Auroch and Dotemu continue to drip feed the new content and information for their latest retro action blaster, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Shrewd observers of the game’s demo (playable now thanks to Steam Next Fest!) noticed a door to something called “Bug Mode” in the main hub, and the speculations about it have finally been answered. You do, indeed, for the first time ever in a Starship Troopers game, get to play as the Bugs:
More specifically, you get to play as a bug. More specifically still, you get to take the so-called “Assassin Bug” out for a spin, which utilizes three different forms – Warrior, Hopper, and Tanker – to achieve your objectives. Staged as a training simulation, players take control of this fearsome fiend to conquer ‘Terror Zones’ in an effort to understand the tactics of the Federation’s mightiest foe, but what we’re really getting treated to is a semi open-world destruction frenzy as this outsized monster takes on mobilized infantry and beyond in a whole new twist on the tried-and-true boomer shooter formula.
Bug Mode proves to us that Auroch is trying to stretch their legs from their Boltgun beginnings and play around in new arenas that aren’t just retro first-person shooters. So far, it seems like they’ve got something worthwhile on their hands!
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! releases on March 16, 2026 for PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, but you can download the demo on PC via Steam right now if you’re ready for a taste of the action.
