Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is a retro first-person shooter from Auroch Digital and publisher DotEmu that drops players into the Starship Troopers universe as a Mobile Infantry soldier fighting the Arachnid threat across the galaxy. A playable demo will be available during Steam Next Fest.
The galaxy is losing ground. Human colonies that once stood as monuments to expansion and collaboration have been torn apart by the Arachnid menace, a species that has spread far beyond its home planet of Klendathu and pushed deep into human territory. This is the universe of the United Citizen Federation, a militarized civilization that frames everything from recruitment to combat training through the lens of civic duty and propaganda. The game leans into that tone completely, presenting itself as a Federation training simulation designed to prepare Troopers on the path to Citizenship. That framing gives the whole experience a specific flavour, part gung-ho military shooter, part knowing wink at the source material's satirical edge.
Players see the war through the eyes of Sammy, a recruit fighting across battlefields packed with Bugs in a solo campaign built around missions and hidden secrets. The arsenal runs deep with over 30 weapons and items ranging from the classic Morita rifle to mechanical bipeds and tactical nukes, all designed to burn, dismember and cripple the Arachnid forces in first person. Auroch Digital, the studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, brings that same retro FPS sensibility here. Fast, loud, and built around the satisfaction of pointing big guns at bigger targets.
The story is original to the game but ties directly into the wider Starship Troopers fiction. General Johnny Rico returns in full motion video sequences, lending the campaign a connection to the franchise's most recognizable face. Alongside him is a new Federation hero, Major Samantha Dietz, who appears to anchor the narrative as players push through the campaign. The use of FMV gives the storytelling a distinct texture, pulling from the same tradition of live-action briefings and propaganda reels that defined the franchise's identity.
A newly announced Bug mode flips the perspective entirely, letting players fight as the Arachnid threat rather than against it. The Federation frames this as understanding the enemy to better destroy it, staying in character even when handing you extra legs.
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is built as a squad-based campaign where players lead their units through large-scale engagements. The retro shooter foundation means this is about momentum and aggression rather than cover systems or careful positioning. With Auroch Digital's track record in the retro FPS space and a universe that practically begs for this kind of treatment, the pieces are in place for a shooter that knows exactly what it wants to be: a Federation-approved training simulation where the only good Bug is a dead Bug.