The Future of Squad Busters

We launched Squad Busters in May 2024 and were delighted that millions of you jumped in right from the start. The excitement around the launch and the positive response made us believe the game had the potential to stand alongside our biggest hits.

At Supercell, we celebrate what we learn from our failures, and Squad Busters was an opportunity to apply some of those lessons, especially from previous games with long beta periods. We wanted to move faster, take bold risks, and learn directly from a global audience instead of waiting years in a limited release. 

What we learned was that we had got it wrong. The game did not meet the high expectations that both you, our players, and we at Supercell have for our games, and by early 2025, we faced a true crossroads: either accept that Squad Busters might never grow into the kind of global phenomenon we dreamed of, or take a big creative swing. We chose the latter. The introduction of Heroes was the boldest game change of this scale in Supercell’s live game history, an attempt to redefine what Squad Busters could be. But despite the team’s best efforts and your continued support, we were not able to find a lasting solution to its core problems.

After months of reflection, we have made the extremely difficult decision to end active development of Squad Busters. There will be one final update in December 2025, which will include part of the content we shared in our recent roadmap. After that, the game will remain available to download and play for a while longer. We do expect to close it at some point in 2026, but not before the middle of the year.

While this is not the outcome we hoped for, we believe it is the right decision to stay true to Supercell’s goal of creating games that players can love for years. Squad Busters brought joy to many of us, but it did not reach the long-term quality bar we hold ourselves to, making games that millions play and remember forever.

The Squad team is made up of supremely talented developers, and by shifting their energy to both new games and our existing live games, we can continue improving the experiences millions of players already love and ensure that every future Supercell game has the best possible chance to thrive.

What Happens Next

In-app purchases are no longer available as of 11:00 UTC, October 30th. If you made any purchases during 2025, you’ll be able to request a transfer of their value to another Supercell game, including Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Hay Day, or Boom Beach.

The transfer window opens on November 10th through Player Support and will remain available until the end of 2025.

To claim the transfer, be ready to provide the game name, your player name, and player tag from the game you want to transfer to, and follow these steps:

• Open Settings in Squad Busters

• Tap More Settings

• Tap Help and Support

• Tap the blue chat icon on the top right

• Click “Leave a message” button

• Tap on “Transfer in-game currency”

• Follow the instructions

Additionally, as a thank-you for your time, passion, and for being part of this journey, you’ll be able to claim free bundles through the Supercell Store for most of our other games, based on your total Squad Busters playtime.

We’re also bringing back the Squad Busters-themed cosmetics that have remained exclusive since launch, giving you one last chance to claim them and take a piece of Squad with you to Clash Royale, Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Boom Beach.

These rewards will be available starting November 10th and until the end of 2025. If you’ve never played our other games and want to be eligible for the rewards, make sure to download them and link your Supercell ID before November 10th.

We know this news brings questions, and we want to address them openly. On November 13th, we’ll share a written Q&A in-game where we’ll dive deeper into this decision. You can submit your questions through this form, and we’ll do our best to include as many as possible. We’re also exploring other ways to share the story of Squad Busters and its journey in the future.

To everyone who played, supported, and believed in Squad Busters, thank you. Every meme, every squad, and every chaotic match reminded us how lucky we have been to have such a passionate and creative community.

We hope you continue your adventures in our other Supercell games and carry a piece of the Squad spirit with you wherever you go. We are committed to learning from this experience and becoming better at what we do, so that every future game we create has the best possible chance to be played for years, and remembered forever.

Squad Busters will always be a part of Supercell’s story. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

— The Squad Busters Team

During the Hero 8-Bit Event, play different Modes to earn Cartridges and unlock this pixel-powered Hero!

1. Collect Cartridges: the 8-Bit Event currency will be collectible in all Game Modes throughout the duration of the Event.

2. Arcade Blitz High Score: players will be able to earn more Cartridges by placing higher in the Arcade Blitz High Score starting November 10th at 11:00 UTC until November 17th.

1. New Hero: 8-Bit will be unlockable for Cartridges in the 8-Bit Event Journey!

2. Arcade Royale King Skin: can also be unlocked for Cartridges in 8-Bit's Event Journey. 3. Arcade Heavy: will be unlocked using Hero Points in 8-Bit's Hero Journey during the Event!

1. Start Date & Duration: The 8-Bit Event starts Tuesday, December 2nd at 11:00 UTC and lasts until December 10th, 11:00 UTC!

🤖 How 8-Bit Works:

💪 Turret (Power Move)

Level 1: Throws a Turret that boosts the Squad's damage. Level 2: Turret health is increased. Level 3: The Turret also reduces damage taken by the Squad. Level 4: Increases Turret's area of effect. Level 5: Turret periodically sends out a pulse that knocks back enemies.

🔪 Piercing Shot (Trait)

Level 1: 8-Bit's basic attacks pierce through enemies. Level 2: Increase the Attack Range of the Squad. Level 3: 8-Bit prefers targeting enemy Heroes over other targets. Level 4: Increases the Attack Range of the Squad. Level 5: Every 8th attack, 8-Bit fires its basic attack twice.

🪨 Techno Speed (Turbo)

Level 1: Gives the Squad a Speed Boost. After using a full bar of Turbo, 8-Bit gains an Attack Speed boost for a short time. Level 2: Turbo recharges faster. Level 3: Starts with +1 extra Turbo charge.

1. Candy Cane High Score: Win in Gingerbread Monster Trophy as quickly as possible to climb the Candy Cane High Score! The higher your rank, the more Candy Canes you’ll earn! 2. Gingerbread Monster Trophy: Starting December 18th at 11:00 UTC, A devious little Gingerbread Goblin has taken over the Monster Trophy Mode! Collect Gems as quickly as possible to transform into the Gingerbread giant and earn Candy Canes!

3. Ice World Bounties: Starting on December 20th at 11:00 UTC and running for two weekends there will be Ice World Bounties available to hunt down in exchange for Candy Canes.

1. Jolly Holiday Shop: During the Jolly Holiday Event, players will be able to spend Candy Canes on Hero Hats, Jolly Musketeer Skin, and a variety of other rewards! 2. Advent Calendar: Starting on December 1st there will be daily free rewards until December 25th available to unlock including the new Squaddie, Musketeer! 3. Hero Hats: Exchange Candy Canes for Hero Skins. 4. Past Holiday Skins will also be in the Shop.

1. Start Date & Duration: The Jolly Holiday Event starts Thursday, December 18th at 11:00 UTC and lasts until December 31st, 11:00 UTC!

🧨 How Musketeer Works:

🎯 High Impact Shot (Basic Attack + Trait)

Musketeer fires slow but powerful shots from long range. Her attacks deal extra damage to enemies at the outer edge of your Squad’s attack range, making her most dangerous from a distance.

💥 Piercing Bullet (Power Move)

Musketeer unleashes a long ranged bullet that pierces through enemies but stops at walls and terrain. The shot travels about two screens long, far enough to hit off screen targets, and moves at a speed similar to Archer Queen’s X Snipe.

Musketeer can be unlocked for free on day two of the Advent Calendar!

🎉 Regular Events Continue

Even after development ends at the start of 2026, Squad Busters will still have events running on an automatic schedule.

As long as the game stays healthy, you can expect to keep seeing your favorite events return, such as:

• Piñatas

• Bounties

• Tara’s Event

• Weekend Events

• Limited-Time Game Modes

🎁 Unlock Everything Through Lucky Boxes

To make the experience easier for everyone, starting in 2026, everything in the game will be unlockable through Lucky Boxes.

That includes:

• Squaddies

• Heroes

• Skins

• Currencies

• And more.

You’ll still be able to collect and unlock all the content in the game, even after active development ends.

Whether you played one match or a thousand, made memes, shared clips, or just laughed with friends, you gave this game its soul. Watching you bring the chaos, creativity, and fun to life has meant everything to us.

Even though our adventure is ending, the spirit of Squad lives on in you, in that mix of joy, teamwork, and a little bit of mayhem that only this community could create.

Thank you for making Squad Busters part of our story and for letting us be part of yours.

— The Squad Busters Team