Hello Commanders,
As we march into 2026, it’s time for a fresh briefing on what lies ahead for KARDS. This update to our Living Roadmap gives you a high-level look at the key operations we’re planning for the year.
What is the Living Roadmap?
The KARDS roadmap is a regularly updated, high-level overview of major milestones for KARDS - The WW2 Card Game. It focuses on the big pillars of the year: expansions, seasonal releases, and headline events such as tournaments and the World Championship.
It does not list every regular patch, smaller update, balance change, or in-game event. Those are still very much part of our ongoing work to improve KARDS, but the roadmap is meant to stay readable and focused on the overall campaign rather than every single operation.
Because this is a living roadmap, details and timing may change as development progresses. If we make adjustments, we’ll update you accordingly.
Let’s take a look at what’s planned for 2026.
KARDS Living Roadmap
Alongside the milestones shown on the roadmap, you can expect regular card balance updates, adjustments to game modes such as in-game tournaments, Draft, and Classic, UI enhancements, quality-of-life improvements, and other refinements throughout the year.
2026 at a Glance
In broad strokes, here’s how the 2026 campaign is shaping up:
- 2 major expansions - in Summer and Winter
- 2 major releases - in Spring and Fall
- 4 seasonal tournaments - Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
- The KARDS 2026 World Championship - in October
- Ongoing work on various features
- Plus regular updates and special events along the way
The sections below give a bit more detail on these pillars.
Major Expansions: Summer & Winter
Across 2026, we have four major releases lined up, with the Summer and Winter expansions serving as the card-focused powerhouses of the year.
These expansions are planned to bring:
- A large wave of new cards (on the scale of our biggest previous sets)
- New mechanics to explore and build around
- Select feature updates or improvements
We’re targeting the Summer expansion for around the middle of the year and the Winter expansion for later in the year. As we get closer, we’ll share more detailed intel on themes, mechanics, and card previews.
Major Releases: Spring & Fall
Complementing the Summer and Winter expansions, our Spring and Fall releases are equally important moments in the year, centered on new features and improvements to the overall KARDS experience.
Where the expansions focus on sheer card volume and new mechanics, these releases are typically where we:
- Roll out larger feature updates and improvements to game systems
- Add a more focused set of new cards
- Make balance changes that keep the battlefield in motion
The Spring and Fall releases round out the year with game improvements, new features, and focused mini-sets of cards. With the Spring release scheduled for March, we’re looking forward to sharing more details about this upcoming release with you soon.
Esports 2026: Seasonal Tournaments & World Championship
In 2026, the KARDS competitive year is planned to be built around:
- Four seasonal tournaments - Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall
- The KARDS 2026 World Championship in October
Each seasonal tournament will:
- Feature top players from the Officer Club ladder and tournament trophy leaderboard from the months leading up to the event
- Offer a 3,000 USD prize pool
- Take place in a meta that has recently been refreshed, either by a major release, a major expansion, or a meaningful balance update
All roads lead to the KARDS 2026 World Championship, where the most successful competitors from across the year’s circuit will battle for the title of World Champion.
You can read more about the esports plans for 2026 here:
Features in Progress for 2026
Beyond expansions, releases, and tournaments, we’re also working on several larger features and systems. These are in active development, and we’ll share more concrete details as they draw closer.
Reserve Pool Rotation
When we first introduced the Reserve pool, our goal was to keep the Active card pool at a healthy size, avoid power creep, and make it easier for players to build decks and join the fight. Up until now, rotations have happened four times a year with each major expansion and release, and cards moving into the Reserve pool have been hand-picked rather than tied to specific expansions or sets.
In 2026, we’re working on an important evolution of this system.
We’re moving toward a once-per-year rotation where cards rotate based on expansions rather than individual hand-picked cards. That means that, instead of selecting specific cards to move into the Reserve pool each time, we’ll rotate by set, creating a clearer and more predictable structure for the Active card pool.
This is a significant change to how rotation works in KARDS, and setting it up will involve a period of adjustment as we transition to the new system. We want to take the time to explain all of these changes properly, and will be publishing a dedicated blog that goes into the details of the new rotation model and what it means for your collections.
You can expect to hear more about this as we get closer to the Spring release in March, when we plan to start taking the first steps toward this new rotation system.
Social Features
KARDS has always been about both cards and camaraderie. We’ve seen how much players enjoy playing with friends and building connections across the community.
In 2026, we’re working on new ways for players to enjoy KARDS together and to strengthen the social experience overall. We’re not ready to reveal final details yet, but the goal is to make it more fun to share the battlefield with others.
Officer Club Ladder
As more Commanders rise through the ranks, the Officer Club and the top of the ladder have evolved along with the game. Reaching the OC is still a major achievement, but the sheer number of players getting there each month has shown us that the upper ranks could use an updated structure.
We’re planning updates aiming to enhance the Officer Club ladder experience, making continued climbing more meaningful once you reach the OC.
These ladder improvements are planned for 2026, and we’ll share more details when we get a bit closer to the update.
Skirmishes
Introduced in 2022, Skirmishes quickly became a popular limited-time mode with special rules and twists. However, they’ve been on hiatus since early 2025 due to some issues behind the scenes.
We’re working to bring Skirmishes back in 2026, with the goal of reintroducing some of your favorite formats and potentially some new ones.
KARDS API
An official KARDS API has been a long-standing request from some of our most dedicated community members and tool creators.
We’re pleased to confirm that an API is in active development and planned for deployment in the first half of 2026. Our aim is to empower community developers to build better websites, trackers, and other tools that enhance the broader KARDS ecosystem. We’ll share more information about access, documentation, and timelines as we get closer to the release.
Regular Updates & Events
Alongside all of the above, we’ll continue to:
- Deliver regular balance updates that keep the meta healthy
- Roll out UI and quality-of-life improvements
- Commemorate special historical and other events through themed content and activities
Our goal is to keep KARDS feeling engaging and dynamic throughout the year, with major releases marking the big highlights.
We’re looking forward to another strong year on the frontlines with you, our incredible community of Commanders.
See you on the battlefield, Commanders!