20 Best Warhammer 40K Games You Must Play
If your goal is to find the best Warhammer 40K games to sink your teeth into, then, as a long-time fan of the franchise, I’m pleased to say that you’ll have no shortage of titles to choose from. Warhammer 40K is one of the most extensive intellectual properties in science fiction.
Seriously, there are dozens of WH40K games already out there. I’m not even talking about tabletop games, but rather video games (spanning across different genres, subgenres, and platforms). For those of you looking to get into Warhammer 40K’s deep lore and strategic appeal, you better pay attention!
My ultimate Warhammer 40K video game ranking will guide you through 20 titles that are worth playing, all ranked according to how well they embody Warhammer’s trademark gritty charm and how masterfully they wove the iconic characters, locations, and overall lore of the game.
All games listed below are shining examples of what a Warhammer 40K title should be about. These are thrilling, high-octane narrative experiences with a massive emphasis on darker themes like war, death, destruction, hopelessness, and decay that can be enjoyed alone or with friends.
Top Picks: Must-Play Warhammer 40K Games
Here’s a short list of the best Warhammer 40K games you really should play at least once, especially if you’re a fan of WH40K lore or the tabletop games.
Keep in mind that this list features games from multiple genres, so you’ll most likely have no trouble picking your favorites based on your unique preferences. Warhammer 40K is a pretty expansive IP (understatement of the year), so having lots of games to choose from is pretty much on-brand with the series! Here are our top favorites:
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – the most celebrated and critically acclaimed Warhammer 40K game.
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – one of the best Warhammer 40K games to experience in multiplayer.
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – maybe the most engaging WH40K game + heavy CRPG elements.
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – walked so Space Marine 2 could run and is also a very solid title by itself.
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – a well-respected OG in the RTS genre that still holds up to this day.
Is that it? No, obviously not. Scroll down to see our full list of the best Warhammer 40K games to play.
Core Elements of an Exceptional Warhammer 40K Game
To find the best Warhammer 40K games that are worth your time and money, the very first thing you need to do is find the ones that capture the essence of the famous official Warhammer 40K slogan.
“In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.”
Naturally, this means that for a Warhammer 40K game to be considered truly exceptional, it must be an action-packed banger that takes itself at least somewhat seriously, with deep strategic elements, immersive visuals, and a cohesive storyline with heavy inspiration from the official WH40K lore.
The story doesn’t have to be an exact copy of the official lore, mind you. Captain Titus, for example, wasn’t even a character in the books until after the games were released, yet the Space Marine series was still a massive success thanks to Relic Entertainment, Focus Entertainment, and Saber Interactive paying their respects to the source material despite crafting an original story.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an RTS like Dawn of War and Battlefleet Gothic Armada or an FPS like Space Marine and Boltgun. What matters for most Warhammer 40K fans like myself is that the game comes packaged with the classic grim darkness that made us fall in love with the franchise in the first place.
Ranking the Top 20 Warhammer 40,000 Games
It’s time for a showdown of the 20 best Warhammer 40K video games, all ranked based on how well they do in the following metrics:
- Gameplay Innovation: Does the game build on the titles that came before it, integrating fun new game mechanics based on what works and what doesn’t?
- Graphics and Sound Design: Is the game visually appealing and are the audibles good enough that you’re immersed whenever you play it?
- Community Reception: Do critics and the entire gaming community who has actually played the game think it’s good?
- Performance Optimization: Is the game plagued by bugs, glitches, and crashes or does it run smoothly?
- Compelling Story/Lore: Are the game’s narrative and underlying themes congruent with the Warhammer 40K lore and are implemented well given the game’s setting and characters?
Without further ado, let’s get to ranking these games, most of which are available for cheap via great deals on Eneba!
1. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
| Game Score | Platforms | Release Year |
| 9.7/10 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, GeForce Now, PlayStation 5 | 2024 |
This title is arguably one of the best video game sequels of all time and is certainly a masterpiece by Focus Entertainment. It gives us a satisfying continuation of Captain Titus’s journey as he struggles with his new brothers against the vast forces of chaos and the Tyranids.
The first game was great, but Space Marine 2 came in with vastly improved graphics, an awesome grimdark story mode, impressive PVP and co-op game modes, as well as less repetitive combat by implementing more ranged and melee attacks with iconic weapons straight from the WH40K lore.
I had an absolute blast with Space Marine 2 – and so did a lot of other gamers, which is why it was nominated for Best Action and Best Multiplayer in the Game Awards 2024.
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2. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 9.2/10 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X & Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5 (coming December 2024) | 2022 |
This iconic title tells us the tale of a group of Inquisitorial Agents scouring a Hive city to sniff out signs of a chaos uprising, only to find more than what they originally bargained for.
In complete Warhammer 40,000 fashion, Darktide gives us bloody, brutal combat with endless hordes of enemies that is best enjoyed with other players via co-op. This is one of the most-played multiplayer WH40K games right now and has received frequent updates from devs to make up for its rocky launch.
If you’re into fun, action-packed multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock Galactic, then definitely give this game a try!
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3. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 9.1/10 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X & Series S, GeForce Now, PlayStation 4 & 5, Amazon Luna, MacOS | 2023 |
This is by far one of the best Warhammer 40K games to play if you’re a fan of heavy RPG elements with class-based systems, as this is one of the few titles that has these features.
In this game, you play as a customizable Rogue Trader – a wealthy and powerful character who can move around the Imperium and make connections with various Xenos species as they please, making for a vastly different narrative experience than the usual war and action-focused Warhammer 40K games.
Its replayability, excellent writing, and immersive world design are Rogue Trader’s high points, which also makes it a good choice for someone looking to familiarize themselves with WH40K lore.
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4. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 9/10 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | 2011 |
The story of the fan-favorite Captain Titus started with this game, and here we get to see his stint as a lieutenant who commands a squad of fellow Space Marines against Orks and chaos entities – a bit before he got roped into the Chaos Space Marines’ shenanigans.
Space Marine (developed by Relic Entertainment) wasn’t made by the same developers as Space Marine 2 (developed by Saber Interactive & Focus Entertainment), but the former devs did a great enough job to pave the way for its sequel in terms of storytelling, combat mechanics, and incredibly fun boss fights which, in my opinion, is the best part of both games.
While the melee combat in this game needed the makeover it got in the sequel, I would still recommend Space Marine to anyone who wants to play a third-person shooter with intense ranged combat.
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5. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.8/10 | Microsoft Windows, IBM PC-compatible | 2004 |
Before the flashy shooters like the Space Marine series and Boltgun, Games Workshop focused on giving WH40K fans the best tactical RTS games they could muster, and the original Dawn of War was their ace in the hole.
Being an older game, Dawn of War is quite dated in terms of graphics, but don’t let that take away from the fact that it set the standard on what players can do in a Warhammer 40K strategy game. It also has one of the best expansions in Dark Crusade compared to any other RTS game of its time.
Dawn of War’s impressive base-building mechanics, unit variety, and large-scale battles place it high among the best Warhammer 40K games of all time. It’s a classic masterpiece that set the standard for other WH40K titles that came after.
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6. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.7/10 | Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X & Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nintendo Switch, GeForce Now, PlayStation 4 & 5 | 2023 |
Much like the Space Marine series, Boltgun allows its players to experience what it’s like to be a badass Space Marine. In this game, you play as Malum Caedo – a deadly, seasoned veteran amongst Space Marines much like Titus – as he rips and tears through the xenos scum who dare get in his way.
Boltgun is loud, brutal, gory, and chaotic fun all wrapped in a retro-stylized packaging that’s reminiscent of games like Doom and Duke Nukem. It’s also one of the handful of WH40K games that also has a console port, so accessibility isn’t an issue with this game.
I highly recommend Boltgun for gamers who prefer a dynamic, fast-paced first-person shooter over the usual turn-based WH40K strategy games like Chaos Gate or Battlesector.
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7. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.5/10 | Microsoft Windows, macOS | 2009 |
This title takes a step back from its predecessor’s base-building-focused, large-scale combat brand of gameplay, instead opting for a more magnified experience when it comes to managing battles and units.
Dawn of War 2’s storyline follows a platoon of Blood Ravens – a mysterious chapter of the Space Marines whose Primarch (i.e. general/father figure) remains entirely undiscovered – as you lead them through various missions against Orks, Tyranids, and Aeldari.
For Warhammer 40K fans who like a good story-driven strategy game and don’t mind lesser-scale tactical mechanics compared to other traditional WH40K titles like Dawn of War 1, Dawn of War 2 is the game for you.
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8. Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.3/10 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, GeForce Now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Series S | 2021 |
This list is populated by lots of war strategy games (it’s Warhammer 40K, after all), but Battlesector stands out by offering its players one of the closest experiences to playing a Warhammer 40K tabletop game.
The plot follows the Blood Angels – a chapter once led by the glorious Primarch Sanguinius, once called “The Brightest One”. That’s all in the past though, as they must now go through numerous deadly missions to reclaim the honor they lost.
This game gets high praise from player communities and critics alike, and I highly recommend it to gamers who’d like to experience a fast-paced, turn-based game that also has a Skirmish Mode where you can play as your favorite Space Marine chapter.
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9. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.2/10 | Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One | 2018 |
This game revolves around one of the most interesting factions in WH40K – the Adeptus Mechanicus (a.k.a. Cult of the Machine God).
Here, you can command a variety of Mechanicum-based units in immersive tactical combat and even customize them to your liking via augments that strip them of “the weakness of the flesh”, which are further compounded by the game’s fantastic visuals, multiple endings, and compelling story.
This game is so good that Mechanicus 2 is already in the works, though with a TBA release date. If the developers were to just focus on expanding the things that they already did right and straighten out the few flaws present in this game, I’m confident that Mechanicus 2 would be a slight improvement at the very least!
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10. Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8.1/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Series S, PlayStation 4 | 2022 |
The Grey Knights are among the most hardcore chapters of the Space Marines, and in Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, you get to help them save the galaxy from a massive threat brought upon by a mysterious space virus known as the Bloom.
Chaos Gate is a massive fan-favorite with loads of customization options for your Grey Knights, fantastic character and world designs, as well as interactive maps that influence the tide of battle.
Complete with a very engaging and precise turn-based combat system that reminds me of Valkyria Chronicles, I would wholeheartedly recommend Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters to any action RPG enthusiast out there.
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11. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 8/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Linux | 2018 |
This title takes us to Gladius Prime, where you choose between four factions (more if you get the DLCs) – Astra Militarum, Space Marines, Orks, and Necrons – and wage war against the others.
The high point of Gladius is that you can customize your map in almost any way you want, which honestly makes some of the worst parts of 4X turn-based games like this one less annoying to deal with.
If you like other game series where you can explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate like Total War and Civilization, then get Warhammer 40, 000 Gladius – Relics of War ASAP!
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12. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7.9/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now | 2019 |
Games Workshop is no stranger to releasing absolute RTS bangers, and Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is one such game that’s also designed to be better than its predecessor in essentially everything.
It’s certainly one of the most ambitious Warhammer 40K titles when it comes to sheer unit variety, as it allows players to choose between 12 factions to play with at launch. This massive faction catalog isn’t just it either, as this game also has extensive customization options for fleets and ships, which give way to more immersive space battles.
Now, if you think that a brilliant, overarching campaign revolving around the Necrons, Tyranids, and the Imperium is awesome and just adds more pros to this already great game, then you won’t regret getting Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2.
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13. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7.8/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Series S, PlayStation 4 & 5 | 2017 |
This title puts you in the shoes of an Inquisitor hell-bent on enforcing the Emperor’s will. It’s an action RPG that closely resembles Rogue Trader in that it is a well-written, story-driven game that focuses on how your character influences the world based on your choices.
Aside from its engaging single-player story, it offers fantastic visuals on top of being an open-world sandbox game – something that we’ve rarely seen from other games in the series.
You’ll love Warhammer 40,000: Inquisition – Martyr if you’re into story-driven dungeon crawlers with fierce, high-speed combat reminiscent of the Diablo series, but with a sci-fi twist and performance issues that are mostly wiped out by updates.
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14. Space Hulk: Deathwing
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7.5/10 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 | 2016 |
This is yet another title amongst the WH40K franchise’s slowly expanding line of intense first-person shooters. The story is centered around a terminator of the Deathwing – the infamous first company of the renowned Dark Angels chapter – and his mission to clear out the filthy xenos within Space Hulk Olethros.
The Vermintide and Boltgun games come to mind, when we talk about first-person shooters like Space Hulk: Deathwing. If you liked those games but are worried that this one might be a bit too derivative, don’t worry!
This game is so well-received that Focus Entertainment released Space Hulk: Deathwing (Enhanced Edition) with better graphics, new enemies, more weapons, and a Special Missions game mode – all of which are enough to make it stand out as unique compared to other WH40K titles in the same genre.
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15. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7.4/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now | 2016 |
Back to classic RTS titles, we now have Battlefleet Gothic: Armada where the forces of Chaos, Imperium, Orks, and the Aeldari are once more going for each other’s throats (then again, when are they not?), and it’s up to you to choose the faction to command and end the space battles’ deadlock.
This game had mixed reactions from critics and players when it first came out, but despite the second game being significantly better, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is still worth playing if you’re either a WH40K lore junkie or a fan of RTS games with decent enemy variety and lengthy campaigns, flaws and all.
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16. Necromunda: Hired Gun
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7.3/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Series S, PlayStation 4 & 5, Amazon Luna | 2021 |
This is a first-person shooter set in Necromunda, which is one of the most populated hive worlds in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It’s a very underrated indie game that matches the intensity of other shooters with Space Marines set as protagonists.
You get up to all sorts of no-good as an augmented bounty hunter in Hired Gun, not to mention lots and lots of violent firefights against all kinds of enemies like unholy mutants, Genestealers, and rogue Psykers.
Oh, and did I mention you get a cool cyber-mastiff that you can upgrade and take on bounty hunts? Hop in and give this game and the doggo a chance!
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17. Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 7/10 | Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS | 2022 |
How about a title that’s not a third-person shooter, first-person shooter, or a traditional strategy game – unlike most of the games on this list? Warhammer 40, 000: Warpforge is definitely one of the best Warhammer 40K games you can play right now, seeing as it’s a very fun, dynamic, and tactical TCG that’s also free to play.
If you want to play a game where you can essentially “collect” characters adapted straight from Warhammer 40K’s lore and use them in card duels à la Hearthstone, then Warpforge will quench your unique thirst nicely.
In a nutshell, Warpforge is the game you should look into if you’re heavy into the card-battling genre. It’s also a mobile game with ports on Android and iOS app stores, so you can play this one on the go!
18. Space Hulk: Tactics
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 6.9/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 | 2018 |
This one is a video game adaptation based on the Space Hulk board game where you get to lead either a group of Space Marines from one of four available chapters or a Genestealer brood and wage war against the other.
Similar to Battlesector, Space Hulk Tactics captures a bit of the essence of what it’s like to play Warhammer 40,000 on the tabletop minus busting a hole through your wallet for the expensive box sets.
Space Hulk: Tactics is for gamers who prefer turn-based strategy games like XCOM or Chaos Gate over all the shooters and RTS games on this list.
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19. Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 6.7/10 | Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & Series S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, MacOS | 2022 |
Enough about Space Marines this and the Imperium of Mankind that. What about those who want to experience what it’s like to be one of the greenboyz? Well, Shootas, Blood, and Teef – a marvelous, action-filled, run-and-gun side-scroller game – has got you covered!
Boasting stylized, hand-drawn visuals, hilarious voice lines, highly immersive maps, and engaging cinematics, this title can be considered an underrated fan favorite that breaks the mold of what Warhammer 40K games are supposed to be and does it very well.
Get Shootas, Blood, and Teef if you’d like to try a 2D action-adventure game based on the Warhammer 40K universe. It’ll be a breath of fresh air for those who’d like to take a break from your usual WH40K video games.
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20. Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon
| Game Score | Platforms | Initial Release Year |
| 6.5/10 | Microsoft Windows, iOS, macOS | 2014 |
This is a hex-based strategy game where you’ll have to defend the Imperium against the unstoppable green tide of Orks threatening to infest the planet Armageddon.
Here, you get to command the Armageddon Steel Legion of the Astra Militarum in high-stakes tactical combat while immersing yourself in one of the most monumental pieces of Warhammer 40K lore. The presence of Commissar Yarrick in this game alone should be enough for any WH40K fan to give it a try!
To top it all off, Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon also has a built-in game editor, making it easy to mod the game to the point that it becomes an entirely new experience, adding to its replayability.
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Evolution of the Warhammer 40K Game Series
The Warhammer 40K universe was officially born back in the year 1987 with the release of the Warhammer 40,0000: Rogue Trader tabletop game. Although originally conceived to be a spin-off series of Warhammer Fantasy, it’s undeniable that Warhammer 40,000 has now surpassed its older sibling in terms of overall popularity.
However, it should come to no one’s surprise that Warhammer 40,000 has become so well-known not just in the sci-fi and tabletop scene, but also in the entertainment industry as a whole. After all, the IP has dominated the sci-fi wargame niche for so long that its rise was about as inevitable as a regular old Imperial Guardsman being slaughtered on a random battlefield.
The early days of Warhammer 40K in gaming began with Space Crusade. It was a strategy game based on a tabletop game of the same name. From there, countless new titles in the strategy genre with much better graphics were made, followed by a handful of fast-paced shooters that fit WH40K’s blatant high-stakes themes in the lore perfectly.
As of now, despite how increasingly grimderp-y Warhammer 40,000’s lore has grown over the years, the future of Warhammer 40K video games remains bright and hopeful with fantastic new releases like Space Marine 2, Vermintide, and Rogue Trader carrying the banner. The Emperor protects!
Community Impact and Fan Favorites in the Warhammer 40K Series
There have been a handful of Warhammer 40K games that managed to propel the franchise toward the mainstream media’s spotlight throughout the years, but none did it better than the Dawn of War and Space Marine series. Both go hand-in-hand as the most celebrated Warhammer 40,000 games out there – loved by both critics and players alike, with some people even calling them masterpieces in their respective genres.
The Dawn of War series gave Warhammer 40K a much-needed early foothold in the strategy and RPG game genres and best exemplifies the fun and tactical aspect of tabletop games. Dawn of War 1 is your traditional RTS game while Dawn of War 2 is more of a tactical RPG. Both are awesome games deserving of long-overdue remastered versions.
The Space Marine series, on the other hand, capitalized on the growing obsession over intense third and first-person shooters in modern gaming, all while showcasing its unique WH40K charm with a compelling narrative, fantastical, yet often dreary visuals, iconic weapons, and a strong focus on hack-and-slash melee gameplay.
Upcoming Titles and the Future of Warhammer 40,000 Games
With the release of such exceptional titles like Space Marine 2 and Darktide, the sky’s the limit for future Warhammer 40,0000 games, as long as they are made with the same respect for Warhammer 40K.
On that note, here are all the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 games that’ll hopefully live up to the franchise’s lucrative history and the enormous standards held by fans:
- Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2 – This is by far the most anticipated upcoming WH40K game for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, as of yet. Its official release date is still listed as TBA, but it’s speculated to come out in 2025.
- Total War: Warhammer 40,0000 (Unconfirmed) – This post in the Total War Center forum speculates that a Total War: Warhammer 40,0000 game may be in the early stages of development. Do note that most “leaks” like these turn out to be untrue, so don’t get your hopes too high!
Aside from these new video games on the horizon, I have to say that the future of the Warhammer 40,000 franchise as a whole looks very promising, especially with the potentially upcoming Warhammer 40K Amazon series that’s currently in its negotiation stages.
This project is spearheaded by none other than a fan-favorite gamer, actor, Warhammer 40K enthusiast, and Superman himself – Henry Cavill.
FAQs
1. What is the most beginner-friendly Warhammer 40K game?
I recommend either Space Marine if you’re a fan of FPS games with RPG elements or Dawn of War 1 if you’re more of an RTS enthusiast.
2. What was the first Warhammer 40K video game released?
Space Crusade is the first game in the WH40K video game series – an RTS based on a board game of the same name, published by Gremlin Interactive in 1992.
3. What’s the most popular Warhammer 40K game?
Space Marine 2 holds the highest peak and current player count out of any WH40K game on Steam.
4. Which Warhammer 40K game has the best graphics?
Space Marine 2 is by far the most visually appealing game out of all WH40K games, mostly due to it being a newer title.
