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

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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

The Guild Europa 1410: The Medieval Dynasty Sim Returns in Early Access on July 16

Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty-Four Years Later, the Medieval Dynasty Sim Is Back

In 2002, Europa 1400: The Guild introduced a unique genre: a medieval simulation where you played not as a king or a general, but as a craftsman or merchant building a powerful family legacy. Twenty-four years later, Ashborne Games and THQ Nordic are reviving the formula with The Guild – Europa 1410, arriving in Early Access on Steam on July 16, 2026.

The stakes are real. The Guild 3, released in 2017, left a bitter taste: invasive bugs, broken AI, and a divisive art direction had tarnished the series’ reputation. Europa 1410 takes the opposite approach, going back to the foundations that made the original so compelling.

Rebuilding a Series After The Guild 3
4 Cities, 11 Professions, One Dynasty to Build
Economy, Politics, and Intrigue: The Three Pillars
What to Expect From Early Access

Rebuilding a Series After The Guild 3

Ashborne Games, a Czech studio staffed by genre veterans, was brought in by THQ Nordic to restore the franchise. The title choice is symbolic: by going back to 1410 — a more typical medieval setting than The Guild 3’s 16th century — the developers signal a clear return to the series’ DNA.

Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the visual leap is significant, but the stated ambition goes beyond graphics. The demo shown at Steam Next Fest in June 2026 ranked in the top 25 most-played demos — strong evidence that appetite for this type of simulation is alive and well.

The official announcement came at the THQ Nordic Digital Showcase in August 2025, where a live-action trailer set the stage: rival families, bustling medieval streets, and the promise of a living world where every NPC pursues their own ambitions.

4 Cities, 11 Professions, One Dynasty to Build

The Early Access launch will feature four cities inspired by Central European medieval history:

Kuttenberg (today’s Kutná Hora, Czech Republic) — a mining and trading hub
Nuremberg (Germany) — a commercial and political crossroads
Graz (Austria) — an aristocratic city
Wroclaw (Poland) — a flourishing trade port

Each city has its own districts, factions, and economic dynamics. On the profession side, 11 trades will be available from day one: blacksmith, alchemist, tailor, stonemason, plus farmer, baker, brewer, and even criminal for those who prefer the shadowy path.

The central objective remains unchanged since 2002: start with nothing and build an influential dynasty. You run a workshop, expand it, hire employees, marry a strategic partner and have children who carry on after your death. Dynastic continuity was at the heart of the original — it returns as the backbone of Europa 1410.

Economy, Politics, and Intrigue: The Three Pillars

Gameplay rests on three mutually reinforcing systems:

Trade and Crafts: manage your production chains, set prices, and forge contracts with other merchants. The higher your reputation, the better your margins and opportunities.

Politics: running for official positions (advisor, guild master, bailiff) grants privileged access to information and levers of power. Rivals can be pushed aside through political favor… or blackmail.

Intrigue: espionage, manipulation, and well-placed arrests — social climbing in The Guild has never been clean. Europa 1410 promises to restore this dimension that made the original so memorable.

Multiplayer will be added progressively during the Early Access phase, opening the door to dynastic rivalries between players.

What to Expect From Early Access

THQ Nordic has clarified that Early Access will primarily be used to refine economic balance and add content (additional cities, professions, and advanced dynastic mechanics). The studio has learned from The Guild 3 by communicating a clear roadmap and involving the community from the demo stage.

The duration of Early Access hasn’t been specified, but the stated ambition — a living medieval world, credible rival AI, and a complete dynasty system — suggests the road to 1.0 will be long. What matters is that the foundations appear solid.

The Guild – Europa 1410 is available to wishlist on Steam (App ID 2977260) ahead of its July 16 Early Access launch. Fans of medieval management games may also want to check out our coverage of Manor Lords, another ambitious medieval game still in active development.

Thq Nordic — After Strategy