We have just come out of one of the biggest weeks in strategy gaming history. Well, certainly since I started to cover strategy games, that’s for sure, and despite we’re well into June, a time when things usually start to calm down for the summer, we still have a lot to talk about, and the rest of 2026 is going to be a busy year for strategy gamers, and nevermind the fact that it is already one of the best years in recent memory when it comes to strategy titles. We have a lot to cover this week, so let’s get going. Here are the highlights: Steam Summer Sale is just around the corner, Battleplan gets a July release date, Veterans: Napoleonic Wars got removed from Steam, and Dust Front RTS came out as the clear winner of the Steam Next Fest 2026.
Battleplan Comes Out In July
Foolish Mortals and Slitherine’s very unique take on World War 2 real-time strategy got a release date, and it’s coming out July 14th. After an impressive show at a Steam Fest a couple of months back, the team has been hard at work improving the overall experience and listening to player feedback on how to make the whole thing better. For those who might not be in the loop, Battleplan takes the planning tool from Hearts of Iron IV and builds a whole new game around it, with more orders, more possibilities, and depth. These orders are issued down the chain of command, up to each company, which will, in turn, execute them to the best of their abilities. I have played it extensively during the show, and was rather impressed with it, and I even said that I see a lot of potential here to turn Battleplan into a franchise. Seeing this go from being set in Normandy to other iconic battles like Stalingrad and the North Africa campaign would be a blast. Maybe, if things go well, we might even see the whole war.
Dawn of War IV Release Date – September 17
Dawn of War IV is, I’m pretty sure, the most anticipated strategy game of 2026 alongside Star Wars: Zero Company. Fortunately, for fans of the Dawn of War and 40K franchise, we don’t have to wait long, because there’s a release date for it, and it’s coming out on September 17th. The game is currently on pre-order; if you’re into that, it will save you 10% of the final price. There’s also a Commander Edition on sale, composed of a 3-day early access, a 10% saving, and the year 1 expansion pack. Why am I mentioning this, you ask? Well, because if there’s already a Year 1 expansion pack, that must mean there are plans in place to keep supporting the game for a couple more years, at least.
Veterans: Napoleonic Wars Removed From Steam
One of the most discussed topics in this strategy and wargaming space of ours was the sudden disappearance of Veterans: Napoleonic Wars from Steam, right after the start of the Steam Next Fest, despite the game’s demo having been available for quite some time before. I even had it on my Best Steam Next Fest Strategy Games list before removing it, after reaching out to the developers and asking what happened. The team directed me to their Facebook statement, where they explained that the Steam store page and demo were removed following a DMCA notice, and that they’re trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. I’ll try to follow up on this in the next couple of weeks.
Having played the demo before it was yanked out of Steam, I found the game to be playable, but nothing great or special. Certainly undercooked and in need of further development.
The Steam Summer Sale Is Right Around The Corner
Get yourself ready, because as soon as the Steam Next Fest comes to an end, on the 22nd of June, you only have a couple of days to get yourself ready for the Steam Summer Sale of 2026, starting on June 25, and it will be running until the 9th of July. From my end, you can expect several articles with my recommendations on the best strategy games, and even some articles focusing on other genres, if the deals are worth mentioning. I have a couple of games I’m looking forward to picking up to play during the Summer, mostly being older titles I never really got a chance to play when they came out. What about you? Any games you’re excited to buy?
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