Ethan Crossfield 
Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest has been officially announced as a turn-based RPG launching in fall 2026. Developed by Trailmark Games, the project gives Erin Hunter’s long-running fantasy series a larger gaming presence with custom characters, Clan-based adventures, and a release across PC and current consoles.
What Happened
The announcement arrived through a trailer shared on the official Warrior Cats Instagram account. Clans of the Forest is in development for Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Rather than retelling Firestar’s story, the game will let players create their own cat and select a Clan before beginning an original journey. The trailer showed turn-based combat against threats including snakes, badgers, and dogs, with other Clan members joining the fights.
Trailmark Games is handling development. The studio’s listed credits include Cruis’n Blast, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, and The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival.
Why It Matters for Warrior Cats Fans
Warrior Cats has been a major book franchise for more than two decades, but its official expansion beyond novels has remained limited. Clans of the Forest is therefore a significant step, particularly because it is designed as a full-scale release for modern gaming platforms rather than a smaller side project.
Exploration appears to be as important as combat. Players will travel through forests, rivers, plains, and swamps, while trailer footage also showed cats climbing trees, hunting prey, and moving through the wilderness. Familiar characters such as Brightheart and Cloudtail are present, although the game’s exact relationship with the established book storyline has not been explained.
The project also arrives during a broader expansion for the franchise. A Warriors animated series has been announced for Disney Plus, while Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition remains available on Roblox. A separate mobile game is planned for 2027.
What to Watch Next
With a fall 2026 launch window, the game still has time to clarify its systems, story structure, and the role of recognizable characters. The most important details to watch will be how much freedom players have when building a cat, how Clan selection affects the adventure, and whether the turn-based battles offer meaningful tactical variety.
The platform spread is also notable. Releasing on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and both current Switch systems gives the game a chance to reach existing readers wherever they play. However, its success will depend on whether the adaptation feels substantial to RPG players while preserving the identity that makes Warrior Cats distinct.
Key Takeaways
- Clans of the Forest launches in fall 2026.
- Players create an original cat and choose a Clan.
- The game combines turn-based battles with wilderness exploration.
- It is coming to Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
- Brightheart and Cloudtail are among the familiar characters shown in the announcement.
Expert View
Clans of the Forest is the Warrior Cats game the franchise has been building toward: broad enough to introduce the series to players who have never read the books, but personal enough to let longtime fans create their own place in its world. Trailmark Games will need to show that the combat and exploration have real depth, yet the foundation is promising. A customizable Clan adventure is a much better fit for Warrior Cats than a straightforward adaptation of one character’s story.
