Brilliant concept for a game, however the devs are getting sidetracked with features that are detracting from the core genre/idea behind the game. As such, its stuck in development hell, constant reworks of existing systems only seem to create more and more bugs and performance issues, without actually adding anything of note to the game, I would argue it plays worse now that it did a year or two ago.
Cepheus Protocol
- Release Date:
- May 15, 2020
- Developer:
- Halcyon Winds
- Publisher:
- Halcyon Winds
- Platforms:
- Windows
Game Tags
About This Game
Special Announcement: Opt Into Cepheus Protocol Experimental Builds
Be the first to experience cutting-edge features and updates by opting into Cepheus Protocol Experimental Builds!
What You'll Get:
Early access to new gameplay mechanics, systems, and features.
A chance to provide feedback that shapes the future of Cepheus Protocol.
A sneak peek at upcoming content and improvements before they hit the main build.
How to Opt-In:
Buy/Own the Base Game of Cepheus Protocol
Go to your Steam Library.
Search for Cepheus Protocol Experimental Branch.
Install and have fun!

Roadmap
Explore the future of Cepheus Protocol! Discover upcoming features like Doctrines, the DNA Research System, Operator Units, and Co-op Mode. Stay informed with all updates by visiting our full roadmap on our website.
About the Game
An Open World RTS Military Survival Game. Command CERC (Center for Epidemic Research and Control) to stop a pandemic-level event from consuming the Bay Area. The Pangu Virus threatens humanity as it spreads, turning native inhabitants into infected, relentless swarms. Can you adapt, survive, and reclaim control?
Hardcore RTS Military Combat Meets Survival Horror
Aircraft Carrier Operations
Your mobile base of operations in Pandemic Mode. If it’s destroyed, you lose. Defend it at all costs and utilize Winters, now a rebuildable hero, to lead your forces.A New Threat Rises
Battle infected hordes that can infect and turn your own units. Command land, sea, and air forces to hold the line in this unforgiving world.
Dynamic Gameplay Systems
Command the Operator
Control the battlefield in Third-Person Shooter mode or use the Operator as a hero unit in RTS mode. Adapt your strategies to survive.Doctrine Tree Progression
Unlock new support options, powerful weapons, and unique units by leveling up through the Doctrine tree.Customize Pandemic Mode
Create your perfect challenge. Turn off infected types, adjust gameplay options, and create custom scenarios to tailor the experience.Character Progression
Improve your characters’ health and targeting efficiency as they gain experience through combat.
Innovative Mechanics and Features
Line of Sight and Hearing AI
Experience cutting-edge AI that hunts your units based on what they can see and hear. Stay stealthy, or face overwhelming swarms.Massive, Detailed Maps
Explore sprawling urban environments filled with varied locales. Plan every attack, defense, and civilian evacuation carefully to ensure survival.Dynamic Civilian Diplomacy
Interact with rogue civilian groups. Recruit them to your cause, negotiate alliances, or defend yourself from hostile factions.Civilian Evacuation
Manage who lives and dies with an intricate Civilian Administration Structure. Customize your intake system or use preset templates to make critical decisions.
Destroy the Infection
Research the Pangu Virus
Delve into the secrets of the alien pathogen and find a way to kill Patient 0 before it’s too late.Hunt Patient 0 and Their Lieutenants
Stop the infection from spreading by targeting its leaders. Destroy their expanding hordes before they consume every province.Dynamic Provincial Events
Encounter unexpected challenges as rogue civilian combatants and infected groups form dynamically across the map. Your reputation and decisions will shape the world around you.
Planned Features
Enhanced Operator Customization
Tailor weapons, abilities, and appearance. Drive vehicles, gain progression perks, and refine your playstyle for maximum impact.DNA Research System
Develop a proper progression tree to counter the virus, protect your units, and evolve your strategies.Improved AI Logic
Refine the behavior of infected Lieutenants and AI to challenge extreme turtle strategies.Co-Op Multiplayer
Share control of CERC operations with up to four players. Pool resources, coordinate tactics, and fight as a team against the infection.Canon Campaign Mode
Experience the official Cepheus Protocol story, inspired by the novel and side storie
Screenshots
User Reviews
I bought this game back in 2021 and at the time it was genuinely good. The concept was solid, the gameplay was fun, and I had high hopes for its future. Unfortunately, over the years things have gone downhill. Instead of improving the core gameplay, the developers kept pushing “new” features that nobody really asked for. This led to more and more bugs piling up, making the game increasingly unplayable. Zombies stopped spawning, pathing issues became a nightmare, vehicles and enemies would sink into the ground, evacuations often failed to work, and the list just goes on. The biggest issue is that these problems were never truly addressed. Instead, every time there was just another “apology” followed by a complete change in direction for the game itself. After four years of watching this, I’ve had enough. The developers seem to be focusing on the wrong priorities. Why are we getting new operator skins and visual tweaks when the core systems are still broken? That’s not wha...
The original concept was excellent, but poorly executed upon launch. I assumed that it would evolve and improve in time. It's crazy to think that it was released over 5 years ago in Early Access and it still hasn't advanced in a positive way. Developers seem to get easily sidetracked on aesthetics or side projects, rather than gameplay, core development or story and focus all of their attention on that, so the game never really advances. Every now and then they do a complete overhaul of the game, essentially wiping everything as they come up with different ideas, so then the process starts all over again, with no real progression towards a cohesive game. I purchased the game immediately when it came out and log back in to play sporadically to see if it has improved, but so far no major improvements, just lots more pointless things added. I wouldn't suggest buying the game until it releases from Early Access (which it seems may never happen).
Game has potential but the developers are not the one to realize that potential. Game has been restarted once, and they are planning to do another overhaul meaning this game will be in development forever. Don't waste your money or time until the developers can make up their mind on what game they want rather than this nice tech-demo of some features. My Gripes first and foremost are very simple. The core game-play is not complete, polished or even in my opinion half done. From my understanding of the game it is trying to be a military-sim for a zombie infection. Awesome, it has the bare bones of said game but the mechanics are awful. Zombies... well they are here, they look bad, die bad, and are just overall BAD. So they have been in for a long time and are arguably at the center of this game, but they are not complete. I don't think they have been worked on in forever either so they have been the same boring enemy as always. Specials... Well they just suck, plain and simple. There...
Developers will ban you for calling them out for using chatgpt to write all of their blog posts and development updates, I wouldn't be surprised if they were using AI to do all the work on their "Rebuild", which would explain how slow and clunky their progress is. The lead dev even responds to every review using chatgpt, it's extremely overt and disgusting. Avoid this game and developer at all costs. And now they're lying and saying I was instigating arguments when I was replying to someone who was insulting another poster for pointing out they use ChatGPT to write their dev posts, these devs are liars and cannot take valid criticism in regards to their lack of ethics. There are far better RTS games with better gameplay and performance than this one, it will likely never leave early access and if it does it won't be much better, if at all, than it's current state.
Great game but the Devs dangle all these funny features they have made in front of you and say its "next update", but gate keep the update forever
Solid game I've been playing for over 3 years.
8/10 great but play the experimental branch because it has all the new stuff, the building system is a bit janky tho
Fun game but I wish it would play like it did back in 2023. I would play offline at work when it was dead. I had a lot of fun with it till they updated and then I stared having issues running the game. I shelved it and figured I'd come back later.... well I'm back and the game runs like a nightmare for me. Again I loved the game back in 2023 and there is no hate for it but I'd wait for things to get more streamlined before I recommend it.
I would love to leave a positive review of this game, because I really want the game it will be if it comes together. Many of the concepts are really great. Unfortunately the execution is currently not. I would love to change this review to positive if some of my feedback gets addressed. === Problems === I've checked back in with this game many times since purchasing it in 2021. Back then it was in a rough state, but the vision was clear and I enjoyed what was there. Performance and unit pathing were rough but it was early days. Fast forward to 2025, and those issues feel worse now than in 2021. Layers of complexity have been added - for example the civilian & faction systems - and lots of mechanics have been reworked, but the beating heart of the game is unworkable; performance, unit pathing & UI all make it very tough to remain engaged for more than an hour or so. Unit pathing is an unmitigated disaster. If you want to get your ground vehicles to even go down an unobstructed road...
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System Requirements
Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4500K
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1060 GTX or AMD Radeon Equivalent 2 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 8 GB available space
- Sound Card: Direct X Compatible
- Additional Notes: **recommended SSD install for optimal performance
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 2060 GTX or AMD Radeon Equivalent 6GB VRAM
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 8 GB available space
- Sound Card: Direct X Compatible
- Additional Notes: **recommended SSD install for optimal performance
FAQ
How much does Cepheus Protocol cost?
Cepheus Protocol costs $19.99.
What are the system requirements for Cepheus Protocol?
Minimum: Minimum: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4500K Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1060 GTX or AMD Radeon Equivalent 2 GB DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 8 GB available space Sound Card: Direct X Compatible Additional Notes: **recommended SSD install for optimal performance Recommended: Recommended: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 2060 GTX or AMD Radeon Equivalent 6GB VRAM DirectX: Version 12 Storage: 8 GB available space Sound Card: Direct X Compatible Additional Notes: **recommended SSD install for optimal performance
What platforms is Cepheus Protocol available on?
Cepheus Protocol is available on Windows PC.
Is Cepheus Protocol worth buying?
Cepheus Protocol has 70% positive reviews from 30 players.
When was Cepheus Protocol released?
Cepheus Protocol was released on May 15, 2020.
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