Tempest Rising, one of 2025’s excellent real-time strategy games, today received its first major content update. Titled Rally and Recon, it introduces a serving of modes and features, including six maps and a 2v2 ranked mode, alongside a plethora of balance changes and bug fixes.
Its patch notes reveal that leaderboards accompany its newest mode, which also supports a queue system that allows us to matchmake both solo and alongside a friend. From there, we now have the ability to adjust the population cap from 100 to 500 when playing Skirmish and Custom matches.
Tempest Rising Rally and Recon Update
Tempest Rising’s Rally and Recon update also adds a chat menu feature in lobbies and multiplayer tabs, which enables us to chat, party up, and add other players as friends.
From there, the first iteration of its spectator mode is now live. Available in custom lobbies, it supports up to 8 spectators.
Another notable addition in Tempest Rising’s first major content update is that of six new maps which, according to the developer, are “repurposed from existing maps.” Four of them are 2v2 maps with the remaining 2 dedicated to 1v1 duels.
We can also start playing a tad bit faster, as holding down the Escape key now skips the opening logos and intro cinematic.
A slate of balance changes targeting several units are also live, alongside multiple bug fixes. You can check them all out in the full Rally and Recon Update patch notes.
Lastly, players who pre-ordered Tempest Rising’s Deluxe Edition before April 25 and didn’t get the promised 7-day advanced access – after the game was accidentally made available for all players on that date – have received a new cosmetic pack.
It includes two main menu backdrop videos and four player profile icons. To celebrate the launch of its Rally and Recon update, Tempest Rising is discounted by 20% on Steam until June 26.
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