Game overview
DEFCON
Inspired by the 1983 cult classic film, Wargames, DEFCON superbly evokes the tension, paranoia and suspicion of the Cold War era, playing on the fascinating aspects of psychological gameplay that occur during strategic nuclear warfare.
- Last tracked players
- 10
- All-time peak
- 43
- 24-hour change
- Unavailable
- Steam reviews
- 87% positive 3,512 reviews · via SteamSpy
Delayed observation · last tracked . Values marked unavailable are not estimated.
About this game Read the full description
DEFCON, inspired by the 1983 cult classic Wargames, is a Cold War-era strategy game simulating global thermonuclear war. Hidden in an underground bunker, your goal is to annihilate enemy populations while protecting your own. Fragile alliances and betrayals shape the high-stakes gameplay, as every attack exposes you to retaliation. With its minimalist interface, DEFCON tracks death tolls in real-time, blending psychological tension with strategic depth. In nuclear Armageddon, everybody loses. You just have to lose the least.
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Experience the chilling reality of global thermonuclear war in DEFCON. Position submarines, silos, and air defenses to engage in strategic nuclear exchanges. Every attack reveals your own vulnerabilities, making each decision a high-stakes gamble. The minimalist, military-style interface, and chilling soundscape heightens the tension.
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DEFCON shines in multiplayer, where alliances are forged and broken in a heartbeat. Engage in brinkmanship, balancing aggression with self-preservation, to avoid triggering total nuclear war. The ultimate goal: ensure you lose the least, as paranoia and betrayal dominate every moment.
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DEFCON doesn’t just simulate war — it emphasizes its devastating cost. Real-time death tolls track the human impact as cities are obliterated and the globe plunges into darkness.
DEFCON was the 3rd major game from acclaimed indie developer, Introversion Software, which then went onto to develop the BAFTA winning game, Prison Architect.
Introversion Software has been developing games since 2001, and stands behind acclaimed titles like Uplink, Darwinia, Multiwinia, Prison Architect, Scanner Sombre, and their latest release, The Last Starship. Introversion has garnered both critical and commercial success being recognised with multiple awards including the IGF grand prize for Darwinia and BAFTA for best persistent game (Prison Architect). They have sold more than 4M copies of their games worldwide.
Media gallery 7 screenshots · 0 videos
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Player activity
Concurrent players over the last 48 hours.
Price history
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Latest news
All news on Steam ↗System requirements Windows · macOS · Linux
Windows
Minimum
Recommended: Windows XP, P3-600-Geforce 2, 128 Mb RAM, 60 Mb Hard Disk, Internet connection for multiplayer gamesmacOS
Minimum
- OS: OS X version Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or later.
- Processor: Intel Core Duo 1.66GHz+
- Memory: 1GB of RAM
- Graphics: 64MB of video memory
- Hard Drive:
Linux
Minimum
- Processor: 1.8 Ghz
- Memory: 1Gb
- Graphics: 64Mb of memory
- Hard Drive: 70Mb
Game details Languages, features & support
- Publisher
- Introversion Software
- Brazilian rating
- 6
- Steam Germany rating
- 12
- Achievements
- 22
- Metacritic
- 84
- Features
- Single-player, Multi-player, PvP, Online PvP, LAN PvP, Co-op, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Steam Achievements, Family Sharing
- Languages
- English, French, German, Italian, Spanish - Spain
- Website
- Official website ↗
- Support
- Support site ↗
Compatibility & accessibility Steam Deck, controllers & access features
Can I Play This?
Steam declarations and Valve's Steam Deck compatibility result. Missing data is shown as unknown, never unsupported.
Structured language support (5)
| Language | Interface | Full audio | Subtitles |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Yes | No | No |
| French | Yes | No | No |
| German | Yes | No | No |
| Italian | Yes | No | No |
| Spanish - Spain | Yes | No | No |
Achievement progress Rarity & completion patterns
Achievement Difficulty
Global unlock percentages are not exact completion or retention metrics.
Rarest achievements
Difficulty distribution
More analysis Activity patterns, updates & developer tools
Game Insights
Buy Verdict
Decent deal at 70% off, but might drop further. Watch for better opportunities.
Value Score
Price-to-player ratio ranks in the 77th percentile. Priced as Market at $11.99.
Genre Benchmarks
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