We have probably all worked out now that Steam is just one big year-long sale and discounting event. Outside of the big ones like the Summer and Winter Sales, we have things like the Spring Sale (you can see what they are doing here). Around these key dates though we have more nuanced mini-sales or events and festivals, which zone in on genres and offer some deep discounts on games you might easily miss during the major events.
So if you are sick of seeing Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption deeply discounted, these are the places to look when it comes around to genres you are keen on.
One of my favorites is Tacticon – Steam’s showcase of, you guessed it, tactical games. These days, this genre is where I spend a lot of my time, where some of my fave publishers such as Hooded Horse and Firesquid hang out, and generally where I get the most bang for my buck.
When is Tacticon 2026?
Tacticon 2026 is just underway for its fifth year and will run for the next few days until July 13, so while not the longest period of time in the world,, you do get the weekend to have a good browse and make your decisions.
What to get in Tacticon 2026
I mean, the world is your oyster but there are some I want to point out straight from the off. Let’s have a look.
Australia Did It
Legendary dev Rami Ismail is back with Australia Did It which sees a a hot, barren wasteland, filled with killer bugs and unfriendly inhabitants…as the inspiration for his latest game – it’s just a joke, Rack off Bouncer.
“From the co-creator of Nuclear Throne, Luftrausers and Ridiculous Fishing comes a tactical strategy game for players who love deep unit buildcraft, hard positioning choices, and watching optimized plans survive….or collapse under pressure.”
I played a lot of Luftrausers back in the day and will always have time for Rami’s games. At the moment we have a new demo and the chance to get into the playtest, but the game itself currently has no release date. Get it on your wishlist immediately though.
Rogue Carrier
We also get a look at the interesting Rogue Carrier from Wild Fields and Hooded Horse which has only recently been announced – roguelite colony management sim ( and we all know I love my colony management sims. The twist here is your colony is aboard the ship itself and therefore moving around, rather than the staticnness of say, something like Rimworld. The real description will do a better job of this than I, so here you go:
“Travel the vast oceans of an alien planet in this roguelite colony management game where you must build and thrive aboard a massive ocean-faring ship. Stranded on an unknown world, you must seek essential resources to power vital production chains, manage crew morale and needs as you build your mobile colony, and defend yourself against all manner of existential threats in your quest for answers. Rogue Carrier puts you in charge of an interstellar expedition gone wrong. As the sentient planet reacts to your presence, will you secure a path to escape the world? Or does your fate rest at the bottom of its endless oceans, taking your experience forward into future attempts?”
No date as yet, but it looks cool.
But what’s available now?
Correct. You aren’t really here to wishlist your life away though, so let’s look at games you should be picking up if you don’t already have them.
Menace
First up I am repping Menace, which has been one of my favorite games of the year so far. From the guys that brought you Battle Brothers, Menace, from Overhype via Hooded Horse is 25% off right now and, even though it is in Early Access is super fun and constantly getting updates.
The description sets the tale, but doesn’t really manage to get across how tense the battles are:
“Command a strike force of marines, mercenaries, and criminals in a distant system, cut off from the Core Worlds. At the lawless frontier, the Wayback system is controlled by pirate warlords, questionable corporations, and fractured planetary governments who struggle for a new order. Though you initially lead your strike force of marines from aboard the strike cruiser TCRN Impetus, you’ll quickly need to unite the disparate locals under your leadership to defeat an unknown threat. Fielding tanks, walkers, and infantry squads with a massive selection of equipment to choose from, you’ll train your troops, plan out operations, and engage in deadly tactical battles.”
If you are remotely interested at this point, I highly recommend checking out a quick YouTube video to see the deal, and it will be in your library within minutes.
Nova Roma
So I am looking for stuff out of the mainstream here. We could all just say go and buy Midnight Suns, but the point is to try and direct you to stuff you might otherwise miss. Nova Roma takes on the big city-builders of the generation, makes the graphics a bit simpler and challenges you to build a city that can rival the might of fallen Rome. Oh, and there’s chariot racing in the latest update.
Everything is a delight to play and the added extra of having to keep the Gods happy adds that little pressure in the back of your tiny brain that you know you need to be doing something else you have forgotten about. 20% off right now.
Kingdom: Two Crowns
Okay this is a serious leftfield call, but I think you will like it. 2018’s Kingdom: Two Crowns sees you “Gather coins, build defenses and reclaim your fallen Kingdom. Explore and uncover secrets, unlock new technologies and protect your crown versus waves of Greed monsters that come at night. Kingdom is a solo or co-op micro-strategy and tower defense game set in an atmospheric pixel world.”
It’s a very chill, amazing little game that you may very well not have heard of, but at 80% off right now bringing it under $5 I’d urge you to check it out. As a co-op it is some of the best gaming of this type you will get, but even soloing it, you will see the hours fly by.
It’s the kind of game that, eight years later, people are still trying to recreate the look of, so it’s certainly not aged, and if funds are tight, well, then you’re welcome.
In conclusion
If nothing here has ticked your fancy there’s hundreds of other options, just head to the Tacticon banner on Steam and watch that cash drain away.
Authored by
Paul McNally
Paul McNally has been around consoles and computers since his parents bought him a Mattel Intellivision in 1980. He has been a prominent games journalist since the 1990s, spending over a decade as editor of popular print-based video games and computer magazines, including a market-leading PlayStation title. Paul has written high-end gaming content for GamePro, Official Australian PlayStation Magazine, PlayStation Pro, Amiga Action, Mega Action, ST Action, GQ, Loaded, and the The Mirror. He has also hosted panels at retro-gaming conventions and can regularly be found guesting on gaming podcasts and Twitch shows. Believing that the reader deserves actually to enjoy what they are reading is a big part of Paul’s ethos when it comes to gaming journalism, elevating the sites he works on above the norm.
Against the Storm is getting a free to play weekend, running until July 13th (Monday). It gives players a chance to jump in and try the critically acclaimed dark fantasy…
