Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe today announced the worldwide Early Access launch of ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, the first mainline entry in the acclaimed ACE COMBAT flight shooting series in seven years. Players who digitally pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition can access the game now through Early Access on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, ahead of its worldwide launch on 2 October 2026.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Launch Trailer

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE elevates the flight shooting franchise to new heights with an ultra-realistic aerial thrill ride powered by Unreal Engine 5 and Bandai Namco Aces Inc.’s proprietary technology, delivering the series’ biggest multiplayer experience yet with cross-play, a wide range of real-world fighter jets, finely rendered terrain and environments, and first-person cinematic sequences.

Set in the series’ fictitious universe, the game follows the fall of the Federation of Central Usea (FCU) under occupation by the Republic of Sotoa. Players take on the role of the “Wings of Theve”, ace pilots fighting to reclaim their homeland, confront overwhelming enemy forces and determine the future of the FCU through the choices they make on the battlefield.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE also features the largest online multiplayer experience in the series’ history. Players can customise their mercenary pilot, connect with other pilots from around the world through the Air Base hub and take part in a variety of cooperative and competitive online modes.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is available now in early access, and launches worldwide on 2 October 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

Slitherine has announced that the closed beta sign-ups for Scramble: Battle of Britain are now open, which will include a first look at the long-anticipated Campaign Mode. If you’re interested in being a beta tester and helping shape the game, please fill out the application here.

Scramble: Battle of Britain is a tactical dogfighting game that thrusts players into the High-Octane chaos of the 1940 summer skies. Set in a dynamic 3D airspace, this simultaneous-turn-based game embraces the intricate details of aerodynamics and physics-based simulation unique to the piloting experience while minimizing time and reflex demands. Players lead their squadrons through intense aerial battles as Luftwaffe and RAF fighters clash over the English Channel. Through each gameplay phase—Planning, Simulation, and Review—players strategize and command aerial maneuvers, witness simulation outcomes in real-time, and rewind the action to analyze battle damage using detailed camera tools.

Download Scramble: Battle of Britain in Early Access now on Steam for $29.99.

Independent developer Armative Studios Today announced that Steel Aces, the free-to-play tank MMO focused on skill-based, historically authentic armoured warfare, is inviting players to take part in an Open Play Weekend via the Steel Aces website from September 25 at 15:00 BST / 16:00 CEST through September 27 at 23:00 BST / September 28 at 00:00 CEST.

Steel Aces Open Play Trailer

During the Open Play Weekend, players will be able to experience Steel Aces as if the game had fully launched, with all the main features of the game available to explore and no monetisation enabled. Everything players unlock during the event will be kept, giving new and returning players the chance to get a headstart while experiencing how far the game has come since the last playtest.

The free-to-play tank MMO puts skill over spending, with fair tank-on-tank combat where tactics and player ability decide the outcome of each battle. There are no player-controlled artillery or aircraft, keeping the focus firmly on direct ground combat. With no premium ammunition, pay-to-win mechanics or unfair RNG, players can rely on their own decisions rather than paid advantages or random outcomes. Steel Aces features a genuine ballistics simulation and component-based damage system, where shots can damage individual parts rather than simply depleting a health bar and shot placement matters a lot more than in similar games.

Built around more than 100 years of armoured warfare, Steel Aces currently features a selection of over 150 historically authentic vehicles, spanning from the Interwar Period and World War II through to the early Cold War. Developed with military museums and partners with hands-on tank experience, the game focuses on realistic line-of-sight combat, where positioning, vehicle knowledge and decisive action are key. During Open Play, players can experience these systems while progressing through the game’s ranks and unlocking new vehicles, with everything they earn kept beyond the weekend.

“At Armative Studios, we wanted to create a tank game that genuinely respects the machines and history behind them,” said Michael Schmotz, CEO at Armative Studio. “Every vehicle should feel true to the machine it represents, from how it moves and handles to how its armour and ammunition interact in combat. Steel Aces is built on an authentic simulator foundation, with compromises made only where needed to ensure the game remains playable and, more importantly, fun!”

Account creation is now open, allowing players to create their Steel Aces account and secure their username before joining the Open Play Weekend. Visit the Steel Aces website and follow the instructions to ensure you are ready to join the battlefield.

Gaijin Entertainment announces that Sky Odyssey, the latest major content update for the military online action game War Thunder, is available now. Alongside the content revealed earlier, the update brings an even more diverse selection of military machines, ranging from the advanced member of the MiG-29 family and a distinctive Cold War interceptor to a Franco-German experimental main battle tank and a modern Indonesian light tank.

“Sky Odyssey” Launch Trailer

Finally, Naval Enduring Confrontation, Bullet Hell and fan-favorite Nuclear Escalation temporary events after a series of tests and improvements became new full-fledged permanent modes, marking a major new step for War Thunder gameplay evolution.

The MiG-35 combines the speed and maneuverability associated with the MiG-29 family with significantly more advanced avionics and weaponry. It features an active electronically scanned array radar with a wide field of view, a missile approach warning system and laser warning system, as well as a targeting pod for laser-guided weapons. Its air-to-air arsenal includes up to eight R-77-1 active radar homing missiles, while ground and naval targets can be engaged with weapons including Kh-38ML missiles, Grom-2 glide weapons and the new Kh-35U anti-ship missile.

At the other end of the jet era, F-102A Delta Dagger offers a very different style of aerial combat. The world’s first mass-produced supersonic delta-wing interceptor arrives for both the USA and Israel, with the latter receiving a Greek modification. The Delta Dagger has no guns whatsoever: instead, it can carry up to six AIM-4 Super Falcon air-to-air missiles, including infrared- and semi-active radar-guided variants, together with 24 unguided rockets housed in the missile bay doors. Its unusual armament encourages pilots to exploit the aircraft’s speed, strike quickly and disengage before the enemy can respond.

Tankers can take command of the EMBT, an experimental European Main Battle Tank combining the chassis of the German Leopard 2A7 with the turret of the French Leclerc S2. Available at Rank VIII for both Germany and France, the EMBT combines strong mobility and armor with a long-barreled 120 mm gun, an automatic loader and OFL 120 F1 APFSDS ammunition. Its Leopard-derived powerplant and comparatively low weight make it particularly mobile for a modern main battle tank, allowing it to perform both aggressive pushes and defensive maneuvers.

The Harimau brings a modern Indonesian light tank to the Japanese ground forces tree. Designed for mobility, reconnaissance and support, it features a tracked chassis, modern thermal imaging equipment, a laser warning system and laser rangefinder. Its Cockerill turret houses a 105 mm rifled gun with an automatic loader and access to DM63 APFSDS ammunition. The Harimau’s light protection makes head-on engagements risky, but its mobility, compact profile and rapid reload make it well suited to flanking, capturing objectives and supporting heavier vehicles.

Sky Odyssey is available now in War Thunder. More information about the update and the complete list of changes can be found on the official War Thunder website.

iEntertainment Network, through its wholly owned subsidiary iMagicGames, proudly announces the launch of its Fall Special Events Series for WarBirds. The series begins September 27, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and will feature four special events recreating some of the most significant aerial battles and campaigns of World War II.

The inaugural events will focus on the Battle of Britain and The Blitz, bringing virtual aviators together for historically inspired combat in the online world of WarBirds on TotalSims.com. The series marks another milestone in WarBirds’ 30th successful year.

Take to the Skies

Axis pilots will be able to fly some of the most iconic German aircraft of the Battle of Britain era, including:

• Bf 109E
• Messerschmitt Bf 110
• Junkers Ju 88
• Junkers Ju 87 Stuka

Allied pilots will take to the skies in historically appropriate British aircraft, including:

• Hawker Hurricane
• Supermarine Spitfire Mk I

Players will experience the aerial struggle from both sides as Allied pilots attempt to defend Britain against the Luftwaffe.

Recreating a Historic Air Campaign

The Battle of Britain and The Blitz were pivotal military campaigns of the Second World War. The Royal Air Force (RAF), supported by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy, defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe.

The Battle of Britain was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. Britain officially recognizes the Battle of Britain as lasting from July 10 through October 31, 1940. This period overlaps with The Blitz, the sustained German bombing campaign against Britain that began on September 7, 1940, and continued through May 11, 1941.

Through WarBirds, players can experience these historic aircraft and aerial battles in an interactive online combat environment.

More Special Events Coming

The Fall Special Events Series will continue with additional historically themed campaigns and engagements. Planned events from September 2026 through June 2027 include:

• Battle of Midway
• Battle of the Coral Sea
• Bombing Raids into Europe
• Crimea
• And more

The series is designed to give WarBirds players a continuing schedule of major historical air combat events throughout the season.

Join the Battle

Virtual aviators can participate in the special events by downloading WarBirds 2026 from Steam.

Battleplan is coming on October 12th from publisher Slitherine and developer Foolish Mortals. Back in July, we announced that we needed more time to bring Battleplan to you in its best state, and had to delay the release.

That extra time has allowed us to address the issues we wanted to fix, polish the experience, and make sure Battleplan is ready for launch.

In Battleplan players don’t command units directly in the field, they are the general, making high-level strategic decisions from the headquarters, leaving operational and tactical choices to their officers, and drawing plans directly on the map.

The game’s unique features emphasize strategic command over micromanagement, allowing players to issue high-level orders. Through an interactive planning map, commanders can draw strategies directly onto the battlefield using a digital pencil, plotting movements, offensives, defensive lines, counterattacks, and supply routes by hand. It places players in control of entire divisions and corps rather than individual squads, highlighting grand strategy and maneuver warfare. Grounded in history, the maps feature archival photography and geo-located historical elements that closely connect each engagement to real-world events.

Wishlist Battleplan today on Steam.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ helicopter, new weapons and in-game music amongst the latest features landing today

team17 and Expression Games are pleased to announce that Hell Let Loose: Vietnam’s first major update since launch is now available.

Update 1.5 will bring an array of new content to the first-person shooter. The title, described by PCGamesN as “beautifully brutal”, will include two of the most requested weapons and the hotly anticipated Bell UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ helicopter which will now feature in-game music via its onboard radio.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam Update 1.5 Teaser Trailer

In a blog post shared earlier this week, the community were introduced to the 2026 updates in a comprehensive roadmap, adding a number of highly requested features. Update 1.5 includes:

New Weapons: M14 & SKS – The US Forces will receive the M14 rifle, while the NVA will add the Type 56 SKS rifle to their arsenals.

Bell UH-1 Iroquois ‘Huey’ – One of the most recognisable helicopters from the Vietnam War, brought to life in the title with highly accurate detailing, decals and physical features like the onboard radio.

Music In-Game – Players will now be able to listen to era-appropriate music via ‘Huey’ radios; with music accessible inside the vehicle, as well as being broadcast to nearby players as you fly over the battlefield. A Spotify Playlist of the epic song list can be found here.

Within the blog post, team17 state: “Authenticity has always been incredibly important to Hell Let Loose”, most notably coming into effect when working directly with Bell on the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, where players can experience a more accurate representation of this legendary aircraft as it takes to the skies over Vietnam.”

team17 and Expression Games are fully committed to player feedback and continue to work through reports and notable improvements. Consequently, alongside these new features players can monitor further weekly updates, planned game support and a regular cadence of planned improvements and patches on the official community dev blog here.

Hell Let Loose: Vietnam is OUT NOW on Steam and the Epic Game Store.

Until Sept 22, experience ultimate all-out warfare for free during the Battlefield 6 Free Trial.

Drop into our biggest Battlefield 6 map yet, Tsuru Reef. Enter a sprawling island chain dense with luxury bungalows, tropical vegetation, and jagged cliff edges. Engage in naval combat across the surrounding ocean, or utilize land and air vehicles to take it to the max. With support for all modes, this archipelago is the ultimate theater of war.

Experience the return of Wake Island. Multi-front war shatters the tranquility of this vast, isolated paradise in the Pacific Ocean. Patrol and defend the shoreline, demolish bunkers with C-4, or take advantage of the offshore aircraft carrier. Maximize every move in this deceptively scenic coastal terrain.

Choose from three modes, including Battlefield’s signature all-out warfare in Conquest, where tanks, jets, and attack helicopters turn the tides of battle.

Download Battlefield REDSEC on Steam or on the Epic Games Store, squad up, and leave your mark with a legendary Only in Battlefield moment.

Relic Entertainment just released a new Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition trailer celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of the most acclaimed strategy games of all time. Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition launches on PC via Steam early next year.

Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition: A 20 Year Legacy Trailer

Released twenty years ago this week, Company of Heroes redefined the RTS genre through its cinematic World War II storytelling, squad-based tactics, destructible battlefields, and immersive presentation. Widely regarded as one of the greatest real-time strategy games ever made, its influence continues to be felt across the genre today.

The Legacy Trailer celebrates 20 years of Company of Heroes by revisiting iconic moments from the original game, while also outlining the enhancements coming in Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition.

Company of Heroes – Definitive Edition will launch on Steam for US $29.99, £23.99 GBP, and €28.99 EUR, with a 30% discount for existing Company of Heroes Steam owners.

The Definitive Edition includes the Company of Heroes base game, along with the Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor expansions in one complete package. Experience visceral World War II storytelling, including all content in the base game and Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor expansions, delivering three cinematic campaigns, four unique armies, and more than 50 multiplayer & skirmish maps.

BULKHEAD and team17 today announced that WARDOGS, its 100-player tactical FPS, will launch into Steam Early Access at 5pm BST / 4pm UTC, while also confirming the game is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox in 2028, with wishlisting available on both console platforms from today.

The launch follows a huge response to WARDOGS’ pre-release tests, with nearly half a million unique players joining the August Closed Beta and the final pre-launch test peaking at 245,118 concurrent players on Steam. One reaction kept coming back: players hadn’t had this much fun in an FPS in years.

That feeling inspired the message behind today’s launch trailer, PLAY LIKE YOU USED TO. Paying homage to Halo 3’s iconic ‘Believe’ trailer, it celebrates an era when multiplayer games were social, unpredictable and impossible to put down.

WARDOGS Launch Trailer

WARDOGS aims to bring that feeling back through 100-player battles between three rival teams, combining tactical gunplay, vehicles, construction and destruction across three maps, each with three variations. Battles can shift from coordinated pushes to complete chaos in seconds, while local voice chat across all three teams brings allies and enemies into the same conversations, creating the unpredictable moments already driving thousands of clips, streams and videos from the community.

WARDOGS enters Early Access at $39.99 USD, with a stepped pricing model designed to reward players who join earlier in development rather than charging the planned full-release price before every major feature has been delivered.

WARDOGS is an All-Out Warfare FPS that combines tactical gunplay and combined arms combat with building and destruction mechanics in a large-scale, up to 100-player militaristic sandbox.

The game mode – Inspired by ‘King of the Hill’ – has three teams fight for control of randomized 2x2km ‘Control Zones’ within larger maps. The team with the most players within the Control Zone earns points – the first team to reach 100 points wins the match. The variables in zone location and individual player tactics mean no match ever plays out the same.