The Cleansing
The Cleansing is a real-time strategy game with hero-based combat, base construction, and territory control, set in a bleak, feudal-tinged post-apocalyptic setting where each side fights to break the other team’s stronghold.
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Publisher: Grindstone Interactive Type: RTS Release Date: September 28, 2017 Shut Down: January 09, 2018 Pros: +Distinct hero roles with upgrades and abilities. +Includes both solo play and PvP formats. +Territory capture paired with economy and base management. Cons: -Very little documented information remains. |
The Cleansing Shut Down on January 09, 2018
The Cleansing Overview
In The Cleansing, civilization is portrayed as fractured and desperate, with survivors organized into rigid social layers and competing Houses. Matches play out like a hybrid of classic RTS fundamentals and squad-level hero management: you bring a five-hero lineup onto a 3D battlefield, expand influence by taking territory, and build up an operational base that fuels your push toward the enemy headquarters.
The territory system is the heart of the loop. Securing sections of the map improves your resource flow and gives you better angles for pressure, while also denying the opposing team the same advantages. Those resources then feed construction, letting you develop a more effective “nerve center” of buildings that increase income and can produce supporting units (minions) to back up your heroes. Instead of micromanaging huge armies, the focus stays on positioning, timing, and using hero kits well while the economy and map control determine how hard you can press.
Hero selection adds another layer of planning. The game offers 30+ heroes split across five class groupings (Highborn, Recruit, Ranger, Brainer, and Nomad). Each class is framed around its own strengths and specialties, and heroes can progress into one of two job paths, which changes how they contribute in fights and during territory skirmishes. For modes, The Cleansing supports a solo campaign for players who want structure, plus competitive PvP in 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 for a more tactical, team-driven experience.
The Cleansing Key Features:
- 30+ Heroes – assemble a roster and draft a five-hero squad to deploy each match.
- Unique Classes – pick from five class types, each built around distinct skills, specialties, and two upgrade paths.
- Claim Territories – take control of map zones through combat to gain resources and tactical leverage.
- Build a Base – construct buildings that strengthen your economy and generate supporting minion forces.
- Solo and PvP Game Modes – play a single-player campaign or queue for PvP in 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3.
The Cleansing Screenshots
The Cleansing Featured Video
The Cleansing Review
The Cleansing aims for a specific niche: an RTS that keeps the strategic backbone of territory, economy, and base building, but centers moment-to-moment action on a small squad of heroes. In practice, that structure can be appealing if you enjoy the idea of “macro decisions” (where to expand, what to build, when to contest objectives) directly influencing “micro outcomes” (small fights decided by ability use, positioning, and team composition).
The five-hero team format encourages coordinated play, especially in the larger PvP modes. Since you are not fielding endless units, each hero choice matters, and the two job paths per hero concept suggests meaningful build direction. Class identity is also clear on paper, with Highborn, Recruit, Ranger, Brainer, and Nomad archetypes shaping how a lineup approaches fights and territory contests. When these systems click, the match flow tends to revolve around controlled expansion, taking smart skirmishes, and using your base growth to force the enemy into bad trades.
At the same time, it is difficult to fully evaluate depth or long-term balance today, mainly because the title shut down and there is limited surviving documentation compared to more established RTS games. That lack of accessible information makes it hard for new players to learn optimal strategies or for the community to sustain competitive momentum, even if the core idea is interesting.
As a concept, The Cleansing reads like a thoughtful attempt to merge RTS map control with a hero-focused battlefield, and its feature set covers both solo and competitive play. In reality, the shutdown on January 09, 2018 ultimately defines the experience now, because ongoing updates and community infrastructure are what typically keep this kind of strategy game alive.
The Cleansing Links
The Cleansing Official Site
The Cleansing Steam Page
The Cleansing Steam Greenlight Page
The Cleansing System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Core i3-540 3.06GHz / Phenom II X3 720
Video Card: GeForce 460 GTX / Radeon 4850 HD
RAM: 4 GB
Recommended Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Quad-core Intel or AMD processor, 2.5 GHz or faster
Video Card: GeForce 470 GTX / AMD Radeon 6870 HD
RAM: 8 GB
The Cleansing Music & Soundtrack
Coming soon!
The Cleansing Additional Information
Developer(s): Grindstone Interactive
Publisher(s): Grindstone Interactive
Game Engine: Unreal Engine 4
Language(s): English, French, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, German
Platform(s): PC
Steam Greenlight Posting: January 27, 2017
Closed Alpha: January 30, 2017
Release Date: September 28, 2017
Shut Down: January 09, 2018
Development History / Background:
The Cleansing is a real-time strategy game developed and published by Grindstone Interactive, an indie studio from Stockholm, Sweden. Created using Unreal Engine 4, the project appeared on Valve’s Steam Greenlight Community in January 2017 before launching on Steam as a free-to-play release on September 28, 2017. The final update arrived on January 09, 2018, and with no clear follow-up communication afterward, the game effectively went inactive and was left without further development.