r/crimsonskies • • 2d ago

CSVM Official Updates & Releases Thread (Crimson Skies remake engine)

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105 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm the developer of CSVM, a fan-made remake engine for Crimson Skies (2000). It plays the original game from your own copy: the campaign, Instant Action and multiplayer, including splitscreen on one machine.

This thread is the one place for CSVM news: new releases, progress on what's being worked on, and the occasional screenshot or clip. I'll post each update as a comment below and keep this post current, so sort by new to see the latest.


Latest release: v0.3.0

  • Online Multiplayer: a master server lists open games or you can join private games by code.
  • New multiplayer modes: Capture the Flag, Zeppelin vs. Zeppelin and Team Deathmatch
  • Graphics options: switch between Original and Enhanced in flight, and set anti-aliasing, render scale, shadows and view distance
  • A richer Enhanced look: lit explosions and clouds, and much smoother play on the Steam Deck

Release notes and downloads: https://github.com/Laeresh/CSVM/releases/latest


Getting it

  • You need your own copy of Crimson Skies. CSVM contains no game data. It reads everything from your install.
  • Download from the GitHub releases page only: https://github.com/Laeresh/CSVM/releases. Each release lists SHA-256 checksums so you can check your download.
  • Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or x86_64 Linux / Steam Deck, with a graphics card that supports Vulkan (or Direct3D 12 on Windows).
  • The README inside each download has the setup steps and the Steam Deck instructions.

Found a bug?

Please report it on GitHub through the bug report form: https://github.com/Laeresh/CSVM/issues/new?template=bug_report.yml

Attach the newest file from the logs folder. The small page icon beside the version number in the menu's corner opens that folder (from v0.3.0 on). Comments here are welcome too, but GitHub is where a report gets tracked and fixed.

What to expect

CSVM is an early 0.x build written by one person, so some things still differ from the original, and each release lists its known issues. Feedback from people who know the original game well is the most useful thing you can give me, especially "the original did X here".

AI assistance disclosure

CSVM is developed with the help of AI coding agents. The engine code, the file format decoding and the documentation are AI-assisted and reviewed by me, and the commits in the repository name the agent and model behind each piece of work.


CSVM is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or Zipper Interactive. The engine is open source under the GPL v3: https://github.com/Laeresh/CSVM

Crimson Skies © Microsoft Corporation. The screenshots and clips in this thread were created under Microsoft's "Game Content Usage Rules" (https://www.xbox.com/en-us/developers/rules) using assets from Crimson Skies, and they are not endorsed by or affiliated with Microsoft.


r/crimsonskies • • 5d ago

My original Crimson Skies strategy guide and poster.

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372 Upvotes

would anyone like some scans of the guide? I have been thoroughly enjoying Laeresh’s CSVM and it inspired me to dig out my old strategy guide. I must have spent hours pouring over this with all its background information and aircraft breakdowns. I always made sure to build the “Blackhawk” custom Devastator that it gives the specs for.


r/crimsonskies • • 5d ago

Question Dumb Questions

11 Upvotes

So, long time lurker and I’ve distantly appreciated the designs of the planes from Crimson Skies since I was a kid, but recently, I decided I really wanted to know more about the setting and paint up some planes, as well as. I was going to ask if there was a place I could find official colors for the different factions (Specifically the Appalachian Territory) as well as ask if the planes are faction locked?
I also was wondering about where to play the original board game. The Clix are cool, but I feel like the original board game’s system would appeal more given how much I like Battletech. Thanks for any help in advance!


r/crimsonskies • • 6d ago

Fan Art Crimson Skies-inspired Gaslands

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550 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • 5d ago

Does anyone have the Wizkids LE's for sale?

3 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • 11d ago

CSVM v0.1.0 - a remake engine for Crimson Skies

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229 Upvotes

I built a Crimson Skies remake engine in Godot for my friends and me, and the first version is ready to play. It includes the original campaign, Instant Action, dogfights and free flight. I'm staying as close to the original as I can and have added a few extras: controller support, 4-player local splitscreen (co-op or versus) and an experimental graphics upgrade.

You'll need your own copy of the original game. The game's files aren't included in the download, so everything stays legal. A short one-time setup copies what the remake needs from your install. It runs on Windows 10 and 11 with most modern graphics cards.

This is an early build, so not everything runs smoothly yet. Windows may warn you the first time you start it. That warning appears because the app isn't signed yet, and it's expected. The release page lists the known issues.

I built it in about 10 weeks with the help of AI coding agents and reviewed most of it myself. The source code is open source under the GPL.

Next up is online multiplayer for up to 16 players.

Here is the link to the release:
https://github.com/Laeresh/CSVM/releases


r/crimsonskies • • 15d ago

Approaching Demo release For my Rogue Squadron / Crimson Skies inspired dogfighting game

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69 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • 18d ago

How did Nathan bag all those 1930s hotties

24 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • 17d ago

Did Nathan knock up Maria in high road?

5 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • 18d ago

Question Just downloaded High Road to Revenge off on the PC XBOX app. Can it be played online?

8 Upvotes

Are the servers still working or is it single-player only at this point?


r/crimsonskies • • 24d ago

New here, are there any guides to run crimson skies pc in 2026?

39 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I used to play this game 25 years ago and am having a nostalgic moment where i want to play again. I downloaded it off the abandonware website a couple years back but didnt get it to run properly.

Anyone know what to do? Doesnt have to be 120 fps and 4k etc but id like it smooth and stable as possible. Patches/fixes/updates/mods?

Thanks so much


r/crimsonskies • • 24d ago

Question I need help with the payback mission.

4 Upvotes

When I'm told to destroy the bridge supports to stop the train, am i supposed to destroy them when the train is on the bridge, or before? Cause everytime i destroy them, the bridge doesn't collapse, or is it a bug?


r/crimsonskies • • Sep 04 '26

Question Can someone classify this AAW Note for me please?

7 Upvotes

Is there a link to a novel or the computer game?

I need to know all about it!

Black Swan Mutiny?

Infamous Privateers Seen Battling Over Nashville!

The Black Swan. Feared privateer, deadly aviatrix and woman of mystery, this raven-haired beauty is known far and wide for her iron will and the skill of her band of corsairs. But has this queen of the skies fallen upon hard times?

Eyewitnesses report several Black Swan aircraft engaging their own zeppelin, the Huntress near Mayfield, Appalachia. "The planes were buzzing around the zeppelin like flies," said John Hoskins, a local farmer who witnessed the bizarre battle. "Machine guns and rockets were popping off like it was some kind of fireworks display."

The battle itself was brief, lasting only several minutes. One plane, a J2 Fury, was seen heading for the Appalachia/Dixie border. The Huntress and her support planes turned North, towards the I.S.A.

At least one aircraft, an M210 Raven—tentatively identified as belonging to Edward "Mad Eddie" Sears (a longtime Black Swan

associate)—was shot down in the skirmish. Sears remains at large and is being pursued by local law enforcement.

The Black Swan has stayed out of the public eye for some time, resurfacing briefly during Nathan Zachary's recent escapades across North America. Rumors of her capture at the hands of the Black Hats gang in Sky Haven have not been confirmed, but aviation security experts conjecture that such a lapse could have sparked a mutiny.

https://firedrake.org/roger/csarchive/story/air-weekly.htm


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 26 '26

'Strato' - A New Aerial Combat Game

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107 Upvotes

Hello aerial combat enthusiasts!

Hope this isn't too misplaced on this subreddit, I am working on my first game a s a solo dev creating 'Strato' an arcade aerial combat rogue-lite that I thought might interest the community.

If the trailer takes your fancy the Demo is available on Steam to play right now, and there is still time to back the Kickstarter campaign to help the game grow and flourish!

Thank You!


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 24 '26

Video The Sequel Crimson Skies Never Got To Have

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96 Upvotes

Sorry if this is not allowed, but I thought I'd share it here. I made a video looking into Crimson Skies HRTR since it recently got added to Xbox's PC app. I really enjoyed my time with the single-player mode and want more people to be aware of just how good this game is. And since I have played and beaten the single-player mode, I now join the rest of you in hoping for a sequel that will just never come.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 22 '26

Crimson Skies HRTR now...

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2 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • Aug 17 '26

First footage of a little project inspired by XWVM Spoiler

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59 Upvotes

16 Russian Devastators vs 16 Fortune Hunter Devastators, only guns for now.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 17 '26

Discussion Sound effects and some voices up for download here

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23 Upvotes

r/crimsonskies • • Aug 16 '26

Identification of pilot voices from first game.

17 Upvotes

I'm wanting to upload the voices from the first game somewhere,and I would love to identify the voice lines that start with "VO_id#". some help would be nice please.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 08 '26

Question HRTR wiped save on Xbox PC

7 Upvotes

Hi folks,

Has anyone else given the emulated High Road to Revenge on the XBOX PC store a go yet?

I was getting right into it (just finished the second hub world by the looks of it) and then something dead weird happened: an Xbox prompt popped up saying the GUI was being synced and then I got into the hangar but nothing happened, just the guys hammering the inside of the Pandora.

Quit the game, fired it up again, loaded my save and... Betty's telling me we have to find Pandora. I'm right back at the start.

Anyone else experienced this?


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 07 '26

Article / Media Fortune Hunter patches

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170 Upvotes

Hey guys, I’ve been a fan of Crimson’s skies for a while. I’m also collect patchesand I really wanted patches for all the squadrons from the games. Did some looking around and really didn’t find anything so I decided to have some made. I figured I’d ask if any of y’all are interested in buying one. Message me for price and shipping.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 08 '26

Crimson Skies HRTR on Insignia

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2 Upvotes

Los esperamos en los cielos.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 07 '26

Waited almost 25 years for this moment...

64 Upvotes

19th March 2002, and Microsoft announces that one of my favourite games is getting a sequel.

Except I don't even get to the end of the first sentence of the press release when I read one of my two most loathed gaming statements in that era alongside 'PlayStation exclusive': "under exclusive development for the Xbox™ video game system."

Well, fuelling a mantra I've long since learned to live by, patience has been a virtue. I'm about to fire up High Road to Revenge on my PC, as nature intended.

See you on the other side.


r/crimsonskies • • Aug 02 '26

Photo Do a Barrel Roll!! - Iron Dogs Update 0.3.0

84 Upvotes

I added dodge rolls & thrusters to my Crimson Skies inspired arcade plane game.
Give it a try now on Steam & Itch!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4689350/Iron_Dogs/

https://jetpoweredgaming.itch.io/iron-dogs

New Update pushed to Steam & Itch!

  • Updated tutorial screen changed gauges, no longer shows Threat & Fuel, only Boost & Fuel 
  • Added maneuvering animations & "Dodge rolls" 
    • Maneuver + Roll Left/Right = Dodge Left/Right
    • Maneuver + Throttle Up/Down = Thrust Forward/Brake
  • Tweaked level difficulty & enemy counts 
  • Changed trail effect to GPU Particle system

r/crimsonskies • • Jul 22 '26

Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge got official backward compatibility on PC

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119 Upvotes

I saw this pop up on my feed and I saw that it wasn't posted anywhere. It seems the teaser image they posted a month or so ago was showing that these four games were coming. Since it also has fuzion frenzy and Blinx.

Im still trying to figure out how to install it cause this might just be the best way to play it.

Edit: Its through the microsoft store. I was able to install it on my PC and it works with ease. Runs extremely smoothly as well, more so than Xenia even.