Planetary Annihilation trailer heralds the launch of beta, the annihilation of planets

Call your game Planetary Annihilation and you're making a pretty big promise that, at some point, a planet is going to be destroyed into bits. Fitting then, that to mark its move into beta, Uber have implemented the first version of their planet smashing tech into the RTS. You can see it in action in this new trailer, which also features plenty of smaller scale battles between robots that, ultimately, get squished into paste.

"This is still work in progress, and you will see a great deal of iteration in the coming weeks and months," explains the latest set of patch notes covering the first beta release. In addition to strapping great big rockets onto asteroids, the beta also introduces orbital weapons and surveillance, and launchers to fling tanks, bots and vehicles onto celestial bodies.

For the fiscally responsible strategists out there, the beta also brings another change. The price has again dropped, with beta access costing £40/$60.

As for the future, Uber touch on their plans in the latest Kickstarter update . "We'll continue to make your experience as best as possible. Also, Galactic War, in-game community-related features, better modding support, and a mod marketplace are all on deck."

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.