Expeditions: Samurai Hits Steam Early Access — The Tactical RPG Arrives in Feudal Japan

On August 7, 2026, Campfire Cabal and THQ Nordic launched Expeditions: Samurai in Early Access on Steam at 29.99 €. The fourth game in the series leaves ancient Europe for Japan in 1600, in the middle of the Sengoku civil war. Its premise is simple: the navigator William Adams never left England, and your crew beats him to Japan aboard the Dutch frigate De Albatros.

Update, October 26, 2026: the game is still in Early Access at 29.99 €, and Steam shows “Mixed” reviews (57% positive across 290 reviews). Early Access Update 1 on September 30 notably rebalanced stealth: an enemy who sees an ally fall now escalates straight to combat. The full release is still targeted for the first quarter of 2027.

A Turn-Based Tactical RPG With History as Its Backdrop

The core stays in the series’ lineage: turn-based tactical combat, a party of companions to manage, narrative choices with consequences. The combat system lets movement, attacks and interruptions play out simultaneously, and you can split your team to position it in real time before an ambush.

Japan in 1600 is more than scenery. You arrive as the leader of a crew of privateers, caught in a civil war near its climax, and you draw the attention of warlords whose struggle will decide the country’s future. Eight companions join you, each with a personal story and a dedicated quest chain. You have to earn their trust for an ally to become a friend, a rival or more. Early press previews mostly praise the writing and the presentation.

What Early Access Contains, and What It Does Not Yet

At launch the game offers the first act, roughly 6 to 8 hours of play according to Campfire Cabal. The team is explicit: the current version is not the final one, and its price is deliberately a little lower than at full release. A 34% launch discount runs until August 14.

The studio’s roadmap is specific. Update 1 is due shortly after launch to react to the first feedback. Update 2 brings act 2 around the middle of the Early Access period, with an estimated 6 to 10 extra hours of content. Update 3 focuses mostly on equipment and character options. Version 1.0 is targeted for the first quarter of 2027, with the complete story and a village you take charge of.

Stealth and Co-op: Two Tactical Axes

What really changes with Samurai, beyond the setting: stealth and gadgets are part of combat. Avoiding a fight, slipping past a sentry or throwing a firecracker to distract a guard are options that enrich your trade-offs without moving the center of gravity of the game: managing your companions and living with your choices.

Co-op is the second strong signal. It is the first time an Expeditions game can be played cooperatively by 2 players, in drop-in/drop-out mode: alone you play Captain Flynn, with a friend you play twins. Dialogue becomes a contest: when you both talk to a character, you wrestle for the decision or for a companion’s affection. That aims the game at an audience that plays slow, narrative tactics in pairs, a long way from the solo players of XCOM, and alongside Songs of Conquest or Wartales.

What to Watch

The first act shows the ambition: this is Expeditions with stealth, co-op and a carefully built Japan. What will play out in the coming months is the delivery of act 2, the balance of the companions and Campfire Cabal’s ability to keep up the announced update pace.

For players who are unsure, 6 to 8 hours of playable content at 29.99 € is a reasonable bet only if you already like the series. If 1.0 keeps its promises, Expeditions: Samurai will probably have won over some skeptics. Until then, the entry fee is a bet on a studio that has not yet delivered its strongest argument.

Expeditions: Samurai is available in Early Access on PC via Steam, at 29.99 €.

Going further

• All our Expeditions: Samurai articles
• XCOM 2: complete guide to tactical strategy
• Songs of Conquest: Yulan DLC review