AI-generated editorial illustration; not a documentary photograph.
Sky TV’s four-part documentary series The Wargame uses generative AI visual effects to depict fictional Russian missile attacks on the UK. The series is scheduled to air nightly on Sky and NOW from September 21, 2026, with one episode released each night.
A live crisis scenario
Based on Sky’s 2025 podcast of the same name, The Wargame follows a fictitious UK cabinet as it responds to an escalating crisis. The scenario begins with the suspicious deaths of two RAF soldiers before developing into a simulated attack involving Russia.
Former politicians and military figures play the cabinet and related officials. Producers provide instructions to the Russian side and other international participants, while the UK group makes its decisions during the exercise rather than following a fixed script.
Why AI is part of the production
The programme uses AI-generated footage to show missiles striking multiple UK targets. Sky has disclosed that the visuals are created effects, making the attacks part of the programme’s constructed scenario rather than real footage or a record of an actual incident.
The production also recreates a COBR-style boardroom, a military operations room and a press room. Fictional social-media clips showing reactions to the simulated breaking news are used to connect the crisis to civilian life.
What the series can and cannot show
The Wargame is intended to examine crisis decision-making and public preparedness, but the military capabilities and attacks depicted are made up. Its events therefore illustrate the producers’ scenario, not an independently verified assessment of how a real conflict would unfold.
The format’s main limitation is also its premise: decisions are made within a controlled production exercise, with some participants receiving instructions from producers. Viewers can observe how the group handles pressure, but the series does not establish the actual strength of the UK’s defences or predict future events.
Release schedule
The four episodes are set to drop nightly on Sky and NOW beginning September 21. The documentary follows the earlier podcast and presents its fictional conflict through a mixture of live decision-making, staged environments and AI-generated visual effects.
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