Strategy and Wargaming News – 1 March 2026 – Bolt Action Dev Diary 2, Steam Next Fest 2026, Headquarters: Cold War Release Date, And Much More

Last week’s news was packed, so we expected things to slow down a bit this week. But that hasn’t happened! Steam Next Fest 2026 is already running, we’ve gotten a new developer update for Bolt Action, Headquarters: Cold War now has a confirmed release date, and the relaxing city-builder Town to City will let players reshape the land itself.

Steam Next Fest 2026

If you haven’t heard, the Steam Next Fest for 2026 is happening now! There are over 3,400 games to check out, so I put together a list of the best strategy games to try. The list has become really popular, and many developers have contacted me hoping to get their games included. It’s been quite a response!

Armored Brigade 2 Scandinavia

Armored Brigade 2 is widely considered the best Cold War tactical wargame available. Fans will be happy to hear that a new Scandinavia DLC is now available for $19.99. This DLC adds a significant amount of content, including playable armies for Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, over 500 new units, new maps based in Sweden and Denmark, two new campaigns, and three additional missions.

The Black Legion Invades Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector

The latest downloadable content for Warhammer Battlesector adds the Chaos Space Marines to this excellent turn-based strategy game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Called ‘Black Legion,’ this DLC includes 15 new units, such as Chaos Terminators, Helbrutes, and a Chaos Lord. I’ve been away from Battlesector for a while and am eager to return and play through the campaign again.

Headquarters: Cold War Out March 19th

Slitherine has been making a lot of announcements lately! Good news for fans of tactical games – Headquarters: Cold War is coming out on March 19th and will offer some competition to Armored Brigade 2. I covered the game’s announcement at Slitherine Next, if you’d like to learn more about it.

Bolt Action Dev Diary 2 Focuses On Orders

I’m really looking forward to Bolt Action, which is coming out in 2026 – I even accidentally left it off my most anticipated games list! It’s not that I’m a huge tabletop gamer, as I haven’t played it yet, but I always enjoy seeing a well-loved series get turned into a video game. The latest development diary dives deep into the game’s Order system, explaining the six different types of orders players can give.

Fire: orders the squad to fire all their weapons within range of the enemy
Advance: the squad will move and shoot
Run: the squad will move double the distance, but won’t be able to shoot that turn
Ambush: This is essentially a sort of overwatch order
Rally: a way to recover from suppression
Down: orders the squad into a defensive position to decrease the probability of getting hit.

These commands come straight from the Bolt Action tabletop game, and based on my recent survey, most of you wanted a video game that closely matched the tabletop experience. I hope the final game successfully combines the best of both worlds, so fans of both tabletop and video games can enjoy it together.

Sherman Commander Release Date Announced

I tried out the Sherman Commander demo, and I wasn’t very impressed. The tank controls felt awkward, the game ran poorly, and the graphics weren’t particularly appealing. With the game scheduled to launch on March 14th, I’m hoping the final version is much better than what I experienced in the Steam Next Fest demo.

Change The Terrain At Your Heart’s Content In Town To City

Just a quick update: you can now reshape the land in Town to City! This new feature lets you terraform, adding even more creative possibilities to building your perfect town.

Wargame Design Studio Game of the Week

I’m really excited about this week’s Wargame Design Studio pick – it’s Panzer Battles: North Africa 1941! As a fan of grand strategy, I love that this game lets you command forces in the North African campaign of 1941, plus the invasion of Crete. It’s packed with content too – 117 scenarios, 8 huge maps, and 8 different army setups to try out. It looks fantastic!

2026-03-01 17:43