The R-Type Tactics collection is coming West this June

NIS America has announced that R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos will launch in Western markets on June 18, 2026. The collection is coming to the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Developed by Granzella, the package remakes two PlayStation Portable games: 2007's R-Type Tactics (released as R-Type Command in North America) and 2009's R-Type Tactics II: Operation Bitter Chocolate. The second game has never been released outside of Japan until now.

I love R-Type. I first played the original arcade shooter on the TurboGrafx-16, and it was essentially a system seller for me at the time. The graphics and sound blew me away. It was incredibly difficult, but the mechanics were perfectly balanced. Moving that franchise's brutal space battles onto a turn-based hexagonal grid was a weird concept back in 2007, but the transition worked surprisingly well.

A long development cycle

This collection was originally announced in 2022. After several delays pushed the release window from 2023 to 2024, and then into 2025, Granzella finally published the Japanese version earlier this month on March 12. Western players now have a firm date to look forward to.

Granzella replaced the flat PSP sprites with 3D models for this release. The massive mechanical fortresses of the Bydo empire take up a lot of screen space, and the updated visual engine handles the scale well. The developers also added new post-game missions that take place after the events of the second game, along with online multiplayer support.

Side-scrolling strategy

The core loop remains unchanged from the handheld originals. You command the human Space Corps across a hex grid. The maps retain the side-scrolling perspective of the mainline arcade games. Your fleet has to navigate narrow corridors and environmental hazards while moving from left to right.

You have to position units like the R-9A Arrow Head carefully to take advantage of directional attacks and weapon ranges. The classic Force pod mechanic is intact. You can detach the invincible pod from your main ship to block incoming fire or attach it to the rear to shoot backwards.

Combat resolves in cinematic sequences. You manage unit stats, weapon options, and hit percentages before committing to an attack. Once you finish the main human campaign, the game flips the perspective. You get to play as the Bydo empire. This second campaign lets you use their organic ships and mutating weapons against the human fleet.

Physical editions

NIS America is taking pre-orders for an $80 physical limited edition on its official store for the Switch and PlayStation consoles. The package includes a two-disc soundtrack, art cards, and two acrylic stands.

If you plan to play on Xbox, you will have to buy the game digitally. The publisher quietly cancelled the physical Xbox editions entirely. The digital version will be available across all supported platforms on June 18.