official patch notes and player campaign records highlight the specific operational profiles for several key scenarios.
Industrial Giant
According to developer updates, the Industrial Giant scenario flips the standard procurement loop. You start with almost no standing military units or stockpiled hardware, but your nation possesses exceptionally high production capacity. Developer patch v0.8.2 increased the starting income for this scenario to ensure players have the liquidity required to license foreign designs and keep production lines humming before enemy forces cross the border.
Western Proxy
Player campaign testing details Western Proxy as a budget-constrained asymmetric scenario. The player manages a cash-strapped proxy force pitted against a modern, NATO-style military fielding Leopard 1s, Bradleys, and AH-64 Apache helicopters. To compensate for limited initial funds, the scenario provides access to Eastern procurement licenses, including Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters, MiG-29 Fulcrum multirole jets, and BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles.
Iron Curtain
In-game briefing text describes the Iron Curtain scenario as an urgent armored crisis: a heavily mechanized neighboring hostile force is nearly ready to launch an offensive while your standing border units remain critically thin. Survival depends on fielding cost-effective anti-tank capabilities or halting mechanized spearheads before they rupture your frontline sectors.
Force Modernization
Designed as a core baseline scenario, Force Modernization tasks the player with restructuring a legacy military. Official dev balance updates lowered the initial enemy combat curve to make the modernization curve manageable. Community logistics threads note that your opening inventory includes legacy stockpiles, such as 140 Ural logistics trucks, which must be integrated or phased out as you procure modern fighting gear.
Cold War Gone Hot and Hard Mode
Cold War Gone Hot simulates an all-out conventional invasion pushing directly toward your nation's heartland. In developer update v0.9.7, the studio introduced an official Hard Mode variant, which is tracked as a distinct 16th Steam achievement ("Win the Hard Mode: Cold War Gone Hot Scenario"). Player reports emphasize that misallocating budgets across too many defensive sectors can lead to rapid territorial loss along the outer flanks, forcing a desperate last stand in the capital.
Air Menace, Mass Assault, and Sudden Escalation
Official patch notes indicate specific balance passes applied to the remaining scenarios:
- Air Menace: Rebalanced in patch v1.0.0 alongside adjustments to surface-to-air missile (SAM) platforms like the Patriot, S-400, and RBS 70.
- Mass Assault: Received income adjustments in beta patch v0.8.3, complementing the doctrine system where players manage large recruitment pools and production scaling.
- Sudden Escalation: Focuses on compressed prep timelines, leaving little room for long multi-year equipment manufacturing cycles.
How Scenarios Function: Structure and Timelines
Regardless of which scenario you select, gameplay divides into two distinct operational segments:
- The Pre-War Build-Up: Typically lasting dozens of weekly turns (players report campaigns often feature around 40 preparation turns), you allocate national income across procurement contracts, domestic factory expansions, homefront stability, and diplomatic envoy assignments.
- The Invasion Phase: Once the countdown reaches zero, the final 8 to 10 turns resolve the enemy assault. Combat resolves weekly across operational sectors arranged into separate lanes (such as North, Center, and South).
Under the game's current mechanics, operational lanes resolve independently. If your forces are completely pushed out of all provinces within a given lane, players cannot launch counter-offensives into lost sectors; the AI must instead engage whatever defensive positions remain in holding lanes or around the capital.
Planned Scenario Updates on the Roadmap
Developer Strategist's Den Games confirmed that the initial 8 scenarios will expand through upcoming post-launch releases scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026:
- Free V1.1 Content Update: Planned for release in Q4 2026, this free patch will add at least one brand-new scenario alongside an unannounced gameplay feature and bug fixes.
- Post-Launch DLC: Also slated for Q4 2026, the first commercial expansion will introduce 3 additional playable nations and a minimum of 3 new scenarios.
- Custom Scenarios / Scenario Editors: Existing official materials have not confirmed an integrated in-game scenario creator, though the developer acknowledged player interest in modding and scenario flexibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many scenarios are currently in War Footing?
War Footing features 8 standard scenarios: Force Modernization, Sudden Escalation, Industrial Giant, Iron Curtain, Air Menace, Mass Assault, Cold War Gone Hot, and Western Proxy. In addition, Cold War Gone Hot features a separate official Hard Mode challenge tracked in the Steam achievements.
Can you create custom scenarios in War Footing?
There is currently no official custom scenario editor built into the game. Players on the Steam community forums have requested scenario creation tools, and some users have manually modded game files, but official scenario builder support remains unannounced by the developer.
Does War Footing feature offensive or counter-attack scenarios?
No. The developer built War Footing specifically as a defensive procurement and mobilization simulator. All current scenarios place you in the role of a defending nation preparing for and withstanding an imminent foreign invasion. Player reviews confirm that combat does not permit offensive counter-attacks once a sector or lane is completely lost.
