Crisis Cabinet, the turn-based political strategy game from Function Labs, has just received its biggest update since entering early access. Version 7.1, released on Steam on 15 October, adds Road to Power, a mode where you start out as a hopeful candidate and work your way up to running the country. Your ministers now have to answer for their results, and the world map gains resources, armed forces to manage and covert operations. The game costs £12.99 on PC. We loved it, and this update makes it richer still.
At a glance
Crisis Cabinet version 7.1 landed on Steam on 15 October, in early access on PC.
The new Road to Power mode has you build a political career before you take office.
Ministers, resources, the armed forces and covert operations all gain a lot more depth.
Road to Power starts you at the bottom of the ladder
Until now, a game of Crisis Cabinet began the moment you took charge of a country. In its patch notes on Steam, Function Labs describes Road to Power as a separate entry on the main menu that lets you build the person who eventually walks into that office. You pick a name, a country, a fictional party, a starting age, a background, a constituency and even your household circumstances. The party route alone holds 61 written encounters, from your first steps in politics all the way to the national campaign.
You can also go it alone as an independent and organise your own support. Along the way you look after your reputation, local backing, integrity, donors and energy, and a limited diary forces you to choose between high-profile appearances and the quieter groundwork. Your team grows with you, from a volunteer to a campaign manager, and a leadership contest awaits the most ambitious, complete with rivals, debates and ballots.
Losing an election opens another path, called The Comeback: you decide how to respond in the first 48 hours, then rebuild through local organising, the media or a political movement of your own. Win, and you walk into government as the same character, carrying your three manifesto pledges, your allies, the favours you owe and your secrets.
Crisis Cabinet ministers now have to deliver
The Statecraft side of the update hands you eight departmental desks: Treasury, Defence, Interior, Justice, Education, Health, Infrastructure and Foreign Affairs. For each one you choose to run it yourself, guide it or delegate it, then follow its targets on a dedicated board. A minister who misses the mark can be hauled into a hearing, and a scandal forces you to decide whether to stand by them, share the blame or withdraw your backing.
Cabinet intrigue is where things get interesting. Ambition and resentment among your ministers leave warning signs, which you can dig into through quiet investigations. If your government grows weak enough, a leadership challenge can go to a secret ballot, and you get a single day to respond.
World Stage brings the map to life
The third pillar of the update, World Stage, turns diplomacy into an interactive world map with a desk for each country. Rival powers pursue their own agendas over several days, and you respond with aid, trade, alliances or sanctions, which in turn weigh on prices and public opinion at home.
The Crisis Cabinet economy now runs on seven resource sectors, from energy and critical minerals to shipping, and on 26 types of facility to build, from factories to ports and regional hospitals. The armed forces are handled branch by branch, and each one can refuse an order if your legitimacy slips. Three specialist teams, Black Watch, Nightglass and Cipher Cell, also run covert missions from the Situation Room, from hostage rescue to intelligence work.
How Crisis Cabinet plays, one turn at a time
If you’re new to Crisis Cabinet, the game puts you in charge of a nation and asks how far you’ll go to stay there. Each turn hands you limited Political Capital, a budget to balance and far more problems than you can solve. You set taxes and spending department by department, ride out strikes, floods and scandals, and keep one eye on the next election.
Your decisions leave a mark over several turns. The studio rebuilt the Crisis Cabinet budget in July so that every cut or investment brings immediate effects, delayed ones, then knock-on pressures elsewhere in the country. A budget preview shows those consequences before you commit, and a dedicated screen explains why a figure has moved. Endings range from an election win to bankruptcy, revolution, a coup or assassination.
The game entered early access on Steam on 14 August 2026, on PC only, and it’s playable in 18 languages. Function Labs has kept up a brisk pace since, with three new scenarios in late August, including Election Night: Dead Heat, followed by The Pressure of Power update in mid-September.
Why we recommend Crisis Cabinet
We loved Crisis Cabinet, and we recommend it without hesitation. If you enjoy management games where every choice comes at a price, this one deserves a spot in your Steam library. Version 7.1 also gives you a good reason to start a fresh campaign, this time from the bottom of the ladder. And if you fancy another indie game where a small business grows into an empire, our Nivalis Nights review is well worth a read.
To see what’s landing over the next few weeks, the Hitbox release calendar lists every date with its official source.