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SteamWorld Heist II — turn-based tactics with robot pirates
SteamWorld Heist II is the fan-favourite tactics sequel from Thunderful, released on August 8, 2024. It follows a crew of robot pirates who sail a flooded world in their own submarine, fight side-scrolling gun battles and decide who lives and who eats a ricocheting bullet. Here you get a Steam gift for the Standard edition: the game lands in your library and stays yours forever.
What it's about
Set decades after the first SteamWorld Heist, the story takes place on an Earth broken into "shards" where the ocean is poisoned by a strange rust called the "Rust" disease. You play as Captain Quincy Leeway, who assembles a ragtag crew to find out who's contaminating the water and why. Along the way there are cults, deep-sea civilisations and a showdown with a genuine sea monster. It's a standalone story — you don't need the original to follow it, though returning fans will spot a familiar face or two.
How it plays
At its core are turn-based, side-on 2D gunfights. You move your bots between cover, aim manually and can bounce shots off walls and ceilings to hit enemies around corners — the series' signature trick. There's no dice-roll miss chance: if your aim lines up, you hit. It's all about your hand and the level's geometry.
- Job system. Each robot learns specialisations — from sniper to engineer — so you shape the squad around your playstyle.
- Submarine and naval combat. Between missions you explore an open ocean map by sub and fight real-time naval battles.
- Loads of gear. Dozens of weapons, gadgets and upgrades give you plenty of room to experiment with builds.
Critics welcomed it warmly: scores around the low 80s on Metacritic, with outlets like GameSpot giving 9 out of 10 and praising how elegantly the systems work together. The campaign is nearly twice the length of the original, so there's plenty to sink into.
What's in the Standard edition
You're buying the full base game with nothing cut. This is the Standard Edition specifically — the standalone official soundtrack bundled with the Deluxe version is not included in this gift. No add-ons are required to play: the whole story and all the gameplay are available from the start.
Region and how the gift arrives
This is a Steam gift for the Russian region, not a key — there are no codes to type in. Delivery runs through a friend-bot: the bot adds you to its friends list itself, sends SteamWorld Heist II over as a gift and then leaves — you don't need to send or confirm any friend request manually. Steam Guard isn't required to receive the gift. For the gift to be accepted, your Steam account region should be Russia, and the game must not already be in your Steam library — otherwise the gift won't go through. Delivery usually takes a couple of minutes: you simply accept the gift and the game stays on your account forever.
Where to play
SteamWorld Heist II runs great on PC and is especially comfortable on Steam Deck — the turn-based format suits a gamepad perfectly, so you can lean back and plan your moves. On Linux it runs via Proton, and the controls feel just as good with mouse or controller.
How it differs from the first game
Where the original had you flying between asteroids, here the whole scale moves underwater. An open ocean map, a submarine with upgradable hull and guns, and real-time naval skirmishes are all new. The headline addition is the job system: a single crew member can serve as sniper, engineer or jet-pack assault trooper, carrying some skills across classes. That makes your squad flexible and your builds varied — the same mission can be solved a dozen different ways. Add the gear that unlocks as you explore the world and you get tactics worth digging deep into.
Why buy it as a gift
A gift gives you a full copy of the game on your own Steam account: achievements, cloud saves, updates and Workshop all work as normal. No subscriptions and no tie to a third-party launcher — just Steam. Once you've accepted the gift the game is yours forever; reinstall it as many times as you like and pick up from any device where your account is logged in.
Similar games in our catalogue
If this Thunderful tactics clicks with you, check out the original SteamWorld Heist that started it all, and the platforming adventure SteamWorld Dig 2 from the same robot universe. Fans of turn-based puzzle combat will also enjoy Into the Breach.
In short
SteamWorld Heist II is a smart, gorgeous and surprisingly deep tactics game where ricochets matter and the submarine adds real scope. Grab the Steam gift, the bot sends the game over in a couple of minutes, and your stylish crew of robot pirates is already waiting for a captain.
🔗 Another way to buy
Nearby in the catalog: SteamWorld Heist II as a Steam key.