Strategy and Wargaming News – 15 March 2026 – Slay The Spire 2 Is A Major Success, Xenonauts 2 Release Date, Headquarters Cold War Out This Week And Much More

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Things are quieting down in the strategy game world after a couple of busy weeks, as everyone prepares for Easter. We’re likely to see the Steam Easter Sale start soon, and current information suggests it will begin on March 19th. I’ll confirm the start date as soon as it’s official.

Slay The Spire 2 Out Now – Everyone Liked That

Released in 2017, Slay the Spire essentially launched the popular genre of roguelike deckbuilders. It cleverly combined engaging elements into a game that’s easy to pick up, but challenging to truly master. Players begin with a basic deck of cards and expand it by earning new cards after each battle, constantly improving their strategy as they progress. If a player loses all their health, they start over, but with permanent unlocks – usually new cards – to help them on subsequent attempts. The game was a huge hit and remains one of the highest-rated games on Steam, boasting an impressive 97% positive rating from over 181,000 reviews.

Given how popular the first game was, a sequel to Slay the Spire was inevitable. What’s surprising, though, is how closely the second game resembles the original – it’s a clear case of improving on an already winning formula. Slay the Spire 2 offers a significant expansion of everything players loved before, with more characters, cards, enemies, items, and even tougher challenges. The game also features updated visuals, including proper unit animations. If you enjoyed the first Slay the Spire, you’ll likely find this one just as engaging – I’d be playing it right now if I didn’t have work to do!

Xenonauts 2 Full Version Out In April After 10 Years of Development

Sir Isaac Newton famously said that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. This holds true for video games as well. When XCOM: Enemy Unknown brought turn-based strategy games back into popularity in the early 2010s, it sparked a desire for games that felt like the classic XCOM titles of the 90s. Xenonauts quickly emerged as a leading example, essentially a new game built on the same ideas as the original. Its success led to the immediate development of Xenonauts 2, which launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2018 and was fully funded within just 8 hours. Despite the quick funding, the game didn’t officially release until it entered Early Access in 2023.

The game will officially launch on April 2nd, 2026. Over the past two years in Early Access, it’s seen significant development, including new alien races, a wealth of projects, equipment, and aircraft, more diverse missions, numerous maps, and a full storyline. I was happily surprised by the transition to 3D, even though it’s not a groundbreaking game. It doesn’t attempt to reinvent the genre, or even the Xenonauts series itself. Despite still being a work in progress, I can confidently recommend Xenonauts 2. It’s such an improvement that there’s little reason to revisit the original game, unless you’re drawn to its nostalgia or Cold War theme.

I had a lot of fun with the Early Access version of this game, and it’s already sold over 160,000 copies, which shows there’s a lot of interest. I’ve been thinking about playing it again recently, and I’ll likely be writing a full review soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Headquarters: Cold War Out In March 19th

The digital wargaming community enthusiastically welcomed Headquarters: World War 2, as they had been hoping for a new, easy-to-learn yet strategically deep, turn-based game set in World War 2. Published by Slitherine, the game proved popular enough to compete with titles like Battle Academy and The Troop, and it even received two major expansions focusing on the Ardennes and Market Garden offensives.

Building on the game’s popularity and positive reception, the developers have expanded the setting to the Cold War era to attract new players to its engaging turn-based combat. This isn’t just a visual update; while the core gameplay remains familiar, the introduction of helicopters and air assaults dramatically changes the strategy compared to the World War 2 setting. Modern technology is also reflected in adjusted weapon ranges and unit speeds. The game features two complete campaigns with a total of 20 missions, 58 unique unit models, and enhanced officer skills and progression systems.

You can expect a review to come in the following days.

Panzer Campaigns Donbas ’43 Out Now

Wargamers are always eager for more games set during the Eastern Front of World War II, and Wargame Design Studio delivers with their new release, Panzer Campaigns: Donbas ’43. For $39.95, players can immerse themselves in some of the war’s most significant battles through 101 scenarios, playable as either the Axis or Soviet forces. The game accurately recreates the units and organization of the armies involved, and features key battles like Izyum-Barvenkovo, the Mius, the Donbas Offensive, and the Counterattack at Znamenka.

Wargame Design Studio Game of the Week Has You Invading England

Wargame Design Studio has more to offer this week than just the new release of Panzer Campaigns: Donbas ’43. Their weekly game sale features Panzer Campaigns: Sea Lion ’40 at 25% off, bringing the price down to $29.95. While Donbas ’43 focuses on a historical operation, Sea Lion ’40 explores an alternate history scenario – a potential German invasion of Britain. The game includes 49 scenarios allowing players to command either side of the conflict.

Hope you guys liked this week’s highlights! It’s a little shorter than normal, but I’m really curious – what are you planning to play this weekend? As for me, I’m diving into a game I can’t talk about just yet – still under wraps! But I’m also hoping to get back into Slay the Spire 2, and I’ve been having a blast with Battlefield 6, so I’ll probably jump in for a few conquest matches too.

Also, go and vote on the Hot Seat Awards 2026!

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2026-03-15 14:44