Naval Estimates: The Dreadnought Age - Free Naval Grand Strategy Wargame

News

Development updates for Naval Estimates: The Dreadnought Age - game and site news, world-building and history on the blog, devlogs on how the design systems work, and patch notes for each build under updates. Filter by type below.

The armour zone view of a fictional Satsuma-class battleship of 1912, the hull drawn transparent with the armoured deck shaded blue and the two new uptake casings picked out in cyan
update

Build 1.3.2

Physical uptake trunking and internal deck torpedo mounts, plus armour backing and liners, re-fitted bow resistance, and a long list of fixes.

The Audacious-class battleship, a fictional Royal Navy design of 1928 mounting nine 18-inch guns in triple turrets, under way in the 3D viewer, with a caption bar giving her dimensions and performance
update

Build 1.3.1

A hotfix that grew - costs and upkeep re-anchored, a transom stern, quad turret sizing reviewed, single-masted rigs, and a long list of geometry fixes.

The Trieste-class cruiser, a fictional Italian design of 1928, under way in the 3D viewer with textured plating, and a caption bar giving her dimensions and performance
update

Build 1.3.0

France and Italy join the roster, with a 1928 start date, torpedoes, turret dispersion, recalibrated physics and textured surfaces in the 3D viewer.

The Glorious-class battlecruiser, a fictional Royal Navy design of 1912, under way in the 3D viewer, with a caption bar giving her dimensions and performance
update

Build 1.2.3

More of a patch than a hotfix: imperial and metric fixes throughout, paired funnels, and recalibrated magazines and superfiring placement.

The Ashitaka-class battlecruiser, a fictional Japanese design of 1912, under way in the 3D viewer on tripod masts, with a caption bar giving her dimensions and performance
update

Build 1.2.0

The United States and Japan join the roster, with a 1920 start date, masts, reworked machinery and a penetration testing tool - plus builds 1.2.1 and 1.2.2.

A fictional battleship under way at sunset, seen from off the bow, smoke streaming aft from her two funnels
update

Build 1.1.0

Germany and a 1912 start date, the first part of the guided tutorial, and dockyards that limit a launch by loading rather than tonnage - plus build 1.1.1.

The ship designer in a dark interface theme, showing a dreadnought design with its cost and tonnage budget, dimensions and performance figures
update

Build 1.0.3

Interface themes and customisation, several fixes, improved build time calculation and maintenance, and more on the ship summary card.

The ship designer shown in a light colour theme, with the propulsion panel open and the cost and tonnage budget listed alongside
news

What's Coming Next

Colour themes and an interface sweep in 1.0.3, then a new nation and start date in 1.1.0 - currently being voted on the Discord.

A fictional Britannia-class battleship of 1905 shown in the 3D viewer, with a caption bar giving its length, beam, draught, displacement, speed and range
update

Build 1.0.2

Mostly a hotfix, with an improved ship export/import system - ships now transfer as design files carrying their mounts and guns.

A fictional Neptune-class battleship of 1905 shown in the 3D viewer, with a caption bar giving its length, beam, draught, displacement, speed and range
update

Build 1.0.1

A lot of fixes and additional polish - header actions on all three designers, historical infrastructure limits, and a long list of corrections.

The Naval Estimates main menu, with New Game, Load Game, Settings and Credits options set over a blueprint-to-photograph illustration of a dreadnought at sea
news

Launched

The first free public build of Naval Estimates is live - play it now, free, in your browser.

The Naval Estimates emblem
devlog

It Started with a Spreadsheet

Why I am building Naval Estimates, and everything it borrows from.

A twin 12-inch turret trained out over a warship's deck, shown in the game's 3D viewer
devlog

From Magazine to Muzzle

A gun is not a weapon. This is how the turret makes it one.

A warship design shown in the 3D hull viewer in Naval Estimates
news

Find us on itch.io

Our itch.io page is live, and the first free public build lands there on 24 July.

HMS Dreadnought fitting out at Portsmouth in 1906 - her name on the stern, her turret rings still empty, and the dockyard cranes at work over her deck
blog

The Dreadnought Revolution

How one ship in 1906 made every battleship afloat obsolete - her own navy's included.

The bare hull of HMS Dreadnought afloat shortly after her launch at Portsmouth in February 1906, dressed with flags and attended by a paddle tug and small boats
news

Set for Launch: 24 July

The first free public build is targeting Friday 24 July 2026.

Gun summary card for the 12-inch/45 BL Mark X
devlog

This Is My Naval Rifle

There are many 12-inch guns. This one is yours.

Illustration of HMS Dreadnought at sea
news

Refit Complete

The website has been updated, and we've moved from GoDaddy to Netlify using Astro.

The strategic map of South America, with the port of Buenos Aires selected
blog

Nation Overview - Part 2

The nine playable minor powers - smaller fleets with sharper problems, where a single modern ship can tilt a regional balance.

The strategic map of Europe, with the British Empire's nation panel open
blog

Nation Overview - Part 1

The eight major naval powers of 1900 - their fleets, their anxieties, and what each believes sea power is for.

HMS Dreadnought, the Royal Navy's 1906 battleship, at sea
blog

Setting the Scene

The year is 1900, and the world stands at the edge of a naval revolution - though few people know it yet.

The Naval Estimates emblem
news

Laying the Keel

The website and discord are finally live!

Expanded image