All Warhammer 40K Games in Order, by Release and Timeline

Lining up the Warhammer 40K games in order gets messy fast. Games Workshop licenses the setting to a dozen studios at once, so a real-time strategy saga, a boomer shooter, and a 100-hour CRPG can all launch within a few months of each other. Most of these Warhammer 40,000 games stand alone, and only a handful pass characters from one entry to the next.

The Blood Ravens carry the Dawn of War series across three games and a pile of expansions. Captain Titus links Space Marine to Space Marine 2, and Boltgun goes back to Graia, the Forge World from the first game. Mechanicus and Boltgun both got direct sequels in 2026, so each pair works best played back to back.

Below, you'll find the Warhammer 40K games release order from 2004 to 2026, covering every mainline entry and the bigger spin-offs, with a short verdict on each. Dates in the table are full releases, so Inquisitor – Martyr and Speed Freeks sit where they left Early Access. If one of them catches your eye, our Warhammer 40K game keys cover most of the list.

All Warhammer 40K Games Collection

1. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War (2004)

Dawn of War is where most PC players first met the 41st millennium. Captain Gabriel Angelos leads the Blood Ravens 3rd Company against an Ork invasion of Tartarus, and Chaos soon shows up behind the greenskins. Relic dropped the slow resource gathering of older strategy games and had you capture strategic points instead, so every match turns into a fight over the map. Squads reinforce on the spot, and the sync-kill animations still look brutal two decades later.

The expansions matter almost as much as the base game. Winter Assault (2005) added the Imperial Guard, Dark Crusade (2006) brought the Tau and Necrons to Kronus with a map-based campaign, and Soulstorm (2008) added the Sisters of Battle and Dark Eldar. SEGA gave existing owners a free Anniversary Edition upgrade in September 2024. The Dawn of War Definitive Edition followed on August 14, 2025, remastering the base game and all three expansions with 4K support and a 64-bit engine.

My Verdict: Dark Crusade is still the best strategy campaign 40K has had. Grab the Definitive Edition and play all four campaigns before you touch anything else on this list.

2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (2009)

Dawn of War II threw out base building and turned the series into a squad-based tactics game with RPG systems. You play an unnamed Force Commander of the Blood Ravens, rebuilding the chapter after the losses on Kaurava, and you take a few hand-picked squads into each mission. Sergeants Tarkus, Avitus, Thaddeus and Cyrus level up between battles and pick up wargear, and Davian Thule from Dark Crusade comes back inside a Dreadnought.

The campaign moves across the Aurelia sub-sector, and cover decides more fights than raw numbers do. Chaos Rising (2010) added the Chaos Space Marines and a corruption system that tracks how far your squad has fallen, and Retribution (2011) brought in the Imperial Guard and campaigns for every race. The Last Stand co-op mode, a three-player wave defense, kept people playing for years.

My Verdict: The best Dawn of War for anyone who prefers small squads to big armies. Chaos Rising is the expansion to grab, mostly for the corruption system.

3. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (2011)

Space Marine is a third-person action game that drops you straight into the boots of an Ultramarines captain. Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, voiced by Mark Strong, drops onto the Forge World Graia to hold off an Ork invasion, then runs into a Chaos plot under the factory floors. Relic built the combat around switching between bolter and chainsword at speed, and executions refill your health, so standing back behind cover gets you killed.

The story ends with Titus suspected of heresy by the Inquisition, a thread Space Marine 2 finally picked up in 2024. Sega released the Master Crafted Edition remaster on June 10, 2025, for PC and Xbox Series X|S, according to Sega's announcement of the Master Crafted Edition, with 4K support and a reworked UI.

My Verdict: Short, loud and a little stiff by today's standards. Play it before Space Marine 2, since Titus's whole arc in the sequel depends on how this one ends.

4. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (2016)

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada takes 40K into space for slow, heavy fleet battles. Admiral Spire defends the Gothic Sector against Abaddon the Despoiler's 12th Black Crusade, and every cruiser handles like the cathedral-sized warship it is. You manage broadsides, boarding parties, and ramming runs, and positioning a ship so its guns face the enemy takes real planning.

The sequel, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2, followed on January 24, 2019. It moved the action to the fall of Cadia, brought Spire back, and added Necrons and Tyranids to the roster. Armada 2 has the bigger faction list, so it's the better buy if you only want one.

My Verdict: No other 40K game makes the Imperial Navy feel this enormous. Start with Armada 2 for the content, and come back to the first one for its tighter Gothic War story.

5. Space Hulk: Deathwing (2016)

Space Hulk: Deathwing is a first-person shooter set aboard a derelict space hulk crawling with Genestealers. You play a Librarian of the Deathwing, the Dark Angels' Terminator-armored First Company, leading two squadmates through narrow corridors. The atmosphere is the strong point, with gothic interiors that look ripped from the tabletop board game.

The launch build had performance problems and thin progression, and reviews were mixed. Focus Home Interactive answered with the Enhanced Edition in 2018, which added a Chaplain class, Special Missions, and loot-based progression, and it came free to existing PC owners. Four-player co-op is the way to play, since the AI squadmates struggle in tight spaces.

My Verdict: The weakest game on this list, but a decent co-op night with three friends. Buy the Enhanced Edition only, and only on sale.

6. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III (2017)

Dawn of War III brought back base building and added elite hero units with clear MOBA influences. Gabriel Angelos returns as Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens, Farseer Macha leads the Eldar, and Gorgutz from Winter Assault rallies the Orks. All three races race for the Spear of Khaine on the lost planet Acheron. The campaign switches factions mission by mission, so you learn all three armies by the end.

Fans split hard over the hybrid design and the bright, cartoonish art style. The Power Core mode, where teams push lanes to destroy the enemy's core, never found a lasting audience, and Relic said in 2018 that no further major content was coming. The campaign still works as a closing chapter for Angelos, and the elite units are fun to throw around.

My Verdict: The black sheep of the series, though less bad than its reputation. Play it for the story if you finished Dawn of War II, and skip the multiplayer.

7. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr (2018)

Inquisitor – Martyr is a top-down action RPG in the style of Diablo. You play an Inquisitor hunting heresy in the Caligari Sector, a region NeocoreGames created for the game, and the Martyr itself is a haunted fortress-monastery drifting through that sector. Cover and destructible environments set it apart from other loot games, and each class splits into three specializations.

The game launched rough and got better with time. The Prophecy expansion arrived in 2019 with the Tech-Adept class and a new campaign, and the Definitive Edition now bundles the base game with every expansion and DLC. Console players got a PS4 and Xbox One release in August 2018, and later versions on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

My Verdict: A solid loot grinder if Diablo is your thing and you want bolters instead of swords. Go straight for the Definitive Edition.

8. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War (2018)

Gladius is the 40K take on Civilization, minus the diplomacy. Four factions fight over the Imperial world Gladius Prime on a procedural hex map, and the local wildlife wears down troop morale as hard as enemy armies do. There's no peace option, so every game ends with one side wiped off the planet.

Proxy Studios has supported it for years with DLC that added the Tyranids, Chaos Space Marines, T'au, Craftworld Aeldari, Adeptus Mechanicus, Adepta Sororitas, and Drukhari, and new packs kept arriving into 2026. Hero units level up across a match, and each faction has its own quest line.

My Verdict: The best 40K pick for one-more-turn players. Buy the base game, then add the factions you care about one by one.

9. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus (2018)

Mechanicus was the first game built around the Adeptus Mechanicus. Magos Dominus Faustinius leads an expedition from the Ark Mechanicus Caestus Metalican into the Necron tomb world Silva Tenebris, and Ben Counter's script nails the cold, cultish voice of the Tech-Priests. Turn-based missions run on Cognition Points, a resource you collect on the map and spend on moves and abilities.

The 50 missions branch into multiple endings depending on the choices you make between fights. The Heretek DLC (2019) added a story about corrupted Tech-Priests aboard your own ship, and console versions followed on July 17, 2020. The soundtrack by Guillaume David is one of the best in any 40K game.

My Verdict: XCOM fans should start here. It's short enough to finish in a few weekends, and the writing carries the whole thing.

10. Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector (2021)

Battlesector is a straight turn-based tactics game set on Baal Secundus after the Devastation of Baal. Sergeant Carleon and the Blood Angels, Primaris units included, push back the remains of a Tyranid hive fleet across a 20-mission campaign. Each faction builds Momentum its own way, and a unit that fills up becomes Surged, which lets it chain extra actions or upgrade its abilities.

Black Lab kept releasing DLC well after launch, adding Necrons, Sisters of Battle, Ultramarines, Black Legion, T'au, Orks, and more, and the Crusade Mode 1.0 update arrived in 2026. Planetary Supremacy and Daemonic Incursion give you procedural conquest and survival modes once the campaign is done.

My Verdict: The most tabletop-like game here. If you paint Blood Angels or Tyranids at home, this is your game.

11. Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters (2022)

Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters puts you in command of the Grey Knights fighting the Bloom, a Nurgle plague spreading across the sector. Inquisitor Kartha Vakir joins you aboard the Baleful Edict, your strike cruiser, and the hunt for the five Reapers of the Bloom ends with a fight against Mortarion himself. Aaron Dembski-Bowden wrote the story, and Andy Serkis voices Grand Master Vardan Kai. The tactical layer feels like a heavier XCOM, with Willpower abilities and a spreading plague that punishes slow play.

Complex Games added the Duty Eternal DLC in 2022, which brought a playable Venerable Dreadnought and the Techmarine class, then Execution Force in 2023 with the Officio Assassinorum. Consoles got the game on February 20, 2024. A follow-up, Chaos Gate – Deathwatch, has been announced without a release date.

My Verdict: The best turn-based 40K game on this list. Every Grey Knight you lose hurts, and that tension carries the whole campaign.

12. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide (2022)

Darktide comes from Fatshark, the studio behind Vermintide, and it brings that same melee-heavy co-op formula into the hive city of Tertium on Atoma Prime. You play a Reject, a prisoner pressed into service by the Inquisition, fighting the Nurgle cult that has overrun the hive. Toughness regenerates much faster when you stay close to your squad, so lone wolves die fast.

Launch was rough on content, but Fatshark has filled the game out since. Xbox Series X|S got it in October 2023 and PS5 in December 2024, and paid classes started arriving in 2025. The Skitarii class launched on June 23, 2026, as the seventh option, with a servo-skull companion, as Fatshark's Skitarii class reveal details.

My Verdict: The best co-op horde game 40K has. The melee feels incredible, and the gunplay holds its own next to it.

13. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (2023)

Boltgun is a 40K shooter made in the style of the 1990s, with chunky sprites, huge arenas, and keycard hunts. Malum Caedo, a Sternguard Veteran of the Ultramarines voiced by Rahul Kohli, lands on the Forge World Graia several years after the events of Space Marine to fight Chaos Space Marines and daemons. The chainsword dash lets you close distance in an instant, and the bolter sounds exactly as heavy as it should.

The Forges of Corruption DLC (2024) added five levels, a multi-melta and a missile launcher, and a free horde mode came with it. Levels hide plenty of secrets for completionists, and our Boltgun keys cover the PC version. Focus Entertainment published it, and Auroch Digital went on to make the sequel at the end of this list.

My Verdict: The most fun per minute of any 40K game. Play it in a weekend and you'll be ready for Boltgun 2.

14. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (2023)

Rogue Trader is the first proper 40K CRPG. You inherit a Warrant of Trade and a voidship, then lead a dynasty through the Koronus Expanse, a region beyond Imperial control. Your companions range from a Sister of Battle to an Aeldari ranger and a Space Wolf. Combat is turn-based, and your choices can push you toward loyal dogma, Iconoclast mercy, or heretical ambition.

Owlcat's campaign can run past 100 hours, and it keeps growing. Void Shadows arrived in September 2024, Lex Imperialis in 2025, and The Infinite Museion on June 11, 2026, with a treasure hunt built around the Necron Overlord Trazyn. Switch 2 owners got the game on December 11, 2025.

My Verdict: The deepest story in the whole franchise. Clear a long holiday for it, and pick the dogmatic route at least once for the full grimdark experience.

15. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (2024)

Space Marine 2 brings Titus back about a century after the first game, as a Primaris Lieutenant in the Era Indomitus. He's lost his captain's rank after a century with the Deathwatch, and he leads a squad of Ultramarines against Tyranid swarms and Thousand Sons sorcerers. The swarms run to hundreds of bugs on screen at once, and parry-and-execute combat makes every fight feel huge.

Operations, side missions that run parallel to the story, keep co-op groups busy long after. Focus Entertainment now counts more than 12 million players, and the free updates keep coming. Anniversary Update II opened Year 3 on October 1, 2026, with a Chaos Siege mode, the first time you can play Chaos Space Marines in PvE. A Switch 2 version announced by Focus Entertainment is due in late 2026. Space Marine 2 keys are the easy way in if you don't own it yet.

My Verdict: The best Warhammer 40K game for most players, and the one I'd hand a newcomer first. Bring two friends for the campaign.

16. Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks (2025)

Speed Freeks is a multiplayer vehicle combat game where Ork crews race, ram, and blow each other up. In Kill Konvoy, two teams destroy enemies to speed up their own Stompa and slow the rival one, and the first Stompa to reach the end of the map wins. Deff Rally sends teams of eight racing and fighting through waypoints before a final sprint to the line. You can fit your wagon with new kits, rims, and paint jobs, and Creation Mode lets you build maps with friends in real time.

The game launched in free-to-play Early Access in August 2024, then dropped free-to-play at version 1.0 on May 22, 2025, when it became a paid game with no microtransactions. Wired Productions brought it to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on May 21, 2026, with cross-play.

My Verdict: Pure Ork chaos and a great palate cleanser between long campaigns. Grab it if your group already plays together online.

17. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II (2026)

Mechanicus II continues straight on from the first game, and this time the Necrons are fully playable. Faustinius returns for the Adeptus Mechanicus, Vargard Nefershah leads the Necron side, and the two fight over a Mechanicus world where an ancient dynasty has started to wake. Writer Ben Counter and composer Guillaume David are back too.

A strategic layer now sits on top of the missions, with regions to claim and garrisons to manage. Cognition works differently per unit type instead of as one shared pool, and Necrons can tear apart terrain and get back up through reanimation protocols. Reviews landed around 71 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, a step below the original.

My Verdict: A good sequel that plays it a little safe. Finish the original first, since the story assumes you know Faustinius.

18. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 (2026)

Boltgun 2 picks up where the first game ended and adds a second hero. You choose between Malum Caedo and Nyra Veyrath, a Celestian Sister of Battle who moves faster and carries a power sword and melta bombs. The two investigate a Chaos incursion in an isolated star system, which leads to Vashtorr the Arkifane and a daemonic machine that wrecks much of the Imperial fleet.

Levels are bigger and branch now, with semi-open routes and planets themed around different enemy factions. Reviewers singled out the new Heavy Flamer, and Bloodletters and Juggernauts join the enemy roster. Early reviews are strong, with an OpenCritic average of 84 and a Very Positive rating on Steam in its first week.

My Verdict: Bigger and better than the original in every way. Play the first Boltgun, then jump straight into this one with the controls still fresh.

FAQs About Warhammer 40K Games

Final Words

Warhammer 40K has no single main series, and that works in your favor. The setting has been spread across so many genres that almost every kind of player has a way in. RTS veterans have Dark Crusade, and shooter fans can saw through daemons in Boltgun. Pick by genre first and by story second.

Now is a good time to catch up, since Dawn of War IV arrives on December 3, 2026, and returns to Kronus about 200 years after Dark Crusade. That makes the Definitive Edition of the original worth a fresh run before then. Space Marine 2 is in its third year of updates, and Boltgun 2 has only just landed.

Saber Interactive has confirmed Space Marine 3 but has not named a release window, and Chaos Gate – Deathwatch has no date either. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 has only confirmed Armageddon as its battlefield so far. Any one of them could change which game sits at the top of this list next year, so keep an eye on the next Warhammer Skulls broadcast.

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