Key Highlights:
- Worms: Galactic Tactics launches in 2027 with three-worm squads, fully destructible 3D arenas and a multi-stage roguelike campaign called the Galactic Gauntlet.
- Weapons can be heavily modified between battles, while permanent upgrades purchased with Juice remain available after failed runs.
- Team17 and Absolutely Games are also developing a separate title simply called Worms, which will provide an updated take on the classic series formula.
Team17 has revealed Worms: Galactic Tactics, a new turn-based tactical roguelike launching in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.
Developed by Absolutely Games, Galactic Tactics moves the series into fully destructible 3D arenas while retaining classic Worms weapons, environmental destruction and turn-based combat. Players build a squad of three worms and enter the Galactic Gauntlet, a multi-stage deathmatch controlled by Emperor Flugg.
Each stage introduces new enemies, upgrades and opportunities to modify the squad before the next fight.
The roguelike structure affects both temporary and permanent progression.
After each battle, players are offered offensive and defensive mods that can radically change how familiar weapons and utilities behave. These include effects that increase Bazooka damage, allow Fire Punch to drain health, make the Grapple stun enemies, generate shields, throw opponents farther, buff allies or set sections of the battlefield on fire.
Mods can also be combined into more specialised builds rather than functioning as isolated bonuses.
One example is the Hot Rocket, an incendiary upgrade that can set parts of the arena ablaze. Another named mod, Power Stripper, can remove armour from enemies before follow-up attacks.
I think that mod system is the most important departure from traditional Worms because it makes the same weapon capable of filling different tactical roles across separate runs rather than simply changing how much damage it deals.
Failure does not reset everything.
Players collect a resource called Juice during the Galactic Gauntlet and can spend it on permanent upgrades after a run ends. Those upgrades strengthen future attempts, giving the campaign a persistent progression layer alongside the temporary mods earned within individual runs.
The Gauntlet itself contains hand-crafted arenas rather than procedurally generated battlefields.
Confirmed environments range from Candyland to Emperor Flugg’s palace, with challenges escalating as players move through the campaign. Specialist enemy classes and champion bosses appear along the way, creating encounters designed around more than simply eliminating identical opposing worms.
Terrain remains fully destructible.
Explosions can remove large sections of the map, alter movement routes and expose enemies, while explosive barrels provide additional opportunities to reshape an arena during combat. High ground also matters because positioning can improve weapon accuracy.
Galactic Tactics adds another unusual layer through skill-based weapon minigames.
Players still need to position worms and select the right attack, but certain weapons require timing or other input to determine whether the shot lands effectively. Team17 says accurate execution can produce critical hits, meaning some attacks combine tactical planning with a small mechanical skill check.
The arsenal mixes returning weapons with completely new additions.
Classic equipment appears alongside weapons including the Beambow, Meteor Sheep and Die-napple. The Cosmic Donkey also returns as one of the game’s heavier destructive options, while item crates can expand a squad’s available arsenal during a battle.
Movement, weapons and utilities can all be combined within a turn.
That gives Galactic Tactics a more flexible structure than a simple move-then-shoot sequence, particularly once weapon mods and environmental effects begin interacting with each other.
The game is not limited to its roguelike campaign.
Galactic Tactics includes 1v1 multiplayer both locally and online, allowing players to fight outside the progression structure of the Galactic Gauntlet. Steam also currently lists both single-player and multiplayer support.
Squad customisation remains part of the series’ identity.
Players can name their worms and choose from dozens of hats, voicebanks and gravestones. Team17 gives examples ranging from British police-themed squads to deliberately mismatched groups of customised worms.
Galactic Tactics also marks a significant developer change for the franchise.
Absolutely Games is best known for Classified: France ’44, a turn-based tactical strategy game released in 2024. The Guildford-based studio is now developing both of Team17’s newly announced Worms projects rather than Team17 handling the games entirely in-house.
That second project is currently titled simply Worms.
Team17 says it will offer an “updated take” on the classic Worms experience that players have known for more than 30 years. No platforms, release window or gameplay details have been announced for the second game.
The distinction matters because Galactic Tactics is not being presented as the franchise’s replacement for traditional Worms.
Instead, Team17 and Absolutely Games are developing two different directions at once: Galactic Tactics experiments with roguelike progression, 3D arenas and build crafting, while Worms is intended to revisit the classic formula more directly.
Worms: Galactic Tactics is scheduled for 2027 on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2. Team17 has not announced an exact release date or price.
