Forget everything you know about tank warfare. The days of crawling over muddy trenches at five miles per hour while squinting through a rigid iron cannon are officially over.

Belgian indie developer Ludum Elite has officially pulled back the curtain on its debut PC project, DroneTanks, and it’s throwing the traditional military blueprint completely out the window. Instead of a sluggish war machine, this upcoming single-player roguelite puts you in the cockpit of a flying, superpowered, steel-plated hero that trades long-range sniper standoffs for devastating, up-close melee combat.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to deliver a crushing hammer slam to an enemy scout drone from 50 feet in the air, this is the game for you.

Heavy Armour Meets Superhero Agility

At its core, DroneTanks reimagines the tank as an agile, mechanical superhero. Your flying tank moves with an aggressive, relentless pace, allowing you to soar through the skies, dodge incoming fire, and drop right into the middle of hostile robotic squads.

Instead of just trading projectile fire, your primary tools of destruction include:

• Devastating Uppercuts: Rocket-boost into oncoming aerial targets and launch them into orbit.
• Crushing Hammer Slams: Bring the weight of a multi-ton flying tank directly down onto ground forces.

The developers have paired this high-flying brawling with deep, real-time buildcrafting. During each run, you’ll unlock branching skill trees, buy shop upgrades, and mix-and-match powerful ability modules dropped by fallen enemies. Because you can combine these traits freely, Ludum Elite promises that you can craft absurdly overpowered, highly experimental “hero tank” builds, ensuring that no two runs ever play out the same way.

The Mission: Step into the chassis of a mechanical hero on a rescue mission to save adorable, glowing “Gemlings” from the rogue security automation network originally built to protect them.

Low-Poly Charm Meets Rhythm-Driven Chaos

Visually, DroneTanks boasts a highly stylised, cartoonish low-poly aesthetic brought to life by expressive, punchy animations that give your armoured avenger a distinct personality.

But don’t let the clean, vibrant art style fool you—the game features a brilliant, rhythm-driven twist during major encounters. The game’s audio engine is dynamically tethered to its boss fights. For instance, when facing down the notorious “Disco Boss,” the soundtrack directly dictates the enemy’s movement patterns and bullet-hell attacks. To survive, free the captured Gemlings, and win the day, you’ll have to time your dashes, uppercuts, and hammer drops perfectly to the beat.

Playable This Summer!

While DroneTanks is launching first as a feature-rich, high-replayability single-player roguelite, Ludum Elite has already noted that they have long-term plans to introduce a chaotic multiplayer mode later in development.

Can’t wait to test out your aerial boxing skills? You won’t have to wait long. Ludum Elite has confirmed it will be debuting a fully playable build of DroneTanks at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne. Attendees will be able to check out the campaign tutorial, explore three distinct biomes, experiment with the skill tree, and go head-to-head with the rhythm-based final boss. Find them at the “Home of Indies” booth in Hall 10.2.

Keep your eyes on TechMash for more updates as we get closer to the showcase, and get ready to wishlist it on Steam soon!

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