Ashes of the Singularity II Demo Walkthrough Guide

The demo is free on Steam during Next Fest and contains two factions (United Earth Forces and Post-Human Coalition), full skirmish against AI, multiplayer for up to 8 players, three maps, Arctic and Desert environments, day and night scenes, and save and load functionality. You play it like any skirmish RTS: build an economy, capture regions, and destroy every enemy headquarters or nexus.

What the demo includes

Per Stardock's official demo announcement, the free build offers:

• Two playable factions: the United Earth Forces and the Post-Human Coalition, with the Post-Humans fielding mechs and energy-weapon tanks against the UEF's conventional army
• Skirmish mode against AI
• Full multiplayer for up to 8 players, with AI backfill as an option
• Three maps: Small (2-4 players), Medium (2-6 players), and Large (2-8 players)
• Arctic and Desert environments, with day and night scenes
• Save and load functionality

Note the demo covers skirmish and multiplayer only; the single-player campaign is not part of it. The full game launches on November 10, 2026, per the official Steam page.

How a first skirmish plays out

The route below follows the developer's own Getting Started video, so the menu names and unit behavior match what you see in the demo-era build.

1. Start a skirmish

   From the main menu, choose skirmish. On the map screen pick your map (Twin Lakes works fine) and hit Next. On the player configuration screen set your opponent to the trainable AI, a very easy, almost sandbox opponent, then hit Start.

2. Handle the tutorial popup

   On your first session a tutorial popup explains the interface. You can close it and reopen it anytime with the question-mark button near the bottom-right minimap.

3. Build your economy

   From your corner base, open the building construction menu and place a barracks in an owned region where a spot is available, then queue durantium extractors on top of durantium nodes. Holding left Shift while placing queues multiple buildings.

4. Capture regions with the Razer squad

   Select your starting Razer squad with left click and right click to move, or press E for an attack-move so it engages anything on the way. Clear the hostile skirmishers around a power relay and hold the region for about 10 seconds to capture it.

5. Recruit and reinforce armies

   Click your barracks to recruit a new army, for example four rifle squads (left click to add, right click to remove). New units spawn at the army's rally point and later reinforcements march out from the nearest barracks to rejoin the army. You can set an army to auto-replenish, but that drains resources.

6. Spend tech unlocks

   When the glowing indicator appears, open the technologies screen (top right) to purchase upgrades such as garrison protocol.

7. Push and win

   Keep capturing regions, build more extractors, and use orbital drops like a recon drone to scout. Once you locate and destroy all enemy headquarters or nexuses, you get the victory screen and the match ends.

FAQ

Where do I get the Ashes of the Singularity II demo?

The demo was released free on Steam as part of Steam Next Fest per Stardock's announcement; find it on the game's Steam page, and wishlisting the full game keeps you notified for the November 10, 2026 launch.

Does the demo have multiplayer?

Yes. It includes full multiplayer for up to 8 players, with optional AI backfill.

Which factions can I play in the demo?

Two: the United Earth Forces and the Post-Human Coalition. The AI Substrate, a third faction in the full game, is not listed in the demo announcement.

Is the campaign in the demo?

No. The demo covers skirmish and multiplayer; the campaign arrives with the full release on November 10, 2026.

Check note

Facts on demo contents come from Stardock's official demo announcement (February 23, 2026) and the official Steam page, checked 2026-11-05. The step-by-step route follows Oxide's official Getting Started video; it reflects that recorded build, and unlisted details such as current demo availability after Next Fest remain unconfirmed.