Wind Runners turned me into a wannabe fighter pilot in 30 seconds

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Have you ever wished you could be a fighter pilot, tumbling through the skies, pirouetting through the air as you take out enemies on all sides? Honestly, me neither until a few minutes ago when I first saw the Wind Runners trailer. Now I'm humming the Top Gun soundtrack and searching Vinted for second-hand flight suits. Take a look.

Wind Runners looks like a kinetic 2D shooter that channels a little of Vlambeer's classic Luftrausers, but that brings in a vibrant anime-inspired world flecked with roguelike elements. As someone with an attention span measured in nanoseconds, the idea of being able to hop in and immediately get the full experience from a game without waiting around is a tempting one. It should appeal to people used to playing classic shoot-'em-ups as well as the adrenaline junkies.

There’s also something refreshingly old-school about the whole thing. In an era where even action games are asking me to craft—or are designed around silly concepts like ebb and flow—Wind Runners seems laser-focused on movement, momentum, and making things explode as you try to get into the flow state.

The trailer, shown for the first time at the PC Gaming Show 2026, flaunts some pacey action and a cracking soundtrack. It feels like the perfect appetiser. As a result, I'm already desperate to take Wind Runners for a spin myself.

Yes, it turns out another of my many character flaws is impatience, but luckily for me (and you) there's a demo out right now for people who want to strap in and fight the variety of mecha-inspired baddies featured in the trailer. My favourite is the missile-spewing giant spider, and I cannot wait to get shot out of the sky by it repeatedly.

Lucky for me, the game launches into early access September 23, 2026, and there's a demo on Steam out now.

We've just shown off a bunch of new trailers and announcements as part of June's PC Gaming Show. You can see them all for yourself here.