Steam’s Tower Defense Fest brings discounts, a new DLC, and a demo running through March 16. Age of Wonders 4 drops its latest expansion today alongside a free update for everyone. Xenonauts 2 finally has a 1.0 date after nearly three years in early access. And Stellar Warfare has pushed what might be its most substantial update yet, rebuilding fleet combat from the ground up. Here is everything worth knowing at the midpoint of the week.
Tower Defense Fest Runs Until March 16
Steam’s Tower Defense Fest is live until March 16 and has pulled in several titles relevant to this audience. The full Kingdom Rush catalogue is at up to 50% off, with Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance at its lowest price ever, and Kingdom Rush 6: Genesis now available to wishlist following its announcement. Defense Grid 2 has launched its Aftermath DLC as part of the event, adding five new missions continuing the campaign narrative, with full mode and difficulty support and scores feeding into global leaderboards. The Ultimate Edition, which includes Aftermath and a substantial bundle of digital extras, is priced at $15. Into the Slimy Mines, the roguelike tower defence from Ant Workshop and Wales Interactive due in May, has an updated demo running through the fest following its Steam Next Fest appearance in February. If the genre is on your radar, this week is the time to dig in. Steam Tower Defense Fest page.
Age of Wonders 4: Rise from Ruin Out Now
Triumph Studios and Paradox Interactive have released Age of Wonders 4: Rise from Ruin today on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The expansion adds the Nomad Culture, which brings the unusual mechanical option of physically relocating cities across the map rather than building in fixed positions, alongside the Harefolk physical form, three new Tomes, and the Astral Barrens terrain type, which actively punishes spellcasters and disrupts magic. All players also receive the free Scorpion Update today, covering combat balance adjustments, new customisation options, and expanded pantheon choices. Rise from Ruin is priced at $19.99 or included in Expansion Pass 3. Steam page.
Xenonauts 2 Leaves Early Access April 2
Goldhawk Interactive and Hooded Horse have confirmed April 2 as the 1.0 release date for Xenonauts 2 across Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store. The game entered early access in July 2023 and has sold over 160,000 copies across a development cycle that included a full air combat rework, a new pro-alien militia faction for the early game, revised strategic layer mechanics, and a defined endgame with closing cinematics. The 1.0 milestone adds Alien Praetorians, performance improvements, reworked original maps, and Steam Workshop integration for modding. If you have been holding out for the finished version rather than following the EA build, April 2 is the date to put in the calendar. Steam page.
Stellar Warfare Rebuilds Fleet Combat in Three Dimensions
Stellar Warfare has shipped what the development team is calling its largest update since the game entered early access, replacing the previous flat-plane control model with a fully navigable three-dimensional combat system. Fleets can now be positioned and manoeuvred across multiple vertical altitude layers, with a redesigned navigation system governing unit response to commands at different heights. The camera system has been rebuilt from scratch, adding a Homeworld-style orbit camera alongside the original strategic view, with improvements to zoom transitions, object tracking, and battlefield readability during large engagements. New debris fields and spatial reference markers assist with orientation, and updated movement indicators clarify commands issued to multiple fleets simultaneously. The developers have framed this as groundwork for future systems designed to scale combat further. Steam page.
Rising Lords: The Pilgrim War Arrives April 21
Argonwood and Deck13 Spotlight have announced The Pilgrim War, the first major expansion for turn-based strategy Rising Lords, launching April 21 on Steam and GOG with console versions following later in the year. The expansion adds a new campaign following Prince Matek of Asir Namur across the desert region of Atra, the Atraman faction with desert-specific units and buildings, a science wheel system, general customisation via equippable items, and six new maps supporting both solo and multiplayer. Argonwood have been building Rising Lords out consistently since early access and this looks like a substantive addition rather than a light content drop. Steam page.
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