gamescom week is also packed with content on Steam: turn-based tactics, co-op shooters, strategy, action, and several major comebacks await PC gamers.
Turn-based tactics set in the Star Wars universe, from the people who previously made XCOM—that sounds like something many GameStar readers have been wishing for for years! And the whole thing even comes without a Season Pass, without multiplayer, and without Early Access.
Alot of other exciting things are in store as well: an Alien co-op shooter, the prequel to Plague Tale, Metal Gear Solid 4 finally on PC, and the return of the creator of Assassin’s Creed are all jostling for attention during the big gamescom week.
As we do every Monday, we’ve rounded up all the major releases for you.
- The highlight of the week: STAR WARS Zero Company
- More exciting Steam releases this week
- Monday, August 24, 2026
- Tuesday, August 25, 2026
- Wednesday, August 26, 2026
- Thursday, August 27, 2026
- Friday, August 28, 2026
Table of Contents
The highlight of the week: STAR WARS Zero Company
Genre: Turn-based Tactics –Developer: Bit Reactor –Release Date: August 27, 2026 (Steam)
Behind developer Bit Reactor are veterans from Firaxis, led by Greg Foertsch, who served as art director on the modern XCOM games. As a result, Star Wars: Zero Company feels familiar: cover, action points, hit probabilities—it’s all there.
You lead a ragtag squad of mercenaries in the Clone Wars: Mandalorians, droids, smugglers, and even Jedi fight for you. Between missions, you return to your base, equip your warriors, talk to them, and build relationships among squad members through a bond system.
However, you’ll need to be careful, because permadeath is back as well—at least as an option. A character you’ve spent 20 hours building up can be permanently lost in a single poorly played session. It’s the classic XCOM principle.
And as mentioned at the beginning:no multiplayer, no Battle Pass, no live service, no Early Access. A finished, pure single-player game at full price, from EA, in 2026… who would’ve thought we’d live to see the day! And our strategy expert Reiner is optimistic that you might even be in for a fantastic game—read more about it in his preview:
More Exciting Steam Releases of the Week
Monday, August 24, 2026
- Eslabong (Early Access):Let’s kick off the week with a hidden gem—the author of this piece has already spent several hours playing its demo: In this blend of Football Manager and a PVP arena, you recruit mercenaries from over 35 classes, build a club out of them, and guide it through leagues and cup tournaments season after season. In the top-down battles, you decide whether to control a character directly or let the whole thing run as an autobattler.
- BURNED HORIZONS (Early Access):Somehow, it seems to be “Mercenary Week”: Here, you lead a company of mercenaries through a turn-based tactical sandbox scenario set in 2002, where decisions have lasting consequences.
- Titanic Escape Simulator:If you’ve always wondered what it would have been like to make your way to the top of a sinking ship, here’s your answer. You’ll solve puzzles aboard the Titanic as the water rises.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
- 1666: Amsterdam (Early Access): Patrice Désilets, co-creator of Assassin’s Creed and game director of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, is finally releasing his long-lost passion project. By day, you investigate 17th-century Amsterdam; by night, you hunt demons in its dark alleys.
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2:Almost exactly five years to the day after the original, Cold Iron Studios sends you back as a Colonial Marine to face waves of Xenomorphs. Up to four players can blast their way through the missions via cross-play. New additions include an extra class and a Horde mode.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
- BRIGANDINE ABYSS:For anyone who finds Fire Emblem too small-scale and Total War too hectic: Brigandine combines 4X strategy on the overview map with tactical RPG battles on hexagonal grids.
- States of Power:A real-time World War grand strategy game that combines armies, economy, and diplomacy. It also features a scenario editor and a multiplayer mode. The entire game was developed by a single person.
- Roots in the Sky – The Hand of Glory 2:If you like point-and-click adventures, here’s the Kickstarter-funded sequel to the highly acclaimed The Hand of Glory. Former investigator Lars Bundy stumbles upon a supernatural criminal case that takes him from Rome to Palestine and on to Japan, spanning over 50 hand-drawn locations.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
- Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy:In the third A Plague Tale game, Asobo Studio dares to break with its own formula: Instead of stealth, the focus this time is on direct close-quarters combat with a sword and dagger. The prequel takes place 15 years before Requiem.
- METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol. 2: Metal Gear Solid 4 is leaving the PlayStation 3 for the first time! Also included are the PSP spin-off Peace Walker in HD with online co-op for up to six players, the bonus game Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, as well as the soundtrack and small digital bonuses.
- Lou’s Lagoon:If you like things cozy, fly a seaplane over a tropical archipelago, gather resources, and rebuild islands destroyed by storms. Along the way, you’ll figure out where your Uncle Lou actually disappeared to. The Hamburg-based studio Tiny Roar has been working on this for a good three years; a demo is available on Steam.
- Aggelos 2:The sequel to the 2018 retro Metroidvania switches from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics and incorporates a dual-realm system: You jump back and forth between an angelic world and a demonic world.
Friday, August 28, 2026
- CAPTAIN TSUBASA 2: WORLD FIGHTERS:Just in time for the start of the Bundesliga: Arcade-style anime soccer featuring 22 national teams, over 110 playable characters, and special shots that could probably tear half a stadium apart.
- Inferno Protocol (Early Access):To wrap up the week, here’s some co-op horror for up to six players: You’re trapped in a constantly shifting maze, marking walls to avoid going in circles, and collecting monster parts for upgrades. You can also play solo.
You won’t have much time to play this week, though: Alongside the many game releases, gamescom 2026 is taking place in Cologne. It kicks off with Opening Night Live on Tuesday evening. Starting Wednesday, the halls will open to the press, and the event kicks off for the general public on Thursday. We’ll be on site and reporting on the expo all week—you can find all the dates, shows, and streams in the gamescom overview linked above.
