Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest is almost here. The turn-based RPG based on Erin Hunter's best-selling Warriors books launches next week (October 23rd) on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. Trailmark Games is publishing it with rights holder Coolabi Group, while Peruvian studio Bamtang Games is handling development. The biggest draw for longtime fans is the story, since the four new storylines in the game were written exclusively for it by Erin Hunter.
Trailmark locked in the date back in September (September 1st) with a new trailer and a post that kicked off pre-orders. Check it out below:
Create Your Own Warrior Cat
Every run starts in the cat creator. Players can pick fur patterns, colors, tails, whiskers, ears, eyes, and markings, and Trailmark says there are millions of possible combinations. Once your cat is ready, you choose which of the four Clans to join: the courageous ThunderClan, the graceful RiverClan, the cunning ShadowClan, or the swift WindClan. Each Clan has its own story campaign shaped by its culture and traditions, so the game plays out differently depending on where you pledge your loyalty.
The game takes place in the Lake Territories from the books. Fans can explore ThunderClan's dense forests, RiverClan's marshlands, ShadowClan's dark pine swamps, and WindClan's open moors, along with the sacred Moonpool and the Island. Outside of combat, your cat can climb trees, pounce through the undergrowth, track scents, solve environmental puzzles, and hunt birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other prey. Nine cats from the books show up along the way, alongside an original cast made for the game, and the official description promises players can "uncover the mysteries of StarClan itself."
For a closer look at the gameplay, here is the release date trailer from Trailmark:
Turn-Based Battles And Three Game Modes
Fights play out in turn-based battles of up to three versus three. There are 75 combat moves to discover and unlock, along with Clan-specific abilities and ancestor attacks granted by StarClan. Timing and tactics matter, and players can experiment with combat stances and target enemy weaknesses. The enemy list goes well beyond rival Clan cats, with badgers, foxes, Dobermanns, and more waiting in the territories.
There are three modes at launch. Prophecy Mode holds the four original stories about the trials of Clan life. Defender Mode tests how long you can last against the game's fiercest enemies in a single run. Skirmish Mode lets you battle other players online asynchronously. Trailmark also says characters, quests, and stories are procedurally generated, so no two playthroughs should be the same.
Dens, Crafting, And Online Visits
Your cat also has a den to call home. Players can forage materials, craft items such as bedding and scratching posts, and decorate the den with unlockable pieces. Friends can visit each other's camps online, and you can help them out by crafting items or gifting them resources and materials.
Price, Editions, And Pre-Order Bonus
The Standard Edition costs $29.99, and the Feral Edition costs $39.99. The Feral Edition adds the Prophecy Pack, which includes eight new elements for the cat creator, 12 wearable accessories, a cel-shaded skin, four cat poses for photo mode, and four photo mode effects. The Prophecy Pack is also listed on Steam as a separate $14.99 add-on. Anyone who pre-orders either edition digitally gets the Purrfect Look Pack, a set of extra cat creator options. The PC version is light on hardware too, needing only a GTX 1060 or RX 580, 8 GB of RAM, and 4 GB of storage at minimum.
Fans have been showing up for it. The game passed 100,000 wishlists on Steam in September, and Trailmark celebrated by sharing a look at the island map and territories. The publisher also had a little fun with the launch date, since it lands on the same day as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. "In 2023, BarbieHeimer became a global movie phenomenon. On October 23, 2026, the video game industry will unleash its own," Trailmark posted, tagging the Call of Duty account.
A Huge Franchise Gets A New Game
HarperCollins published the first Warriors book, Into the Wild, in 2003. The series has since sold more than 90 million copies, been translated into 38 languages, and expanded into multiple arcs, standalone novels, and manga. The newest book, Guiding Light, the fourth entry in the Changing Skies arc, came out earlier this month (October 6th). An official animated series is also in production with Tencent Video and is set to premiere in 2028.
Clans of the Forest is the second licensed game from Trailmark, which launched as a publisher earlier this year and released The Walking Dead: Streets of Survival last month.
Are you joining ThunderClan on day one, or are you starting your journey with RiverClan, ShadowClan, or WindClan?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.