Twenty-three years. That's no ordinary number. It's how long readers of Warrior Cats, the saga by Erin Hunter that began in 2003, have waited for a proper official video game. TRAILMARK Games and Coolabi Group have finally announced Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest. It will be a turn-based RPG. It will arrive in the fall of 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It's not a simple adaptation of the books: the studio is committed to an original story in which you create your own feline warrior from scratch and choose from the four classic clans. Below is everything we know so far about this installment.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: New Features
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer | TRAILMARK Games (in collaboration with Bamtang Games) |
| Launch window | Autumn 2026 |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X\S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 |
| Gender | Turn-based RPG |
| Playable Clans | ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, WindClan |
| Personalization | Fur, color, tail, ears, whiskers, eyes, markings |
| Combat | Turn-based system with ancient StarClan attacks |
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: History
For anyone who grew up with the adventures of Firestar and the four forest clans, this announcement feels like a historic moment. Since Into the Wild hit bookstores in 2003, fans have filled the void with community-made animations and an official title on Roblox ( Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition, released in 2021). But there has never been a console and PC game with the scope of a full-fledged commercial production.
TRAILMARK Games is no stranger to the studio. Based in Minnesota, its portfolio includes Cruis'n Blast, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, and The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival. The formula is clear: take IPs with a solid fanbase and give them a playable treatment that respects the source material. With Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest, however, the challenge is greater. The Warrior Cats community is particularly demanding when it comes to lore fidelity.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: Four clans, four different campaigns
The most important decision the game makes is also the one that best resonates with readers: each of the four clans (ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan) has its own complete campaign, with its own lore, prophecies, and independent storylines. This means that Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest offers four distinct experiences right from the start.
For a seasoned reader, the appeal lies in seeing the same world from opposing perspectives. What ThunderClan sees as a territorial invasion, RiverClan might see as a matter of survival due to water contamination. TRAILMARK promises that the player's decisions—character relationships, clan alliances, and responses to StarClan prophecies—will have real, branching narrative consequences. It's an ambitious approach for a mid-sized studio. Whether the execution lives up to the promise remains to be seen.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: Create a warrior
The customization system is another area where the development team has placed great emphasis. It's not just about choosing from three predefined coats. Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest allows you to adjust patterns, colors, tails, whiskers, ears, eyes, and body markings. The intention is for the player to create a cat that truly resembles their clan, not a generic avatar.
In addition, there's a lair decoration system (beds, scratching posts, and other items) that adds an extra layer of customization. There's also a light social component: you can showcase your warrior and your lair for other players to visit asynchronously, without needing a simultaneous connection.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: Turn-based combat with the StarClan seal
Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest's combat system is based on classic turn-based RPG gameplay. Encounters include enemies from the books' universe: rats, squirrels, badgers, snakes, and even dogs, as well as final bosses. Each clan has unique abilities. The player builds up combinations of moves to exploit the opponent's weaknesses.
The most direct nod to the lore is the "ancestral attacks" system, special moves granted by StarClan. In the books, StarClan acts as a spiritual guide and source of prophecies; translating that concept into a combat mechanic is a decision that, if executed well, can set the game apart from other generic turn-based RPGs.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: Explore the territory of the clans
The environments recreate iconic locations from the saga: the dense forests of ThunderClan, the marshes of RiverClan, the swampy pine forests of ShadowClan, and the open moors of WindClan. The game also includes sacred sites such as the Moonpool and the Island, key locations in Warriors mythology.
Exploration blends several gameplay elements: climbing trees, leaping between bushes, following scent trails, and solving environmental puzzles. There are hidden paths, secret areas, and encounters with familiar characters from the books: the announcement trailer already showcased Brightheart and what appears to be Cloudtail, Firestar's nephew. For longtime fans, these cameos are likely the biggest draw of the exploration aspect.
Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: Expanding Ecosystem
Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest isn't coming alone. The franchise is experiencing its biggest multimedia expansion yet: an official animated series is in the works for Disney+, and a mobile game is in development with a planned release in 2027. TRAILMARK's RPG is the centerpiece of this strategy, but the ecosystem being built around the IP suggests that Coolabi, the current rights holder, is heavily invested in the saga's future beyond the books.
The game already has a Steam page, where you can add it to your wishlist. No price or exact release date has been confirmed beyond the fall 2026 window. It's also unknown whether there will be a doctor cat mode (one of the most frequently asked questions in community forums) or how long each campaign will be.
For readers who have been waiting two decades for a proper adaptation, Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest looks promising on paper. Four independent campaigns. Deep customization. Combat steeped in lore. A world that can finally be explored in three dimensions. The question isn't whether fans will play it (they will), but whether TRAILMARK can deliver an experience worthy of a saga that has sold over 40 million copies worldwide.