In Brief:
- Team17 and developer Absolutely Games announced Worms: Galactic Tactics at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026, with a 2027 release planned for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam.
- The spinoff drops the series’ 2D side view for isometric 3D turn-based tactics built around roguelike runs, destructible arenas and a weapon mod system.
- Team17 confirmed a second Worms game is in development, currently titled simply “Worms,” with no platforms or release window attached.
Team17 revealed Worms: Galactic Tactics during the Gamescom Opening Night Live pre-show, confirming a 2027 launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam. Absolutely Games is developing it.
The spinoff moves the franchise off its 2D plane. Combat is isometric and turn-based across 3D arenas, closer to XCOM than to Worms Armageddon, while keeping the destructible terrain, the voice lines and the weapon design the series is known for.
Worms are back and are taking an explosive leap into tactical 3D roguelike combat!
Introducing Worms: Galactic Tactics! Assemble your custom squad of Worms and battle to survive!
Fight in fully destructible arenas
Upgrade and reinvent classic Worms weapons
Chain@WormsView on X ↗
How a run works
Players build a custom squad and enter the Galactic Gauntlet, a multi-stage deathmatch that stacks new enemies and upgrades with each battle. Runs end in death. Players then cash in a resource called Juice to upgrade their worms before starting again.
Arenas range from Candyland to Emperor Flugg’s palace. Team17’s description casts the campaign as a climb toward “the gauntlet’s ruthless kingpin: the magnificent Emperor Flugg!”
Aiming isn’t automatic. Weapons use skill minigames to land hits, with height improving accuracy and well-timed shots landing critical damage.
Weapons, squads and 1v1
A mod system lets weapons pick up extra properties between battles, offering fresh upgrade options after every fight. Classic weapons return alongside new ones including the Beambow, Meteor Sheep and Die-napple.
Squad customization covers names, hats, voicebanks and gravestones.
Outside the gauntlet, the Steam listing says players can “show off your skills in 1v1 multiplayer, both locally and online.” Steam tags for the game include Turn-Based Tactics, Roguelite, Grid-Based Movement, 3D Isometric, Character Customization and Class-Based Combat.
The setup
Three worms named Moe, Pinky and Grunch are abducted by a flying saucer and forced to compete in the 99th Intergalactic Jamboree. High Emperor Flugg oversees the event. Duke Marigold handles commentary. The prize is one trillion Flugg Buxx.
A second Worms
Team17 used the end of the announce trailer to confirm a second Worms game in development. It carries no subtitle so far, and the publisher has attached no platforms, release window or gameplay details to it.
That gives the series two announced projects at once, something Team17 hasn’t done in years.
From occupied France to the gauntlet
Absolutely Games is a UK studio founded in late 2019 by industry veterans, focused on strategy and tactical games for PC and consoles. Its previous game, Classified: France ’44, also shipped under Team17.
That title released March 5, 2024 on PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S. It put players in command of the Jedburghs, special forces dropped into Nazi-occupied France ahead of D-Day, and built its combat around a morale system in which even missed shots wore enemies down. Reviews landed as generally favorable on PC and mixed to average on PlayStation 5.
Galactic Tactics carries the same turn-based structure into Team17’s flagship IP, then bolts roguelike progression onto it.
Leaked first
The reveal followed weeks of leaks. Screenshots came first, then alleged gameplay footage, then the title and cover art, which surfaced on Aug. 20, 2026 in a post from leaker Intercelluar captioned “New Worms game developed by Absolutely Games (Project Arrakis).”
Project Arrakis was the internal code name. Earlier leaked material under it had already shown the art style, the isometric view and a mission structure split across multiple stages with upgrades purchasable in between.
The leaks traced back to a Team17 playtest running on Steam. One leaked image showed the selected build labeled “team17_playtest.”
