This week’s strategy gaming news includes a pair of Paradox announcements, the first gameplay look at Tropico 7, a new Dawn of War IV faction reveal, a Northgard spinoff, a Wall World spinoff, and several smaller items.
Crusader Kings III Chapter V Announced
Paradox Interactive has launched the Chapter V expansion pass for Crusader Kings III, revealing two upcoming expansions alongside two items available immediately. By God Alone, arriving later this year, deepens the religious systems of the game with a focus on Christianity in medieval Europe, covering doctrinal evolution, heresies, schisms, and the tension between secular rulers and religious institutions. Silk and Silver, also due later this year, opens merchant republic gameplay, allowing players to accumulate power through trade, political office, or noble patronage rather than military conquest, with competition for market control and trade route monopolies as the primary strategic layer. Available now with Chapter V purchase are Symbols of Authority, a clothing cosmetic pack covering European crowns and headwear, and Songs of the Realm, a music pack containing thirteen tracks. A free update has also gone live adding an improved ledger, expanded stat tracking, interface shortcuts, and new sound cues. Chapter V is priced at $43.99. Steam Page
Hearts of Iron IV Peace for Our Time Focus Pack Out Now
Paradox has released Peace for Our Time, a Hearts of Iron IV Focus Pack developed in collaboration with modders Logan Calkins, Abbus Fung, and Marijn Vroegh, priced at $5.99. The pack covers Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s and adds new national focus trees across democratic, communist, monarchist, and fascist paths, alongside a Divided Nation mechanic reflecting the challenges of governing internal divisions and an Army Readiness balance of power system. Arms export mechanics tied to the industrial focus path allow players to influence global conflicts through weapons sales. New art, two music tracks, and 3D depictions of Prague Castle and Bojnice Castle are included. Steam Page
Tropico 7 First Gameplay Teaser Released
Kalypso Media and in-house developer Gaming Minds Studios have released the first gameplay teaser for Tropico 7, alongside a developer log covering city building, the political matrix, constitutions, and edicts. The game spans five campaign maps, features the largest islands in the series across an archipelago setting, and includes ten additional scenarios, more than twenty sandbox maps, and a random map generator. A terraforming system allowing players to reshape terrain and create new islands is present, alongside a reworked council mechanic for faction management, an updated military system with more direct unit control, and synergy effects tied to building placement. Tropico 7 is targeting a 2026 release across PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5, and will be available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Steam Page
Dawn of War IV Adeptus Mechanicus Faction Revealed
Deep Silver and KING Art Games have released the second of four CGI faction trailers for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, this one covering the Adeptus Mechanicus. The faction is new to the Dawn of War series. The trailer follows Magos Dominus Nulpherus-1 and a fellow tech priest into what appears to be a dormant Necron tomb before the structure activates around them, with Sicarian Ruststalkers providing the extraction. Two further faction reveals are still to come. Steam Page
Northgard Battlegrounds Announced
Shiro Unlimited and developer Funday Games, the studio behind Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, have announced Northgard Battlegrounds for PC via Steam Early Access in 2026, revealed at the Galaxies Gaming Showcase. The game is a city-building auto-battler set in the Northgard universe following a Ragnarok event, with players choosing a clan, constructing a settlement across a building phase, and then watching clans resolve combat based on the decisions made during that phase. Each run generates new combinations and synergies, with Norse gods available as powerful abilities unlocked through Lore expenditure. No release date beyond 2026 has been confirmed. Steam Page
Wall World Strategy Announced, Playtest Live
Alawar has announced Wall World Strategy for PC, a 3D colony sim and tower defense RTS set in the Wall World universe, with a Fall 2026 release target. The game is a spinoff from the action-roguelite Wall World games and shifts focus from the individual robo-spider to the settlements and mining operations that support expeditions into the wall. Players construct a colony on the vertical cliff face, manage resources, and defend against alien threats. A playtest is currently live on Steam. Steam Page
Rising Lords: The Pilgrim War DLC Out Now
Deck13 Spotlight and Argonwood have released The Pilgrim War, the first official DLC for Rising Lords, on Steam and GOG at €9.99 with a launch discount. The DLC adds the nation of Atra, a southern kingdom with unique mechanics and units, alongside a new campaign, seven new units, a science system unlocking tactical and strategic advantages for both Atra and the existing Knights faction, and new maps, items, and cards. Console release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch is confirmed for later in the year. Steam Page
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