The 1997 film Starship Troopers is a nuanced satire of fascism and ultraviolence. No one really cares about that, though, because the franchise is at its best when the focus is on squashing bugs. Developer Auroch Digital (Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun) is looking to do its part with Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War, a first-person boomer-shooter that looks like it was pulled straight out of the late ’90s. It’s launching on March 16 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2, and a PC demo is now available. Do you want to know more?
Similar to its work on Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Auroch Digital has gone with an action-first approach and low-polygon graphics for this Starship Troopers game. Players will get to lead troops through battlefields infested with bugs, wield an arsenal of over 30 weapons–including the classic Morita autorifle, mechs, and tactical nukes–and take part in a campaign that’s peppered with FMVs featuring General Johnny Rico, who is once again played by actor Casper Van Dien.
Starship Troopers has maintained a video game presence over the years, with recent entries including the real-time strategy game Starship Troopers: Terran Command in 2022 and the 2024 FPS Starship Troopers: Extermination. Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 is considered to be the best Starship Troopers game currently, even if it has nothing to do with the franchise other than its on-the-nose references to the movie.
The live-service third-person action game has no shortage of bugs and propaganda that would fit right into the Starship Troopers universe, but the key difference between the two is that Helldivers 2 has even more enemies to contend with–like cyborgs who have mastered the art of the roundhouse kick.