The Summer season has officially begun, meaning that gaming news will be slowing down for the foreseeable future and will ramp up again once September begins. Or is it? Well, while that might have been true once upon a time, but looking at what we have lined up, it certainly doesn’t look like it. We have plenty of new details about the upcoming digital adaptation of Bolt Action, a new Slitherine Next coming in July, and of course, the Steam Summer Sale of 2026 is currently ongoing, so we have to talk about it! Join me, and let’s take a look at the news that is dominating the strategy and wargaming space!
Bolt Action World War Mode Revealed
Bolt Action is one of the most anticipated wargames of 2026. In fact, I would argue that, by the number of views my articles on it get, people are, at least, intrigued and interested in it. Several developers diaries have gone over the main aspects of the game, but a recently unveiled dev diary lifted the curtain on the much antecipated sandbox campaign. This campaign will dynamically generate a theatre of war made of connected regions across late-war Western Europe, and can be played by any faction. Win a mission, win a reward that can be put to work by increasing your maximum army size (points), recruit new units (supply), or unlock advanced units (Unlocks). As the campaign moves forward, the defending armies will get stronger, but so will your options, and the more experienced your units will be. Your forces are persistent, meaning that a unit that has died on a previous mission won’t be making a return in the next.
I’m going to give my personal take and say that this actually sounds very fun, and very reminiscent of the system used in Company of Heroes 2 Ardennes Assault DLC, a fan-favorite addition to the series, especially because of the way it handled its dynamic campaign.
Slitherine Next Comes July 22
The wargamer’s version of E3 is going live on July 22nd, 2026, at 6 pm CEST on YouTube and Twitch. This is the first show of the year, and as always, we can expect to see a wide range of exclusive news and announcements about Slitherine’s upcoming and existing titles. There’s nothing much to add on top of this, other than my expectations for it, and if I could ask wargaming Santa a couple of presents, those would be a look at a full game of Bolt Action and some news about the new Combat Mission engine.
Steam Summer Sale Is Now Live And Games Are Cheap!
The greatest event in gaming is currently underway! That’s right, Gaben has bestowed his gaze once again upon our wallets, and the grace of cheap sales and irresistible bundles is flowing. There are some amazing strategy and wargames on display at the Steam Summer Sale 2026. Here’s a quick list of games: Total War: Warhammer III, XCOM 2, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Planet Zoo, and Xenonauts 2. If you want more suggestions, I have already published two articles on it; check them out here and over here.
Gunship: Origins Endering DevLog
The first, 20-minute-long DevLog from the two brothers working on Gunship: Origins is quite wholesome, and it’s the type of video I wouldn’t mind seeing being replicated by other companies. Just a long, authentic look at a mission, being played by two chill dudes who clearly love the game they’re working on. Believe it or not, it’s a lot better than some overly excited, edited, and curated corporate slop. With that note aside, I want to praise the design decision of making Gunship: Origins a game that’s going down the route of being an accessible helicopter sim that one can just pick up with a mouse and keyboard, and enjoy, without having to pass a real-life helicopter pilot test.
