An XCOM miniatures game has been officially revealed by the team behind the Fallout and Elder Scrolls wargames.
Finally breaking cover after it was teased back in April, XCOM: The Miniatures Game is a solo and co-op "adventure wargame" from Modiphius Entertainment due to launch toward the end of 2026. Based on the XCOM Enemy Unknown video game but using the 'Five Parsecs From Home' system, it sees you building up the XCOM organization with an upgradable base, an elite squad you've created yourself, and by researching technologies to aid in your fight (presumably using a system not unlike those seen in 'Legacy' versions of the best board games to track long-term progress).
All of this makes it sound as though the XCOM miniatures game will follow a long-running campaign. Indeed, the Modiphius press release notes that "new aliens will start to appear each month during the war," with the option for players to "purchase encounter sets that match the months to grow their game collection as they go."
This XCOM adaptation isn't just a team exercise, though. Like so many other wargames, it also includes a head-to-head mode where one of you takes control of the alien menace.
Pre-orders are set to begin in July, with a range of accessories and miniatures up for grabs alongside the core rulebook. If you pre-order that rulebook you'll get a PDF copy immediately, allowing you to test-drive those rules with proxy minis.
Speaking of minis, a six-member XCOM Operatives squad will be available to pre-order in July. These drop alongside a host of aliens (Sectoids, Sectoid Commanders, Thin Men, Outsiders, Floaters, Chryssalids, and Seekers) in addition to XCOM terrain by way of Infection Pods. Plenty more are apparently coming later on, and you can sign up directly via Modiphius for news as it happens.
Personally, I've got a good feeling about this one. While miniatures wargaming is a crowded market to say the least, Modiphius has ample experience via the likes of The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms, particularly when it comes to games with light RPG elements. That's what gives me hope about XCOM: The Miniatures Game, actually. The fact that it includes an upgradable base, research projects, and what seems to be a slowly developing war against the aliens gives a strong narrative foundation that should help it stand out from the crowd. Hopefully being able to try those rules in July will shed a little more light on the matter.
What do you think? Will you be giving the game a try? Shout about it in the comments below.
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