Month: July 2025

Chart-topping expanded remaster of fans’ favorite ‘castle sim’ takes flight today on Steam

The time is now, Sire! After an arduous voyage kicking off from announcement, through the perilous marshes of the Steam RTS and Next Fests, our forces have finally arrived at our divine destination. Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is out now with a 10% launch discount active for the next two weeks!

Behold this glorious love-letter to the golden age of strategy games with a freshly-forged launch trailer.

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition is the culmination of almost a quarter century of development experience, fan support and technological advancements. With improvements and expansions to practically every core feature and beyond, the fundamental game will feel like an elevated version of the classic experience for returning fans and new players alike. Better-looking, smoother-running and bigger in all ways possible, Stronghold Crusader: DE is the ultimate way to play this stone-cold classic.

Play Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition now on Steam with 10% off until July 29th! The desert is a cruel place to fight. Are you sure you have the heart for it?

The last episode of our documentary series is out now.

In Episode 4, we discuss the evolution of Air Combat in the Battle of Britain. At the start of the conflict, the RAF relied on outdated WWI tactics like standing patrols, leaving them at a disadvantage against the more advanced German Luftwaffe. But Britain’s pilots and leaders quickly adapted, introducing innovative formations and strategies that changed the course of air combat. Sailor Malan and Douglas Bader revolutionized air combat with the “finger four” formation, while strategic debates like Bader’s “big wing” theory shaped RAF tactics. Aces like Bader and Robert Stanford Tuck led Britain’s defense in the skies.

A Lens On is a documentary-style editorial series that uses our games to explore historical events, featuring interviews and insights.

Featuring expert insights from historians Victoria Taylor and Paul Beaver, alongside exclusive commentary from the game’s Lead Developer Jon Coughlin, this series reveals the strategy, innovation, and sheer courage that defined the battle. A special thanks to the RAF Museum in Biggin Hill (UK) and to the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar for the opportunity to conduct our interviews.

Watch episode 4 HERE.

Experience new challenges in Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific – Rise and Fall of an Empire.

This expansion introduces six historical and alternate-history campaigns, from the 1937 Marco Polo Bridge Incident to the 1946 Operation Coronet. Command Japan’s rise or lead the Allied counteroffensive across East Asia and the Pacific. Make key diplomatic choices, manage resources, and face dynamic events like guerrilla resistance, political unrest, and full-scale invasions.

Watch the Strategic Command WWII: War in the Pacific – Rise and Fall of an Empire Release Trailer HERE.

Don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of the release offer and complete your Strategic Command collection. Grab your copies now with discounts of up to 60% on all titles in the Strategic Command series, available in our store for a few days only.

Since launching into Early Access, Scramble: Battle of Britain has grown into something special. It blends turn-based strategy with realistic flight mechanics to create a fresh kind of air combat game, one where every decision in the sky matters.

Today, we’re not only celebrating Slitherine’s anniversary but we’re also taking a moment to remember the start of the Battle of Britain, which began 85 years ago on this day.

To mark the occasion, we’re offering Scramble: Battle of Britain at 15% off as part of our Publisher Sale, starting today from 7:00 PM CEST. Don’t miss it: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1530450/Scramble_Battle_of_Britain/

Marking a Meaningful Day

During yesterday’s Slitherine Next Showcase – our 25th Anniversary opening event, we looked back at the journey so far and shared a first look at the updated roadmap. You can watch the Scramble: Battle of Britain – Roadmap and development Trailer HERE.

Looking Back to Look Ahead

If you want to learn more about the real events that inspired the game, stay tuned for the next episode of A Lens On: Battle of Britain, arriving July 15th. Watch the previous episodes of the series HERE.

For more information about Scramble: Battle of Britain, visit the games official webpage or on the games Steam page.

To celebrate the 25 years of Slitherine, Headquarters: World War II receives a special update!

Customize your army like never before with new insignia, unit colors, and camouflage options — all inspired by a quarter-century of strategy gaming excellence.

Anniversary Update v1.04.03

• New insignia, colors & camoflauge added for unit customisation, celebrating 25 years of Slitherine Games

AI Improvements:

• AI just got smarter: it now utilizes transport units to move infantry more efficiently across the battlefield.

• Several improvements to the PBEM mode — the AI now responds more intelligently to player actions and actively captures control points.

Fixes:

• Multiplayer just got more stable — fixed several issues that were causing crashes to ensure a smoother experience.

• Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash on first launch, ensuring a smoother start for new players.

You can download the update HERE.

Find out more about Headquarters: World War II at the games official website or via Steam.

Slitherine Software today announced their latest RTS game “Battleplan“. Battleplan is not just another World War II strategy game. It’s a real-time strategy experience at army level that brings together everything we love about historical depth, tactical planning, and immersive gameplay. It’s ambitious, it’s innovative, and it’s designed to give you the tools to think and act like a real commander-in-chief.

What Makes Battleplan Different?

Set on the Western Front, Battleplan puts you in charge of massive divisions, giving you full operational control across a vast real-world-based maps. You’ll literally draw your strategies, lines for defensive fronts, arrows for flanking attacks and watch them unfold as your officers and units execute complex plans autonomously.

Watch the Battleplan Reveal Trailer HERE.

More game information can be found on the games official webpage.

Source: Blue’s News

A Call of Duty Update on X announces that the Microsoft Store edition of Call of Duty: WWII is currently offline while Activision “investigates reports of an issue.” There’s an update from X’s Grok AI saying: “The PC Microsoft Store version of Call of Duty: WWII is offline due to Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits, allowing hackers to remotely control players’ PCs and install malware. Activision’s official statement cites “an issue” under investigation, but community reports and news outlets confirm the security vulnerability. Avoid playing until patched.” IGN has more details on the situation via Cloudflare:

This isn’t about PC players cheating in-game via wall hacks and aim bots. Rather this is about unsuspecting Game Pass players losing control of their PCs through a security exploit.

According to Cloudflare, a remote code execution (RCE) attack is where an attacker runs malicious code on an organization’s computers or network: “The ability to execute attacker-controlled code can be used for various purposes, including deploying additional malware or stealing sensitive data.”

New weapons, vehicles, British commandos, and a battle in the heart of Brandenburg await the players

Gaijin Entertainment and Darkflow Software are excited to announce the launch of “Forest Shadows,” the latest major update for the online military shooter Enlisted. This update deepens the tactical combat experience with new weapons, vehicles, a brand-new forested battlefield, and immersive gameplay enhancements.

Watch the “Forest Shadows” Update Trailer HERE.

At the heart of Forest Shadows is an expanded Seelow Heights map, introducing a densely wooded zone inspired by the forests of Brandenburg. The new “Wald” mission plunges players into intense close-quarters combat on the forest floor, in a small town’s narrow streets, and along its treacherous outskirts. Available in Confrontation, Destruction, and Invasion modes, this mission demands tactical flexibility and careful use of the terrain, while recreating the look and feel of the last battles of World War II in Europe.

Two new elite squads are now available to the players, and both will perfectly fit into the forest battles. Legendary British commandos are armed with Thompson M1 submachine guns, while the German Werwolves, a special unit trained to carry out operations behind enemy lines, are equipped with StG 44 assault rifles with suppressor and camouflage gear.

The update also introduces four new weapons and five new vehicles, expanding the tactical variety and customization options for squads. Alongside this, players can now switch the nationality of their soldiers – choosing between German and Italian identities for the Axis squads, or American and British for the Allies – complete with localized voice lines, appearance changes, and name sets.

A major upgrade of the game’s effects system has transformed the way battles look and feel. Every small-arms hit now produces realistic impact visuals, while tank explosions, bomb detonations, artillery strikes, and fuel tank bursts unfold in breathtaking detail. Ricocheting projectiles have been reworked to reflect authentic armor interactions, enhanced by revamped sound design that heightens immersion. Even the skies have been touched by this update, with new visual effects for anti-aircraft fire and dogfights amplifying the drama of air combat.

More information on the “Forest Shadows” update is available on the official website.

With the release of Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition almost upon us, Firefly Studios has saved the best for last, with today’s video update revealing their full post-launch release plan! In addition to the usual fixes, improvements and balancing expected of an expanded RTS remaster like Crusader, Firefly is also planning two major updates coming later this year.

Following the positive reception of their two public demos, the first released on January 20th alongside the game’s reveal and a second in June’s Steam Next Fest, the ‘castle sim’ developer can now commit to two major content updates. As a result the aforementioned Autumn and Winter Updates will both be released this year, alongside two separate paid DLCs.

Alongside community driven features coming at launch, which include new buildings and increased unit caps, Firefly’s post-release plan supplements those already confirmed. With 93% of players expressing an interest in Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition DLC, it was clear to the developer that post-launch content was something their community wanted, not exactly a surprise for their favourite game!

The free Autumn Update will feature a series-first economic campaign as well as a brand new CPU commander. Five missions will challenge players to complete a series of economic objectives, leaning heavily into the city builder gameplay mechanics of the castle builder series. The new computer-controlled commander can meanwhile be played as friend or foe, selectable in the game’s offline skirmish and online multiplayer modes as an opponent or ally. Last but not least, three new maps will also be added, one for skirmish, another in Free Build mode and a balanced multiplayer battlefield.

Following this content drop, the game’s free Winter Update will add perhaps the greatest player request so far… The ability to customise CPU opponents, castles and campaigns! Players will be able to create the rivals or allies of their dreams (or nightmares), design their defences and then place all of this into custom mission scenarios created by the community. If that wasn’t enough, the Winter Update continues this community-first trend with the addition of a second co-op campaign of missions. Was the 10 missions found in the first co-op trail not enough for you? Well, dare to brave the challenges of this new trail and you might just come out victorious. Once again a new map pack of three maps will be added to the overall pool, keeping things fresh for players after launch.

Releasing alongside these updates will be a pair of paid DLCs, which in Stronghold tradition will each introduce two new CPU opponents and a series of challenging missions known to fans as a ‘skirmish trail’. More will be revealed about these characters in due course, however today’s video may contain some clues for eagle eyed viewers. Either way you can expect a proper challenge, with some formidable new opponents mixing things up for series veterans.

Wishlist Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition now on Steam.