With Roadmap 2026: Part 2, Wargaming has published a fairly broad look at the coming months. This time, it is about several areas at once rather than a single update: matchmaking, anti-aircraft defense, PvE, new Tech Trees, new ships, maps, weather and content for Christmas and early 2027.
Some of it will arrive in 2026; other features are explicitly planned for early 2027. As always, the details of announced ships and upcoming test content may still change before release.
Even so, the direction is now clear enough to take a proper look at what is actually planned and what is likely to matter to active players.
Cross-server matchmaking is coming in early 2027
One of the biggest items on the roadmap is the planned cross-server matchmaking.
Wargaming intends to start cautiously in early 2027. The initial test is planned for Operations during periods of low demand. Players from different regions will then be able to enter a battle together, provided their connection quality is good enough.
The deliberately limited scope is worth keeping in mind. There is currently no talk of combining all Random Battle queues worldwide.
Nevertheless, it is a notable change. Outside peak hours in particular, cross-server matchmaking could help shorten queues and put together full teams.
Alongside this, Wargaming also wants to:
- Make battles with very small teams less common
- Reduce repeated maps
- Give players the same map several times in quick succession less often
For everyday play, that is probably less spectacular than a new ship, but it could have a considerably greater effect on battle quality in the long term.
Wargaming takes stock of AA defense and CV spotting
Wargaming has also offered an initial assessment of the recent changes to anti-aircraft defense.
The most interesting statement is that, according to Wargaming, the new AA mechanics have so far brought no significant change in overall AA effectiveness.
One reason appears to be the relatively infrequent use of Concentrated AA Fire.
Rather than rebuilding the entire system again, Wargaming therefore wants to improve its usability first. Planned changes include:
- A permanently visible status in the H menu
- Clearer notifications during battle
- A countdown that is easier to follow
According to the roadmap, the previously tested idea of removing flak from the system entirely has been dropped.
No further major overhauls of aircraft carriers or AA defense are planned for 2026 either.
Wargaming sees a clearer effect when it comes to spotting. According to the roadmap, average damage resulting from carrier spotting had fallen by Update 15.4 compared with 14.6. That decrease is particularly pronounced at Tier X.
For players, the immediate takeaway is: no further major CV revolution in the coming months. Instead, the existing system will continue to be refined.
Operations are getting a Hard Mode
PvE remains another major focus.
A Hard Mode for Operations has been announced for early 2027. It will reuse familiar scenarios, but with greater difficulty and better or progressively increasing rewards.
The planned series format is particularly interesting: successfully completed Operations are intended to build on one another, opening the way to increasingly attractive rewards.
Examples mentioned include familiar scenarios such as Defense of Naval Station Newport, as well as newer Pacific content.
This would be Wargaming's first attempt at a more lasting PvE endgame approach, rewarding successful runs across multiple battles rather than just individual Operations.
For players whose enthusiasm for entering Random Battles has become somewhat limited, that may be more appealing than another temporary event mode.
Pacific Front is part of the continuing PvE expansion
Pacific Front also remains on the roadmap.
The mode connects several battles within a larger Operation. You manage your fleet across multiple stages, damage remains relevant throughout the run, and resources can be spent on additional units or modifiers.
In PvE, World of Warships is moving further away from the classic pattern of “one battle, one reward, done.”
The roadmap makes it clear that this approach is not intended as a one-off experiment; it will feed into the continuing development of Operations.
For PvE players, that could be one of the more exciting prospects in the long term: more progression within a run and more decisions between individual battles.
New Tech Trees for 2027
The next additions to the regular Tech Trees are also taking shape.
Dutch battleships will come first. The new line is intended to start at Tier VI and comprise five ships in total.
They will be followed by seven Pan-American cruisers.
One particularly striking detail is that the Pan-American line is intended to launch with a supership. This would be the first new Tech Tree branch introduced together with its supership from the outset.
Historical inspirations for the line include Argentina's Veinticinco de Mayo.
Specific parameters, consumables and final gameplay concepts have yet to be confirmed. For players making longer-term plans, though, one thing is already clear: the Netherlands and Pan-America will receive considerably more attention in 2027.
New ships: Houston, Australia, Phelps, Halcón and Viking
In addition to the Tech Trees, Wargaming has shown several other ships for the first time.
They include:
- Houston
- Australia
- Phelps
- Halcón
- Viking
Final published gameplay parameters are still missing for all five. They firmly belong in the announced or Work in Progress category.
For now, the interesting part is therefore less how strong they might be and more that Wargaming is visibly preparing the next wave of special and Premium ships.
Anyone saving Coal, Steel, Doubloons or other resources for future ships now has a few more names to watch.
Ōta will be the next Dockyard ship
There is also a clear direction for the next Dockyard.
The Japanese Ōta ⚓ has been announced as the next Dockyard ship for the New Year updates.
At least that settles how it will be obtained: anyone who wants the ship will be looking at Dockyard phases, missions and an expected mandatory Doubloon contribution, rather than waiting for a normal sale.
The exact Dockyard conditions have not yet been announced.
It is enough information, however, to avoid spending every last Doubloon before Christmas. Otherwise, we would have another classic WoWS case of something being “surprisingly predictable.”
Pearl Harbor: a historical event with a choice of ships
Update 15.11 is set to bring a web adventure marking the 85th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The official roadmap describes the final reward as a choice between a historical cruiser and a historical aircraft carrier.
The already known test ships Honolulu ⚓ and Akagi ⚓ would fit that description.
Both are still in testing, and their parameters may change.
Honolulu is currently being tested as an American Tier VII Premium cruiser with 15 152 mm guns, Smoke, Hydro and Repair Party. Akagi is intended to be a Japanese Tier VIII Premium aircraft carrier with regular and tactical squadrons.
If these two ships do end up forming the Pearl Harbor choice, the decision is likely to be considerably more interesting to many players than an ordinary container reward.
Until there is final confirmation, though, that connection should be treated as a plausible reading of the current test information, rather than a confirmed delivery plan.
A new map and more weather
Work on maps is continuing too.
A new map is due before the end of the year, visually inspired by the Brazilian region between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
According to the roadmap, two more maps are already in an early concept stage.
In addition, Ocean is getting new weather effects. Volumetric clouds and a longer cyclone are among the changes planned for Update 15.9. Other weather variants, such as thunderstorms and blizzards, are to follow later.
That probably will not suddenly make Ocean everyone's favorite map. At least, though, there will be a little more to see and feel than “Water. More water. Water over there as well.”
A horror mode in the Bermuda Triangle
A new temporary horror mode has also been announced for the autumn.
The scenario revolves around a cult and cosmic beings in the Bermuda Triangle. Players will receive a special ship with its own modification system.
Unusual Transylvania Brawls are also planned for Update 15.9.
Some rewards and mechanics have yet to be detailed, so for now the mode is an interesting preview rather than something that calls for resource planning.
Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027
The usual year-end content is also on the roadmap.
Plans include:
- Holiday Convoy
- Festive Rewards, including the familiar Snowflakes
- Santa containers
- Further Event Pass content
- The Pearl Harbor web adventure
- The new Ōta Dockyard
The period around Update 15.11 is therefore likely to be one of the busiest parts of the WoWS year again.
For larger accounts in particular, it will once again matter which resources can be earned through Festive Rewards and which parallel activities require Doubloons or longer mission chains.
Further quality-of-life and technical changes
Away from the big gameplay topics, several smaller changes are planned.
These include:
- Reworked pre-battle screens
- Improvements to the in-battle and TAB displays
- A later overhaul of the Recruiting Station
- Steam Game Recording
- Integrating ModHub into ModStation
- Further reductions in client size
Wargaming says its longer-term aim is to shrink the client by around 10 GB or more.
None of these changes would carry a patch on its own. Together, though, they could help the client and interface feel a little less like a shipyard that has grown over the decades and a little more like modern software.
Conclusion
Roadmap 2026 Part 2 is less one big announcement and more a fairly clear schedule through early 2027.
AA and matchmaking improvements are likely to matter first in everyday play. In the longer term, cross-server matchmaking is probably the biggest technical change.
PvE players will continue to receive new content through Pacific Front and the planned Hard Mode, while Dutch battleships and Pan-American cruisers are already confirmed as the next Tech Tree branches.
Add several new ships, the Ōta Dockyard, new maps, more weather and another packed end to the year.
There is no need to plan for all of it today. But the roadmap does make one thing fairly clear: World of Warships will not be starting 2027 in power-saving mode.
Sources
-
World of Warships: Roadmap 2026: Part 2, published on 24.09.2026
https://worldofwarships.eu/en/news/general-news/roadmap-2026-part-2/ -
Yuzo's Yapping: Supertest: U.S. Tier VII Premium Cruiser Honolulu, published on 24.09.2026
https://yuzoyapping.blogspot.com/