Gamescom 2026 — After Strategy

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 at Gamescom: One Game That Keeps Growing, Traitors and an Hour of Play

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

No numbered sequel is planned for Total War: Warhammer 40,000, and that is the real news out of Gamescom 2026. Creative Assembly presented its game as a base to grow, not as the first part of a trilogy. The studio also hinted at a threat of traitors in the campaign, which is not the same thing as a Chaos faction.

Update, October 26, 2026: the release is expected in 2027 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no precise date (Geek Culture). Closed beta registration ended on September 14, with no test date announced (Steam announcement). Tokyo Game Show then revealed the warlord creator, covered in our TGS article.

One game, not a trilogy

Combat lead Dave Petry told PC Gamer that the initial release is meant to be the foundation Creative Assembly keeps building on. He points to the Immortal Empires mode of Total War: Warhammer, where every faction shares a single sandbox. In his view, the real Total War experience is that sandbox.

Asked by TheSixthAxis, he adds that the studio plans big additions, but inside the same game. For the player, the advantage is clear: no more stitching three games together, one executable to keep up to date and DLC to buy as you wish. The catch is still unproven: everything depends on the pace and the price of that content.

Four factions, then the rest

The game starts with four customisable factions: Space Marines, Astra Militarum, Aeldari and Orks. PC Gamer notes that this is thin compared with Warhammer Fantasy. The Space Wolves are already confirmed for later, the Genestealer Cults are on the table, and Chaos waits in the wings.

On that last point, Creative Assembly answered in writing that Chaos Space Marines are not in the game at launch, but will be part of future plans alongside the other iconic factions. They are therefore not confirmed for the starting roster.

The Traitor Guard: a campaign threat

What Gamescom did show is the Traitor Guard, regiments of the Imperial Guard that have gone over to the rebels. According to Tecnoandroid, its icon was spotted during a test session, though its regiments did not appear on the battlefield.

Dave Petry confirmed some presence of traitor elements, enemies to fight that will cause unrest and uprisings in the campaign, before closing the subject. He did not say whether they would be playable. A faction that appears on the map without being controllable is nothing unusual for the series, but the question stays open.

An hour of play and an award

For the first time, the press could play a build. PC Gamer spent about an hour with it and praised a tutorial that, in its words, got the writer excited. The game won the best PC game award at Gamescom, chosen by a jury and the public.

A trade-show award does not say whether the finished game will keep its promises, and PC Gamer says so itself. What matters now is the 2027 release date, the DLC pricing model and the exact nature of the traitors.

To follow the announcements, see our Total War: Warhammer 40,000 page.

Afterworld: Paradox Reveals a Post-Apocalyptic Grand Strategy, Its First Non-Historical Setting in a Decade

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Afterworld does not need a historical setting to exist: it is Paradox built on an invented world, with its own map, factions and rules, and that is where the bet gets interesting.

Announced on August 25, 2026 with a world premiere trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Afterworld is developed by Paradox Development Studio, the team behind Crusader Kings III and Hearts of Iron IV, and published by Paradox Interactive. Paradox presents it as its first non-historical setting since Stellaris, released in 2016.

A procedural American wasteland as the playground

The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America, with hostile terrain, dangerous ruins and groups of survivors. The map is procedurally generated: the geography stays recognizable, but resources, tribes and threats change with every playthrough. You guide a small band of survivors looking for food, water and shelter, rediscovering lost technology and eventually aiming at a continent-spanning empire.

The structure is still that of a grand strategy game, with the political complexity Paradox has practiced for twenty years. The procedural map nonetheless changes something: every campaign is a different sandbox, where CK3 and Hearts of Iron IV rely on fixed historical maps.

Origins: a starting point that changes the game

Each campaign begins with the choice of an Origin, which sets the starting band and its place on the map. Paradox names two: the Shelterfolk, survivors leaving a failing nuclear bunker, and zealots roaming the dustlands in search of their goddess. The press release mentions several other playable Origins without detailing them, and no figures on their bonuses or constraints have been published. On paper, that is the real issue for now.

The screenshots show that a tribe’s beliefs, such as its Nation Cult, run through a dedicated screen and through choice-driven events that pop up on the map. It echoes the CK3 logic, where an ideological starting point colours the whole campaign, though we do not yet know what that means in resources, bonuses or units.

The Ancients: what sets Afterworld apart

The most distinctive mechanic is the Ancients, immortal leaders from before the Fall, kept alive by forgotten technology. Each has a vision of who should rule and will not give up power quietly.

This is where Afterworld parts ways with Fallout and Mad Max: an Ancient is not a mere faction leader but a rival who mixes memory of the old world with present ambitions. Paradox has not yet explained how these characters fit into the studio’s usual diplomacy, research and politics, but the narrative potential is clear.

What to watch

No release date has been announced, and the Steam page, where wishlisting is open, still lists system requirements as to be confirmed for Windows, macOS and Linux. The game will offer single-player, online co-op and competitive online multiplayer.

The risk is the usual one: Paradox has made creative bets before that needed several years of patches to reach their potential. Without the anchor of a familiar historical setting, Afterworld will have to convince through its mechanics from day one. But that lack of ties could also free the studio from some of the constraints of historical simulation.

Two things to watch: the type of launch (Early Access or a full release straight away) and the weight of survival against the political mechanics.

Going further

Game of Thrones: War for Westeros — First Gameplay Shows 4 Asymmetric Factions and 8 Named Heroes

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

More than a year after its announcement at Summer Game Fest 2025, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros finally showed gameplay at Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026. PlaySide Studios also confirmed that the PC release, first promised for 2026, slips to early 2027. The reveal is concrete and well structured, but it raises a real question: has the studio built an RTS whose factions genuinely play differently, or a licence showcase dressed up as real-time strategy?

Four factions, four ways to wage war

The trailer confirms four playable factions: House Stark, House Lannister, House Targaryen and the Night King’s Army of the Dead. Each has its own armies, buildings and mechanics, which PlaySide pitches as an “asymmetric” RTS. The gameplay shown is that of a classic RTS: you train troops, build, gather resources and capture enemy territory on the way to the Iron Throne. The game will offer both solo and multiplayer modes.

The word “asymmetric” carries a lot of weight. At its best, as in StarCraft II or Company of Heroes, each side forces different decisions on you: tempo, resources, win conditions. At its worst, you get a renamed tech tree and a different colour palette.

The reveal does not yet say which side of that line War for Westeros falls on. The only faction that promises a real break is the Army of the Dead: a faction of revenants should not play like a human house, but PlaySide has detailed neither its economy nor its tech tree. The risk is balance: it is also the faction that will be hardest to tune in multiplayer.

Eight heroes, including two direwolves

The trailer names eight heroes: Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Ghost, Grey Wind, Jaime Lannister, Tywin Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and the Night King. The notable detail is that Ghost and Grey Wind, the direwolves of Jon and Robb, appear as heroes in their own right rather than as simple companions.

That is a design choice with real potential. If each direwolf has a distinct tactical profile, Stark players must manage two mobile, fragile units on top of their leader, while the Lannisters concentrate their power on Jaime or Tywin. That split attention under pressure will decide how readable matches are.

Daenerys and the Night King also appear in the trailer, but no figures on the dragons or on hero abilities have been published. Even so, the eight heroes cover enough archetypes to give each faction a recognizable identity on the battlefield.

What the reveal does not say yet

PlaySide Studios, based in Melbourne, develops and publishes the game under an HBO licence granted through Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The trailer shows large-scale battles that stay readable, which is what you expect from an RTS in 2026.

It says nothing about the length of a typical match, the depth of the economy, the solo campaign or, above all, whether the asymmetry holds up in a competitive meta. Those are the questions the beta has to settle before the early 2027 Steam launch. No price has been announced either.

What to watch

No beta date was given at Gamescom: PlaySide only says it will happen later in 2026 and that participation details will follow, with the official newsletter as the relay. If faction asymmetry is the real bet of War for Westeros, that test is where the game will be judged, not the Gamescom trailer.

Going further

Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake Revealed at Gamescom 2026: Ubisoft Goes Full 3D

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty-seven years after its 1999 release, Heroes of Might and Magic III is coming back as a full 3D remake. Ubisoft revealed it during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026. The game is announced for 2027 on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, with no precise date or price.

Update, October 26, 2026: the team promised on September 4 to study community feedback, then published a 4-cycle roadmap on October 7, starting with a “Playstyles” system. It also announced the refinement of several creature models, after criticism of the design of some units. Registrations for the November closed playtest have been open since October 19.

Who is making the remake, and with what

The project is led by Ubisoft Chengdu and Ubisoft Shanghai, backed by the teams in Paris and Montpellier. It runs on Snowdrop, Ubisoft’s in-house engine. The fixed 2D isometric view of 1999 gives way to a 3D world in 4K, with a free camera, dynamic lighting, real-time weather and seasons.

The game will be playable on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store for wishlists), Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, and included in the Ubisoft+ subscription. The Steam page already exists under ID 3809850, but no price is shown.

What the remake contains

The announced content covers the full story of the original, including The Restoration of Erathia, and the two expansions Armageddon’s Blade and The Shadow of Death. All 9 factions are present at launch: Castle, Rampart, Tower, Inferno, Necropolis, Dungeon, Stronghold, Fortress and Conflux.

The original campaigns are merged into a single story, with a new prologue, an epilogue and new cinematics. Ubisoft describes tactical grid combat, without specifying the shape of the cells.

On the multiplayer side, the game hosts up to 8 players online, with a simultaneous turn system and improved matchmaking. Hot Seat and the random map generator return.

A 25-year community taken into account

The map editor will import maps made for the original and convert them for the remake. A community content platform is built into the game to share, browse and download mods and maps. Ubisoft also promises tools to create scenarios and modifications.

The first development blog, published on August 27 under the title “Welcome Back to Erathia”, explains the approach. The team cites the 2015 release of Heroes III HD Edition as a lesson: better graphics were not enough, and players also wanted complete content, reliable multiplayer and a modern interface. It sets three principles, Authentic, Refreshed and Evergreen, and states that the remake does not replace the original.

The original is in fact back on Steam, in its 1999 version with both expansions, and Ubisoft promises to keep supporting it.

Not to be confused with Olden Era

The remake is not Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. That second game, developed by Unfrozen and published by Hooded Horse, has been in early access since April 30, 2026 and tells new stories with new factions. Ubisoft presents the two projects as “one commitment, two games”: Olden Era for the future of the series, the remake to preserve it.

What to watch

For players attached to the 1999 Heroes III, the thing to watch is the fidelity of the system: combat, spells, economy and faction balance matter more than the 3D rendering. Ubisoft has announced neither a precise date in 2027 nor a price, and the risk is that fans judge the remake on its visuals before seeing how these choices play out.

The studio has promised more development blogs on visuals, quality of life and community tools, which should soon shed light on these questions.