Ironman mode
A single continuous save that auto-saves after every action, making all decisions permanent — no reloading to undo mistakes or deaths. Ironman is the commitment layer over games with randomness and loss: XCOM's ironman turns every soldier death into a permanent consequence, Civilization's prevents replaying a bad war. Designers offer it to make stakes real for players who want them, to prevent save-scumming from defusing the intended tension, and to enable meaningful leaderboards and achievements. Key decisions: whether it's mandatory or opt-in (opt-in respects different player appetites), what auto-save granularity prevents scumming without punishing crashes, whether the game is actually balanced for no-reload play (unfair deaths feel far worse in ironman), and recovery-from-setback design so a bad break doesn't doom a long campaign. Pitfall: ironman exposes every balance flaw and bug mercilessly — an unavoidable death or a crash that corrupts the run is catastrophic, so robustness and fairness matter more here than in any other mode.
- Dev effort: Small
- Timing: Real-time or turn-based
- Common in: tactics, strategy, roguelike