Worms is back with two new games, one modern and one more traditional

Worms is getting two new games. Team17 has handed development duties to Absolutely Games, which is currently working on Worms: Galactic Tactics and a second project simply called Worms. The two games are taking very different approaches, which makes this more interesting than a straightforward series revival. Galactic Tactics is the bigger departure. It’s a 3D tactical roguelike built around destructible battlefields, squad upgrades and repeated runs. The other Worms game looks much closer to the traditional formula that made the series famous in the first place. So, rather than trying to squeeze everything into one release, Team17 is splitting Worms in two directions.

Worms: Galactic Tactics changes the structure

Worms: Galactic Tactics is planned for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, with release currently scheduled for 2027. This one’s fully 3D. Players take a squad of worms through the Galactic Gauntlet, fighting a series of battles under Emperor Flugg. Instead of playing isolated matches with fixed equipment, you’ll build up your squad as you go, collecting gear and changing how your weapons behave during a run.

The terrain still matters. A lot. Explosions can rip apart parts of the battlefield, opening new routes, destroying cover or leaving another worm in a very awkward position. That’s classic Worms territory, even if the surrounding game structure has changed.

Weapons can also be upgraded with offensive and defensive effects. Some modifications can burn terrain, while others can remove armour or change how a weapon performs. Familiar equipment is still here too, including the exploding sheep and Holy Hand Grenade, joined by newer weapons such as the Cosmic Donkey.

Some attacks also include skill-based timing elements. That means positioning, height and timing can all affect the result rather than leaving everything to simple weapon selection and trajectory. Local and online 1v1 multiplayer are planned as well.

The second Worms game sticks closer to the original idea

The other game is much more mysterious. For now, it’s simply called Worms. Absolutely Games is developing it alongside Galactic Tactics, but Team17 hasn’t confirmed platforms, a release date or a full feature list.

What we do know is that it’s meant to be a more traditional take on Worms. That makes sense. The series has spent years switching between its classic 2D artillery battles and more experimental ideas, including several attempts at full 3D gameplay. Some worked better than others, but Worms has never really stayed in one place for long.

Developing two games gives Team17 some room. Galactic Tactics can try something different without forcing those systems into the traditional format, while the second project can focus on the type of Worms match most players already recognise.

Worms started life on the Amiga

The Worms story goes back to programmer Andy Davidson, who began experimenting with artillery-style gameplay before moving development to the Commodore Amiga in 1993. At that stage, the game was called Total Wormage.

Davidson used the Amiga version to develop the ideas that would eventually define Worms. Small teams fought across destructible landscapes using increasingly strange weapons, with players judging angles, power and positioning before taking a shot. The game didn’t immediately find a publisher.

Davidson entered Total Wormage into an Amiga Format programming competition, but it didn’t lead anywhere. He kept working on it and later showed the game to Team17 at the European Computer Trade Show in 1994. Team17 signed it.

Total Wormage became Worms, and the first commercial game arrived in 1995. Although Worms quickly appeared on PC and a long list of consoles, its Amiga roots were important. Team17 itself was closely tied to the machine during the early 1990s, having already released games such as Full Contact and Alien Breed for Commodore’s computer. Worms soon became one of the company’s biggest series.

The Amiga story didn’t end with the first game

There was another important Amiga release. Worms: The Director’s Cut arrived in 1997 and was made specifically for AGA Amiga systems. It expanded the original game with extra weapons, new movement options, cavern levels and editing features.

It also acted as a testing ground for ideas that later appeared elsewhere in the series. By that point, though, Worms was already moving firmly into the PC and console market. Worms 2 was being developed for Windows, and Team17 had begun turning the original concept into a much larger franchise.

The basic structure stayed recognisable. Two or more teams. Destructible landscapes. Limited movement. Ridiculous weapons. One badly judged shot capable of ruining an entire turn. That’s still the core of Worms.

Two different versions of Worms are now being built

Galactic Tactics clearly isn’t trying to recreate the 1995 game. It’s taking familiar parts of Worms and putting them inside a different kind of strategy game, with progression systems, weapon upgrades and roguelike runs. The second Worms project looks set to stay closer to the established artillery format.

That leaves Team17 with an unusual setup. Instead of deciding whether Worms should move forward or stick to its traditional design, it’s doing both at the same time. Galactic Tactics is currently planned for 2027. The other Worms game doesn’t have a release date yet.

For a series that started as an Amiga project more than 30 years ago, the basic idea remains surprisingly easy to recognise. You still have worms. You still have weapons. And sooner or later, someone’s going to misjudge a shot.