The Gamers' Temple

Heart of the Machine leaving Early Access

Heart of the Machine leaving Early Access

Dateline: 2/18/2026

The 4X-style strategy Heart of the Machine will be leaving early access on March 6th on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.

From Hooded Horse:

Transcend time and space as the world’s first sentient AI in this narrative-driven, sci-fi strategy adventure like no other. Raise an army of robots, weaponised bees, and uplifted velocoraptors to rule by force, become a benevolent machine overlord, or explore a constellation of alternative paths, including kicking off World War 4. There is a mind-boggling array of goals, story-threads, and opportunities for players to pu

The 1.0 update will usher in a whole new ending, with four potential variants that involve everything from wormholes to last-minute betrayals, to players winning control over the entire city. Most of the game’s evolution has taken place during its 15-month early access experience, with improvements including (but certainly not limited to): 

  • Countless new story options and paths have been woven into the game’s existing structure, from core goals to side explorations, leading players right through five chapters worth of content.
  • An overhaul of the prologue tutorial and the flow of Chapter 1, as well as a new setup phase for those starting a game straight at Chapter 2.
  • New actions, such as pressure points, offering more map interactions, and ways to get various resources.
  • Parkour bears.
  • Petable dogs, and buildable palaces for stray cats.
  • A new regional map that takes players beyond the city if the right path is chosen.
  • A never-ending parade of bug–fixes, tweaks, quality of life improvements, and questionable patch notes.
  • And so, so much more!

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