Here Comes the Swarm, a survival RTS from indie developer CableHook Games, launches on PC via Steam Early Access priced at $19.99 with a limited time 10% launch discount. Players take command of humanity's last settlement on Ulora, a planet overrun by a hive mind, building defences and raising armies to push back against thousands of swarming creatures.
The core of the game splits between settlement management and combat. Gathering resources fuels upgrades and expansion, but everything competes for attention: keeping your population fed and happy, training units, reinforcing walls. The swarm attacks in massive waves, thousands of creatures pressing against your defences in an unrelenting onslaught. A tactical pause system lets players freeze the action at any moment to plan base construction, assign army movements, or rethink positioning during critical fights. Between defensive stands, expeditions push players out beyond the safety of their settlement and onto a procedural map where no two runs play out the same way. New blessings, empowered enemies, and shifting threats make each expedition a fresh challenge, with roguelike adaptations that carry forward as the game develops.
Click to load trailer from YouTube
By clicking, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy. Data will be shared with Google.
Player choice runs through nearly every layer. Before heading into battle, players select from a roster of deities whose divine powers shape strategy in distinct directions. Some favour raw destruction, others resilience or cunning, and the blessings they grant can mean the difference between holding the line and losing everything. Beyond deity selection, Arcane essences found during skirmishes feed into the Arcanum, an upgrade tree of powerful nodes that let players further tailor their approach. The army itself is customisable too, with unit training preparing specific forces for the hive's strongest enemies. Whether you lean into offence, defence, or something less conventional, the game bends around those decisions.
The hive mind has already claimed Ulora. Its creatures move like a river, chanting in unison, clicking and chittering as they surge toward your camp. Humanity's foothold is fragile, and the expeditions that take the fight to the source of the infestation are where the real stakes sharpen. Early Access currently features tutorials, skirmishes, expeditions, and first encounters with two named threats, Tiamman and Karkadann. Each expedition introduces unpredictable enemy evolutions alongside the blessings and builds players bring with them.
The swarm is relentless and alien, described through insectoid imagery of clicking, chittering masses that burst forward in coordinated waves. But the divine powers and Arcanum upgrades give players real tools to push back, creating a rhythm where each defensive stand feeds into the next offensive push.
CableHook Games is treating Early Access as a collaborative process, with a roadmap already outlining monthly content drops. The first update focuses on Arcanum loadouts and balance adjustments. The second introduces a new player unit type. The third adds Yangwhu, a new deity with its own tree and Arcanum options. Further updates are planned beyond that initial window. The studio is actively working with the community to refine gameplay, expand content, and shape the long term vision leading to a full 1.0 release. Right now, the game offers enough systems to experiment with builds and strategies while the foundation continues to grow around them.