Frequently Asked Questions

[Scream_Wattson]

UPDATED: 01.08.2026

⚠️ How to submit questions for the FAQ? ⚠️

To make the whole process smoother, we’ve prepared a simple form[forms.gle] where you can submit your questions. We’ll review all of them regularly and add the most common or most interesting ones to this FAQ section.

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Q: When will it be released?

The demo is available. The official release date for IRON NEST version 1.0 is August 6, 2026. The game is a full 1.0 release, with no Early Access.

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Q: What platforms will IRON NEST be released on?

IRON NEST launches first on PC, with all major console ports planned for a few months after the PC release. Also due to the number of requests we have received, we have also decided to develop a VR version. However, our priority is to focus first on the PC release, followed by the console ports, and only then move on to VR. To ensure the VR port meets the quality standards we are aiming for, we will work on it when the time is right. Once we are ready to share more details, we will make an official announcement.

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Q: Will IRON NEST have multiplayer?

IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator will launch as a fully single-player experience with the release of version 1.0.

Originally, we did not plan to add multiplayer to Heavy Turret Simulator, the first game set in the IRON NEST universe. However, due to the overwhelming number of requests we have received, we have decided to change this direction.

Our plans for a separate standalone co-op game remain unchanged. In that title, players will operate together aboard the same platform alongside their fellow Operators. It is currently planned for late 2027 or early 2028 and will be the next game set in the IRON NEST universe.

Heavy Turret Simulator will also receive its own multiplayer mode. Each player will command their own IRON NEST while operating together on the same map. The planned modes will range from cooperative missions, where players must coordinate their fire to eliminate shared targets, to competitive modes in which other players become the targets.

We will reveal more details when we are ready, but we can officially confirm that IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator will receive multiplayer support in the form described above.

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Q: What will the final price be?

IRON NEST will launch at $15.99 USD, including a 20% launch discount. Once the launch promotion ends, the price will return to its standard $19.99 USD.

These prices apply to the United States. We have carefully localized pricing for other regions to ensure it is appropriately adjusted for each market.

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Q: Will the cat be a separate DLC?

That was our original plan, and the cat companion was initially intended to be released as a separate package. However, we decided that we did not want to lock any gameplay content behind a paywall, so the cat companion will be available to all players as part of the base game.

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Q: How to take part in the playtests?

Internal playtests are ongoing and will continue until the release of IRON NEST through our Discord[discord.gg]. We also organize open playtests, with all details and announcements shared directly on our Discord[discord.gg] server.

The release of version 1.0 will not be the end of development for IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator. We plan to add free content, expansions, and multiplayer support, so we strongly recommend joining our Discord[discord.gg]. There will certainly be plenty of new content and features to test after launch.

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Q: What do you mean by "simulator"?

For us it mainly means that nothing in IRON NEST is automated! There are no shortcuts, no hand-holding, and no fake systems... Every lever, valve, and mechanism has purpose. Reloading the gun means physically pulling each handle, engaging the loading bridge, locking the chamber, and feeding each powder charge manually. If you don’t do it, it simply doesn’t happen.

But is IRON NEST an ideal example of a simulation game? Not really. The gunnery simulation (ammo choice, powder charges, elevation/rotation, firing) is only one part of the core loop. Equally important is the strategic layer. You take map measurements based on orders from High Command and use them to plan your shots. On top of that, you progress through a Requisition Console, requesting everything from extra powder charges to air reconnaissance support and specialized ammunition.

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Q: Will IRON NEST feature progression, upgrades, or cosmetic customization?

Yes. Progression is currently centered on unlocking new ammo types and a range of reconnaissance and battlefield-control abilities. Cosmetic customization is something we’d like to add, but as a two-person team with a limited budget, it will most likely have to wait until after launch or a future title.

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Q: Will there be achievements and steam cards?

Absolutely! IRON NEST will feature achievements. When it comes to Steam Trading Cards, we still need to look into how to set them up, but it’s very likely.

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Q: Is it inspired by PVKK?

We both have big cannons? Sure... We both have fully manual control? Absolutely... But what you do with the cannon in IRON NEST is entirely different! We're huge fans of PVKK and, YES - it definitely inspired us. But our core gameplay loop revolves around ground-based artillery, which brings a completely different setup, mechanics, and challenges compared to an orbital gun.

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Q: What battleship turret is it based on?

A dramatically up-gunned take on the Bismarck’s 380 mm Zwillingsturm... scaled up to mount Schwerer-Gustav-style guns and fed by a cylinder-loading system inspired by French tank autoloaders.

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Q: What inspired you to make this game? <thunderrock424242>

We've both been obsessed with artillery, interwar machinery, and dieselpunk worlds since forever. IRON NEST is a passion project Nick’ve dreamt of making for over a decade. We finally met through developer-publisher collaborations and decided it was time to build something we always wanted to play.

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Q: Why is the IRON NEST walking on legs instead of tracks?

That’s Nick's childhood dream = a battleship turret on spider legs. It's his vision of dieselpunk perfection: an IRON NEST that can reposition itself across the wasteland, towering above the battlefield. Simple... Tracks are for tanks... Legs are for… Legends?

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Q: Does High Command love us?

High Command loves us! It said so in the transmission… right before cutting the rations again...

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Q: How long will the gameplay be?

IRON NEST has two core modes: a story Campaign and highly replayable Challenge Missions. If a player completes every mission once without replaying anything, the game will take roughly 8-12 hours, based on current internal and community playtests. However, Challenge Missions feature procedurally varied targets, unlockable ammo and reconnaissance abilities, and Steam leaderboards, making them the primary source of replayability and progression beyond the initial playthrough.

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Q: Where is the ammunition stored in IRON NEST?

Ammo is staged in two shell cylinders at the back of the turret (inspired by French autoloaders) for a quick 12-round ready supply. Anything beyond that is kept outside on logistics trucks, then hoisted into the rear of the turret to reload as needed.

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Q: What is the theme/story of the game?

Set in a dystopian dieselpunk 1920s where Europe’s monarchies never fell and the Great War never came, IRON NEST drops players into an alternate Spanish Civil War ignited by royal ambition and a military junta eager to test terrifying new weapons. You pilot the first Iron Nest prototype, an immense land-bound artillery fortress built from repurposed naval guns, whose deployment turns Spain into the proving ground for a new kind of industrial warfare. The story unfolds indirectly through orders from high command, field reports from spotters, aerial reconnaissance photographs, and the propaganda of wartime newspapers, leaving you to piece together what is truly happening behind the front lines. As the guns roar and the truth fractures between duty and doubt, your campaign becomes the spark that may drag the entire world into a far darker war.

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Q: How accurate is IRON NEST compared to real-life heavy artillery?

Mechanically, it’s grounded. The turret’s function and animations aim to be accurate, drawing inspiration from systems like Bismarck, Schwerer Gustav, Iowa-class guns, and early French autoloaders… with some mix-and-match for the best visuals and gameplay. Control-wise, it’s simplified so one Operator can run the whole machine; in real life, those roles are split across multiple crew members and compartments. We also make a big visual break from reality by keeping everything open and readable. Real turrets are packed with sealed compartments, which would hide the machinery and kill the spectacle. Fun and clarity come first, but the hardware logic is there.

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Q: Will we ever see the aftermath of our shots?

Yes, but not as a cinematic kill-cam. You’ll see the aftermath mainly through the interactive map and recon plane photos, where you plan, measure, and verify how your shots reshaped the battlefield. On top of that, mission-state SFX, the onboard teleprinter (orders + intercepted comms), and the post-mission newspaper briefing all reinforce the impact of what you’ve done.

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Q: Will wind affect my shots in IRON NEST?

We haven’t finalized the exact in-game implementation yet, because we want it to be more engaging than just another number you plug into the ballistic calculator.

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Q: Why does firing at 60° give a longer range than firing at 45°?

Because of a painful research mistake that got baked into the build. Early on, we saw a source claiming Schwerer Gustav could elevate to 58°, rounded it to 60°, and then built the entire turret, mechanisms, and control scripts around that number. Later we realized the source was wrong… it should’ve been 48°. Modern artillery can reach much higher angles, but that’s tied to different doctrines and rates of fire that don’t fit IRON NEST. At this point, with solo development and the system already built, a full redesign isn’t feasible… so 60° stays, even if it haunts us.

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Q: What’s the barrel size in IRON NEST?

2 × 800 mm.

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Q: Can I look through the front window / Can we go outside the turret?

Yes, there’s a small front window at the front of IRON NEST, so you can see the world outside. However, leaving the turret isn’t part of the gameplay; the entire game takes place onboard. When you fire, an impact shield slides over the front glass to protect it, and you track the results of your actions via the map, where reconnaissance photos appear to show the aftermath. If High Command wanted you outside, they’d have sent you to the infantry.

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Q: Is there a way to support the team?

Yes, we have a Patreon[www.patreon.com]. But we’re not planning to publish exclusive, paywalled materials there. Not out of laziness... but because, as you know, we run on open development doctrine. On our Discord[discord.gg], every Operator gets daily access to the full development report: WIP content, decisions, progress, and the workshop noise... no paywalls, no locked doors, no "premium intel". You can ask us anything, anytime. We don’t want to change that approach... We like this transparency and we're keeping it. So this Patreon is not a "deluxe access pass". It’s a symbolic support enlistment... a way for those who want to back the cause to do so, and to receive small, honorable marks of recognition, rather than content you couldn't get anywhere else.

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Q: What types of shells and ammunition will be available in the game?

Players will have access to a wide range of ammunition inspired by real World War I and interwar-era heavy artillery and naval ordnance. These include destructive rounds like high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing shells, alongside utility and tactical munitions such as smoke, illumination (star) shells for night operations, chemical rounds like phosgene and tear gas, and even propaganda leaflet shells used to influence the battlefield beyond pure firepower. And for those who believe bigger guns always demand bigger answers… there may be a few experimental shells whose full potential has yet to be revealed.

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Q: Will IRON NEST support other languages, or will it be English-only?

Yes, absolutely. You can find the full list of supported languages on our Steam store page.

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Q: Will there be any paid options for early access (pre-alpha/alpha)?

We’ll release a public demo during Steam Next Fest in June, ahead of launch, and it will remain permanently available on Steam. We’re also planning a Collector’s Edition, but it most likely won’t include any pre-release perks like “play 3 days early.”

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Q: Will the game be optimized for lower-end PCs? <PANZERLIED>

Yes, we absolutely plan to optimize IRON NEST for low-spec PCs. Even at this stage, the results are already looking promising, but we’ll share official minimum requirements closer to release, since final optimization is scheduled for the last stretch of development.

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Q: Since the NEST is on legs, will it be able to move or reposition on the battlefield?

Yes, IRON NEST will be able to reposition, but it won’t be a core gameplay mechanic.

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Q: What do active Discord internal playtesters get for participating?

Yes. We’re planning a dedicated credits section for playtesters. However, due to the scale of the playtests, we can’t guarantee a free copy of the game for every playtester.

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Q: Will IRON NEST have native Linux support? <Poingrie>

At this stage, we’re not planning official native Linux support. We’re a two-person team, so our bandwidth is limited. That said, IRON NEST already appears to run on Linux through the latest version of Proton 10.0, so while we can’t offer official support for it right now, it should still be playable that way.

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Q: Can I buy access to internal playtests?

No, playtest access can’t be bought. We don’t believe in putting the development process behind a paywall or giving paid advantages. Slots are limited, since Nick is a solo developer and can only handle so much feedback at once, but access is distributed fairly through the raffle system. Supporting us on Patreon does not increase your chances.

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Q: Will IRON NEST support Steam Workshop?

At first, the continued development of IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator will focus on free updates, paid expansions, and free multiplayer support planned for a later stage. For more information about the form multiplayer will take, we recommend reading the dedicated multiplayer question above.

As for Steam Workshop support, the answer is that we are seriously considering it. We have even started slowly developing some of the tools that could make it possible. However, we are not yet ready to promise that it will happen or provide a specific implementation date. We would rather wait until we are confident that we can deliver it properly than make a promise and disappoint you later.

That said, there is a very strong possibility that IRON NEST will receive Steam Workshop support at some point in the future.

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Q: Is voice acting planned for the game?

No, we currently do not plan to add voice acting to IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator.
Receiving orders through teleprinters is an intentional part of the game’s design. The cold, impersonal messages create a sense of distance between the Operator and High Command, reinforce the dystopian atmosphere of the world, and build tension by leaving you isolated inside the machine. We believe traditional voice acting would weaken this feeling rather than improve it.

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Q: Which platforms will IRON NEST be available on at launch?

IRON NEST will launch on August 6, 2026, on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.

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Q: What are the minimum system requirements?

The minimum requirements are a 64-bit processor and operating system, an Intel Core i5-4460 or AMD FX-8350 processor, 4 GB of RAM, Intel UHD or AMD Vega 8 graphics, DirectX 10, and 5 GB of available storage space. These specifications target an average of 30 FPS at 720p on low settings. A dedicated GPU is recommended for a smoother experience, and performance may vary depending on your system configuration and thermal conditions.

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Q: Will support for additional languages be added?

As a two-person team, we will not be able to include more languages at launch than those currently listed on our Steam store page. However, our localizations are created with the help of our community, and we are extremely grateful to everyone involved. Once we have fully polished all the languages included in the initial release, we may add more in the future if members of the community are willing to help us translate them. Anyone interested in supporting a new localization is welcome to join our Discord[discord.gg], where all localization work is coordinated.

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Q: Will there be different turrets in the future?

In IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator, you are the Operator of this one specific machine, so we do not currently plan to introduce entirely different turrets or vehicles within this game. However, Heavy Turret Simulator will not be the only title set in the IRON NEST universe. Alongside its continued development, we plan to work on a separate multiplayer co-op project in which several players will be able to serve together aboard the same platform and operate completely new vehicles and machines.

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Q: Will there be a radio for listening to enemy chatter?

No, we do not plan to add a radio for listening to enemy communications. This is connected to our decision not to include voice acting in IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator. Instead, information and orders are delivered through teleprinters, which reinforce the cold, distant, and oppressive atmosphere of the world while making the Operator feel isolated inside the machine.

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Q: What does the mission-to-mission gameplay loop look like?

In its simplest form, each mission begins with the Operator receiving orders through the teleprinter. The player must interpret those orders, note the most important information in the notebook, and use the tactical map to make the measurements. These measurements are then entered into the ballistic calculator to determine the required gun elevation. The player selects the correct ammunition for the target, loads it together with the appropriate number of powder charges used in the calculation, adjusts the elevation and rotation of the turret, arms the left gun, right gun, or both depending on the situation, and finally fires. Once all mission objectives have been completed, the player receives a newspaper summarizing the operation and the latest events in the world. Going to sleep begins the next mission. Between assignments, the Operator can also use the requisition console to request new ammunition, abilities, and other supplies, while features such as the cat companion, coffee machine, and record player provide some entertainment during the quieter moments aboard the IRON NEST.

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Q: How can I help with translations?

All translations are created with the help of our community and coordinated through our Discord[discord.gg]. If you would like to help translate IRON NEST into your language, please join our Discord[discord.gg], where you can find more details and get involved in the localization process.

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Q: Does IRON NEST have a health system?

No, it does not. But why do you ask, Operator? Are you planning some kind of desertion attempt?

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Q: How does scoring work in Challenge Mode?

Challenge Mode records your highest score achieved during a single run. For the score to be saved, you must complete the mission correctly and dismiss the newspaper at the end. If you have linked your Discord[discord.gg] account, you must also play at least one mission before your data is synchronized. In case two Operators achieve the same score, the Operator who reached it first will be ranked higher. You can check the Top 20 scores, view your own position, search for another Operator, and display the map GIF generated from a specific run through the leaderboard commands on our Discord[discord.gg]. The leaderboards are also available directly on the IRON NEST website. Chill Mode works differently, as it tracks cumulative confirmed kills across all completed runs.

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Q: Will the IRON NEST have air conditioning?

If you require fresh air and comfortable working conditions, you may not be suited for service as an IRON NEST Operator. We recommend reconsidering your enlistment and requesting reassignment to the infantry.

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Q: What are the dimensions of the IRON NEST?

The IRON NEST is approximately 20 meters wide, 30 meters tall, and 50 meters long, including the barrels.