On April 23, the real-time tactics and strategy series Sudden Strike returns with part 5—but you probably already knew that. What’s new is that publisher Kalypso has dropped a freshly updated demo for the game, and you can try it on Steam right now.

The last playable demo of Sudden Strike 5 got absolutely torn apart by living-room generals. That pretty rough first taste went live during Steam Next Fest in February, and above all else, it struggled with performance issues and stuttering. Kalypso publicly acknowledged the problems, saying the demo "didn’t run the way we’d hoped," but there was no way to patch things up before the event wrapped.

That’s why a new version of the demo on Steam dropped today. According to Kalypso, developer Kite Games took player feedback seriously and made a range of changes for "Demo 2.0." And no, the fixes aren’t limited to performance.

Here’s what Demo 2.0 improves

In a newly published news post, Kite Games lays out exactly what’s changed compared to the first demo. Here’s the rundown:

• GPU load has been reduced with optimized visual effects.
• CPU strain in large-scale battles has been lowered through improved unit animations.
• Combat now runs more smoothly, with fewer frame drops and performance spikes from effects like muzzle flashes and impacts.
• Stuttering and uneven frame pacing have been fixed, partly through optimizations to front rendering and autosaves.
• Text, mission objectives, and radio chatter are now preloaded instead of being streamed in during play.
• There are gameplay improvements too, including better unit pathfinding.
• AI patrols now react more dynamically and feel more responsive overall.

More of almost everything

Sudden Strike 5 heads to historical World War II battlefields across Europe and North Africa, with a campaign spanning 25 missions. The game features three factions in total: Axis, Soviet, and Western Allies. Rather than putting traditional story characters front and center, the focus is on commanders and military units. Officially, there are nine customizable commanders in all—three for each faction.

Kalypso is touting more than 300 playable units, over 190 vehicles, and 110 infantry units. The maps are bigger than in previous entries too, and the game also adds expanded camera options, online PvP, skirmish, different commander playstyles, and new units—including armored trains. Those also show up in the demo trailer released today (see below).

If you’re a longtime Sudden Strike fan and want a little extra out of part 5, there’s also a Deluxe Edition. It adds six skin packs for 83 vehicles, two exclusive PvP map variants, and the digital soundtrack on top of the standard version.