Every new Warrior Cats book dated for 2026 and 2027: Guiding Light is out, False Dawn lands March 30 2027, plus the Super Edition schedule.
Warrior Cats New Books: 2026 and 2027 Release Dates
The next new Warrior Cats book is False Dawn, the fifth book of the Changing Skies arc, dated March 30, 2027 by the official reveal. Before that, Guiding Light — book four, written by Rosie Best — arrived on October 6, 2026, so it is already on shelves. Those two dates are the spine of the 2026–2027 schedule; everything else is either a Super Edition or still untitled. This page tracks what is confirmed, what is scheduled, and what the publisher has only described as in progress.
Warrior Cats is published by HarperCollins and created by Erin Hunter; this site is an independent fan project covering both the books and the 2026 game.
The Changing Skies arc runs to six books, with the fifth dated for spring 2027.
The confirmed 2026–2027 release slate
| Book | Series | Author | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chasing Shadows | Changing Skies #3 | Erin Hunter | March 2026 | Out |
| Darktail's Judgment | Super Edition #19 | Clarissa Hutton | August 2026 | Out |
| Guiding Light | Changing Skies #4 | Rosie Best | October 6, 2026 | Out |
| False Dawn | Changing Skies #5 | Erin Hunter | March 30, 2027 | Dated, preorders open |
| Untitled Changing Skies #6 | Changing Skies #6 | TBA | TBA | In progress |
| Super Edition #20 | Super Edition #20 | Conrad Mason | TBA | In progress |
False Dawn is a 304-page hardcover, ISBN 9780063357266. The official reveal describes it as the fifth book in the arc, with Moonpaw's future "tangled with doubt" and every cat forced to choose what they are willing to fight for. That is the publisher's own blurb, not fan summary.
Official source: Exclusive title and cover reveal: False Dawn — March 30, 2027, Changing Skies book five.
What Guiding Light set up
Book four follows Tawnypelt leading a team to SkyClan's old gorge, hoping the Whispering Cave will restore the Clans' connection to StarClan after the events of Chasing Shadows. Rosie Best wrote it — the same author HarperCollins attached to the title reveal — and it shipped October 6, 2026, three weeks before the game launched.
If you are reading the arc as it releases, Guiding Light is the point where the StarClan thread and the Moonpaw/Morningkit/Goldenpaw thread start pulling in the same direction. The full reading order lists every arc and book if you are catching up instead of following along.
Super Editions in the same window
Two Super Editions sit around the main arc:
- Darktail's Judgment (Super Edition 19), by Clarissa Hutton, published in August 2026. It is the Darktail story the 2026 preview article flagged as being in final proofing early in the year.
- Super Edition 20, by Conrad Mason, confirmed as in progress in the publisher's "2026: The year ahead" post. No title, no date, no subject.
Super Editions are standalone and do not have to be read in arc order, though Darktail's Judgment lands harder if you have read the earlier Darktail material.
Retail listings sometimes show placeholder covers months before the final art. False Dawn's official reveal is the version to trust.
The publisher's own catalogue at warriorcats.com/books is the master list for every arc, and HarperCollins' product page for False Dawn carries the ISBN and page count cited above.
How the arc closes
Changing Skies is planned as six books. The publisher's 2026 preview says book six will close the arc, and as of October 30, 2026 it has no title or date. That makes the realistic schedule: False Dawn in March 2027, then a gap before the finale — the same rhythm the previous arcs followed, where the last book typically landed roughly a year after the fourth.
Two rules of thumb for planning:
- Hardcover dates are the ones that matter. Paperback reprints trail by a year or more and do not reflect new content.
- Super Editions do not fill arc gaps. They are side stories; skipping them will not leave a hole in the main narrative, though they often explain background that later books assume.
Books versus the game
The 2026 game, Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest, adapts the world rather than a specific book. It has its own story beats and its own cast of book characters, and it released October 23, 2026 — after Guiding Light. If you are here from the game and want to know which books to start with, the game vs books comparison explains the overlap; the short version is that the game assumes no reading, but the books explain why anyone cares about the Clans.
FAQ
What is the next Warrior Cats book after Guiding Light? False Dawn, Changing Skies book five, on March 30, 2027.
Is Guiding Light already out? Yes, since October 6, 2026.
How many books are left in Changing Skies? Two: False Dawn and an untitled sixth book that closes the arc.
Will there be another Super Edition in 2027? Super Edition 20 is confirmed in progress with Conrad Mason, undated.
Can I read False Dawn without Chasing Shadows? Not comfortably — it continues the arc's main threads directly.
Related
More Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest Guides
There are no cat breeds or classes in Warrior Cats. The types that matter are Clan, rank and stance, and here is how each one changes the game.
An A–Z of the Warrior Cats characters who matter across the arcs, with Clan, role and first appearance, plus the game's confirmed roster.
The common Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest mistakes: ignoring Stances, hoarding StarClan moves, skipping herbs and expecting an action RPG.
Clan choice decides which campaign you play in Clans of the Forest. What each of the four Clans offers, why there is no stat tier list, and who each suits.
There is no published list of Clans of the Forest endings. What the four campaigns conclude, why procedural generation changes the answer, and how to see each.
How to save in Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest: the pause-menu exit method, outposts, Steam Cloud, save location and backup steps.
A practical Warrior Cats Clans of the Forest walkthrough: campaign order, early quests, combat, den crafting, ranks and the three modes.
Every paid add-on for Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest so far: the $14.99 Prophecy Pack, the pre-order Purrfect Look Pack, and what each one actually contains.