Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a new retro-inspired FPS from Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun developer Auroch Digital. Here’s everything we know about it so far, including its final release date, gameplay, and confirmed platforms.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Release Date
It didn’t take long after the game’s reveal to learn about publisher Dotemu’s release plans, and the good news is you won’t have to wait much longer to take the war to the Arachnid menace!
- Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! release date: March 16, 2026
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Demo Impressions
The quick but impressive demo (now available for everyone via Steam) of Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! does a pretty solid job of showing why Auroch Digital was a great choice to mix a retro sensibility that honours the shooters of the late 1990s and early 2000s with the Starship Troopers IP, which has seen a big resurgence of sorts with more complex titles like Terran Command and Extermination in recent years.
Sometimes, you just want to jump into digital battlefields and start blasting enemies. In this case, those foes are Arachnids as seen in the iconic 1997 sci-fi action satire movie, though new bugs are also joining their ranks to keep things fun and unpredictable. In fact, the later stages of demo’s mission can get hectic and brutal fast. I wasn’t expecting any less!
Ultimate Bug War! shines, at least during this 30-minute demo, because of its simplicity. You rush from one objective to the next, blast some bugs along the way, and get just enough variety in the arsenal and tasks you’re provided to keep things fast-paced and fun. Will the formula hold up over the course of an entire campaign? I hope so, as I’m enjoying the basic loop, the gunplay, and the (shockingly big) scope of its battles.
The key to this one’s ultimate survival (or demise) might be the differences between the planets we visit and the heavier weaponry we get access to. Mechs have been teased (and are in the demo as NPCs), so we’re hoping for extremely chaotic sections in later stages. In any case, this is a simpler, more focused alternative to Starship Troopers: Extermination and its online action that I think many older gamers will love.
The goofy and satirical tone directly extracted from the OG movie also helps seal the deal. Yes, Helldivers 2 is doing the exact same bit, but you gotta love the commitment here to old-school FMVs. Visually, it’s also nostalgic in a way that’s not done very often. Those models are chunky, and the NPC humans are sprites that seem purposefully thin versus the 3D Arachnids, but Ultimate Bug War! doesn’t go as far back as most FPS homages we get these days. That alone should make retro enthusiasts interested in seeing what’s up come March 16.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Gameplay
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a strictly single-player FPS with a mission-based campaign that features both open and more narrow levels. Over 30 weapons and vehicles will be available in the full game, and if the demo’s cheeky tease leads somewhere, we could even get a Bug Campaign or set of missions.
The FPS gameplay is fairly straightforward, with Samantha “Sammy” Dietz being able to hold at least two grenade types and two primary weapons at once. Ammo is limited but not scarce, as drop pods with lots of resources can be requested quite often. There are also turrets and extra ammo stashes spread all over the levels, especially inside outposts that Sammy is tasked with defending.
The main character also has armour and HP bars which are kept healthy with traditional pickups. Though it seems the game doesn’t have a tactical element to it, we can guide a small squad of poor NPC Federation soldiers around the levels, even if they’re mostly expendable grunts.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Story
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! follows the Federation’s Mobile Infantry members as they try to defend humanity from the Arachnid menace, which “has spread far from their home planet of Klendathu.”
Major Samantha “Sammy” Dietz is the Federation’s latest hero you’ll control, but Casper Van Dien (Johnny Rico) and other actors are part of the FMV cutscenes that bridge the game’s missions. The story is a new tale set in the Starship Troopers continuity started by the 1997 movie, but it’s unclear if it’ll acknowledge any of the subpar sequels.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Price and Platforms
No price tag for Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! has been set yet, but we know for sure it’s coming to PC (Steam and GOG), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
A physical edition will be available at select retailers for PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, too.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Trailers
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