XCOM: Chimera Squad Will Have Ironman Mode and Mod Support, Firaxis Confirms

There's a new XCOM on the horizon. XCOM: Chimera Squad is a standalone spinoff of Firaxis' strategy series, taking it in a new direction. Years after the end of XCOM 2, a new squad of human, alien, and hybrid soldiers have to keep the peace. Chimera Squad is the familiar tactics gameplay you're used to, with new mechanics like breaching and interleaved turns.

Despite all the new features, some players are likely wondering where some mainstay features of XCOM and XCOM 2 are. Most notably is mod support, which isn't mentioned in 2K's press release about Chimera Squad. A spokesperson for Firaxis confirms to USgamer that mod support is still a firm part of the XCOM experience: "XCOM: Chimera Squad features the same mod functionality as XCOM 2. Players can create their own enemies, characters, maps and other content to expand XCOM: Chimera Squad."

Another feature the hardest of hardcore XCOM 2 players love is the Ironman mode. With Ironman, XCOM 2 players are stuck with a single save file that gets overwritten any time you make a move, so every action really counts. XCOM 2 senior producer Garth DeAngelis told the PlayStation Blog that less than 5 percent of players tackle Ironman because it's so punishing. If that's your flavor, you'll be happy to know its back in XCOM: Chimera Squad.

"In XCOM: Chimera Squad, failing a mission in Ironman will result in restarting the game from the beginning, along with previous Ironman rules of having one ongoing save with no manual save/reload," says a Firaxis spokesperson.

With both features confirmed, it's clear that XCOM: Chimera Squad will be the XCOM players know and love, with just a few tweaks. The digital-only standalone title is coming to PC—there are "no current plans" for a console release according to Firaxis—next week, on April 24, 2020. At launch, it'll carry a limited-time price of $9.99, before moving to $19.99 on May 1, 2020.