Strategy and Wargaming

Nestled in the heart of Europe, Czechoslovakia is a democratic bulwark, surrounded by autocratic neighbors. Rich in resources, industry and population, it is also an early target for aggression. Chart a new course for Czechoslovakia in the face of these threats in Peace for Our Time, a new Focus Pack for Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox Interactive’s grand strategic wargame about the conflict and politics of the Second World War. Created in collaboration with veteran modders Logan ‘Spicy Alfredo’ Calkins, Abbus Fung and Marijn ‘marijn211’ Vroegh, Peace for Our Time is the first Focus Pack to include new National Focus Trees and unique mechanics, presenting a new challenge to experienced desktop generals. It will be released next week, on 22 April.

Highlights of the Focus Pack Peace for Our Time include:

• Democratic National Focus Path: Surrounded by non-democratic nations, safeguard Czechoslovakia’s freedom by forging your own faction, leading a government in exile or pursuing independence as Slovakia.
• Communist National Focus Path: Spark a socialist revolution to replace the failed middle path, joining the Comintern or uniting the region under your own federation; whether through radical struggle or moderate reform.
• Monarchist and Fascist National Focus Paths: Rally nationalist forces to establish a new kingdom of Bohemia or embrace military dictatorship, expand your influence through allies or subjects, and decide whether to entrench authoritarianism or return to democracy once the crisis has passed.
• Manage your arms industry, become an industrial powerhouse, and shape conflicts across the globe by exporting weapons abroad.
• Engage with the Divided Nation mechanic to solve the challenges of governing a divided democracy.
• Army Readiness Balance of Power forces you to ensure you have the support of the military.
• New Art and Music, including two new music tracks, 3D depictions of the historical Prague Castle and Bojnice Castle, new equipment graphics and new focus icons and character portraits.

The Hearts of Iron IV: Peace for Our Time Focus Pack will be available on 22 April 2026 on Steam for the suggested retail price of $5.99 / £4.99 /€5.99.

Kraken Studios, known for its WarPlan series and Kingdom Dungeon and Hero, is excited to announce that Total Victory: World Conflict 1939-1945 will soon be available on Steam. A new demo will be released on April 16th.

Total Victory Trailer

Take Your Place in a Global War from 1939 to 1945
Drawing inspiration from classic wargames like ADG’s World in Flames, SPI’s ETO, and others, Total Victory is the grand strategy wargame that enthusiasts have been eagerly waiting for. It combines moderate complexity and divisional-level strategy with historically inspired units and production. Play as any major nation from the Axis, Allies, or Comintern during World War II. Manage production, military units, and prominent historical commanders. Lead land, naval, and air forces against rival nations.

Real World Map with Tile System
Total Victory features a modified Mercator map with colorful silhouettes highlighting military units unique to each nation. A clutter-free interface lets you focus on strategy, not menus. Land units include infantry, armor, paratroopers, marines, and many more types. Air units include a variety of plane model types. Naval units include individual capital ships and groups of other units. Most military units have a unique set of attributes. Monitor your nation’s overall manpower and oil, as they could be crucial to the war’s outcome. Ore feeds the industry that makes war materials like weapons, tanks, planes, and support units. The automated supply system allows players to focus on play rather than micromanagement. Explore over twenty technological advances that unlock new units, combat enhancements, and intelligence.

Classic, Strategy-First Gameplay
Total Victory provides a challenging yet practical experience, led by an easy-to-use interface. Unlike the micromanagement found in other popular RTS games, Total Victory reduces the need for endless menu-clicking and unit upkeep with its automatic reinforcement mechanic, allowing you to focus more on making strategic decisions. It provides multiple ways to play: exchanging your latest moves through PBEM, pass-and-play on a single PC against a friend in Hotseat mode, or play solo against an AI opponent with adjustable difficulty settings.

New Demo Coming APRIL 16TH
Players interested in trying out Total Victory will be able to get a glimpse of the game when the Steam demo launches on April 16th. In the demo, players can get a feel for the land and air mechanics and play as Germany in the Blitzkrieg East Scenario, set in June-September 1941.

Game Features

• Play as any major global superpower during World War II
• Modified Mercator map with a tile-based hex system, easy to read at a glance
• Research 20+ technology slots for new combat units, modifiers, and intelligence
• Multiple play modes, including PBEM, Hotseat, and AI opposition

Wishlist Total Victory: World Conflict 1939-1945 on Steam to receive all future updates.

With ‘No Man Left Behind’, the Commandos squad steps back into the shadows. The new Commandos: Origins DLC deploys on April 28th, 2026, on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation®4|5.

This operation closes a critical gap in the main campaign: deep behind enemy lines in the Auvergne region of occupied France, the Green Beret is captured by German forces during a mission to extract an allied informant who possesses high-value intelligence. Players experience this story in the first mission firsthand as Jack O’Hara, the Green Beret.

In three additional new missions, Thomas “the Sapper” Hancock, Francis T. “the Sniper” Woolridge, and Rene “the Spy” Duchamp make their way across heavily fortified mountain facilities, dense forests, and a tightly secured construction site housing to rescue the Green Beret. On their mission, the Commandos must uncover crucial clues, sabotage a prototype of a deadly German superweapon, and piece together the intelligence needed to complete their objective.

The newly introduced Radio Operator represents a major tactical threat: eliminating this enemy type can trigger an instant global alarm. To maintain operational secrecy, the Commandos must locate and disable signal enhancers, severing enemy communications before striking. Precision, timing, and discipline are mandatory.

Features

• The missing link: In Commandos: Origins DLC ‘No Man Left Behind’, you finally discover the events that led to the Green Beret’s capture, triggering the search for him and the rescue mission of the main campaign.
• Embark on four new missions to uncover crucial information leading to the prototype of a new German superweapon, being built in the seclusion of the French mountains.
• Your search for both information and your captured companion will take you across a huge, picturesque map of occupied French territory in the Auvergne, spanning nighttime forest operations and heavily guarded military structures scattered across the mountainous countryside.
• Encounter new characters, including the informant and fellow prisoners, and prepare to face a new enemy unit: the radio operator, who will call for reinforcements and trigger a global alarm if his line of communication is not cut before he is eliminated.

Matrix Games today announce the release of Command: Modern Operations – Tides of War, a new campaign DLC available now.

Set in the tense waters of the South China Sea, Tides of War places players in command of ASEAN forces as a regional crisis escalates toward open conflict. What begins as a multinational military exercise quickly deteriorates when Chinese maritime militia and coast guard vessels interfere with operations, creating the conditions for a broader confrontation across the theater.

The campaign includes six tightly focused scenarios, each representing up to 24 hours of operations. Players will navigate a structured escalation ladder, moving from gray-zone incidents and non-kinetic encounters to submarine interdiction, precision strikes, and ultimately large-scale air and naval engagements.

A key feature of Tides of War is its Continuous Loss System, where losses and damage persist between scenarios. Decisions made early in the campaign can have significant consequences later, making force preservation and operational planning critical.

Rather than focusing on individual platforms, the campaign emphasizes escalation management, joint operations, and long-term force preservation, offering Command players an operational perspective on crisis escalation in one of the world’s most sensitive maritime regions.

Tides of War is available now and requires the base game Command: Modern Operations to play.

Burghers and Bombards, the second DLC for Field of Glory: Kingdoms welcomes players in the new Advanced Economy, where the rise of the Burgher class, the growth of guilds, and the burden of inflation redefine how wealth and power interact. Gamers will experience the pivotal change of the war: the Age of Gunpowder, as bombards, handgunners, and cannon-armed galleys forever change the fate of empires.

Field of Glory: Kingdoms – Burghers and Bombards Gameplay video

What’s new:

• Two new Campaigns: The Late Campaign (1223-1470) where players take command of the Mongols after the victory over the Kievan Rus’, and The Mega Campaign (1054-1470), where players will experience transformations, expansion and changes from the Great Schism throughout four centuries of history.
• The Burgher Class: A new social force that generates wealth but challenges royal and noble power.
• Inflation: Prosperity has a price. Manage inflation or watch your realm’s coffers crumble.
• Guilds: Tier II and III buildings that unlock bonuses and unique events as urban industries grow.
• Gunpowder Mechanics: building new facilities to produce gunpowder, recruiting handgunners and bombards, modernizing fortresses to accommodate the new artillery.

And more. Discover all the new features in Field of Glory: Kingdom – Burghers and Bombards, out now on Steam.

The new DLC Baltic Battalion is out now and available for free.

You can download it today and immediately access all the new content included in this release, expanding your experience with everything listed below:

• New army specialization: Baltic Battalion, including more than 30 new units and many more customization options.
• New map: Kadaga Military base
• New solo+coop scenario “Welcome to Kadaga” that can be re-played in 6 different ways
• New Baltic Battalion AI preset for skirmish
• New profile customization
• 12 new music compositions have been added to the Original Sound Track (also available on streaming platforms)

To celebrate the launch, the Spring Sale discount will remain active until April 6th. Broken Arrow will be available at a 15% discount until then on Steam.

Broken Arrow: Baltic Battalion Cinematic Release Trailer

You can also enjoy the original soundtrack here and immerse yourself even further in the game’s atmosphere.

This DLC arrives alongside a range of highly anticipated and requested updates, including new features, improvements, gameplay changes, balance adjustments and bug fixes. Highlights include the addition of a Streamer Mode, a reduction in overall game size, performance optimizations, the new emergency airdrop feature and more enhancements designed to improve your overall experience.

Publisher Kalypso Media and Developer Kite Games have revealed that Sudden Strike 5, the latest entry in the WWII real-time tactics series, will be released on April 23, 2026 and is available to pre-order now on the Kalypso Store, Xbox on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation®5 in Standard Edition (€49.99 / $49.99 / £44.99) and Deluxe Edition (€59.99 / $59.99 /£54.99) with an additional 10% pre-order discount on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, *PlayStation5 discount valid for PlayStation Plus members only. There is also an exclusive promotion on the Kalypso Store, where the Deluxe Edition on PC is available for €49.99 / $49.99 / £44.99.

The Sudden Strike 5 – Deluxe Edition offers a host of additional game content featuring 2 exclusive versions of PvP maps – “Mercato Square (Night)” and “Belarus Fields (Winter)”, along with 6 exclusive skin packs containing over 80 unique camouflage skins for vehicles. The Deluxe Edition also includes the original soundtrack, which blends orchestral combat cues with ambient soundscapes for an immersive gameplay experience. Additionally, first recruits who pre-order the Deluxe Edition on Xbox and PlayStation®5 will enjoy early access to the game 72 hours prior to launch, as an added benefit.

Sudden Strike 5 transports players to the frontlines of WWII as battles rage across Europe and North Africa. Massive arsenals of over 300 authentic historical German, Soviet, and Allied military vehicles and units are at your command, including the iconic Sherman Tank, Messerschmidt Bf 109, and the T-34. Outsmart and outmanoeuvre the enemy in immersive real-time tactical gameplay that offers creative challenges for even the most hardened veterans. Tackle the objectives in non-linear sandbox gameplay across a 25-mission campaign by combining recon, sabotage, alternative routing, and complementary unit tactics to achieve victory on your own terms.

Pre-order Sudden Strike 5 today and prepare for the ultimate strategic experience on April 23! Add to your wishlist on Steam!

Matrix Games today announced a new DLC for Strategic Command WWI titled Battles for Ypres.

Take command in one of the Great War’s most fiercely contested regions, fighting for control of the Ypres Salient.

Experience six fast-paced, divisional-level campaigns spanning 1914 to 1918, from the desperate defense of First Ypres to the final Allied advance in Flanders. Face the introduction of new warfare elements, including gas attacks, creeping barrages, tanks and aircraft. You will need to adapt your strategy in each scenario, balancing risk, timing, and resources to secure victory in intense battles.

Join the Beta HERE.

Step into a new chapter of the Headquarters series and experience tactical warfare in a hypothetical Cold War conflict between NATO and the USSR in the early 1980s. Command modernized armies, deploy powerful new units, and fight across a wide range of battlefields set in West Germany.

Headquarters: Cold War NATO video Campaign Trailer

Choose Your Side
The game features two campaigns, allowing you to experience the conflict from both perspectives.

• NATO Campaign: Command NATO defenders as they hold the line, wait for reinforcements, and launch a counteroffensive to reclaim lost territory.
• USSR Campaign: Lead Soviet forces as they push westward across Germany in a large-scale offensive.

Headquarters: Cold War USSR video Campaign Trailer

Each campaign contains 10 missions, for a total of 20 operations across diverse battlefields including cities, river crossings, mountain passes, and key strategic corridors.

New Units, New Tactics
Expanding tactical possibilities with new unit types and battlefield mechanics:

• Modern main battle tanks
• Utility and attack helicopters
• Recon and support units
• Advanced artillery and air support abilities

Helicopters make their debut in the series, enabling rapid troop deployment, aerial strikes, and highly mobile battlefield tactics.

Headquarters: Cold War UH-60 Black Hawk – Unit video

Headquarters: Cold War is available on Steam.

Warships of the Pacific Adds 30 New Unit Models

Add greater variety and more historical flavor with the Warships of the Pacific Cosmetic Pack for Hearts of Iron IV. Over two dozen new unit models are added to the game, highlighting the navies of five of the participants in the Asian theater of World War II.

Launch trailer for Hearts of Iron IV: Warships of the Pacific

Hearts of Iron IV: Warships of the Pacific includes 30 models of ships from the Pacific theatre including:

• One Republican Chinese light cruiser, the Ning-Hai
• Eight Commonwealth ship models, including the carrier Illustrious and the submarine Trenchant
• Eleven Japanese ships models, including the battleship Kongo, the carrier Shinano and the unique I-400 Sen Toku submarine carrier
• One People’s Republic of China destroyer, the Anshan
• Two Soviet submarine models – the Shchuka and the M49
• Seven American models, including battleships such as Nevada and Tennessee, as well as escort carriers like Casablanca

Hearts of Iron IV: Warships of the Pacific is now available for the suggested retail price of $4.99/￡4.29/€4.99 on Steam. It is also available as a part of the Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass 2.