Dakkapedia

Beyond the tabletop

The wider 40k universe — how to play, what to read, what to watch and what to play on screen.

Ways to play

MatchedBalanced, competitive play with armies built to equal points values; the default for pick-up games and tournaments.
NarrativeStory-driven battles from campaign books or your own sagas; Crusade is the flagship narrative system.
OpenThe most freeform style: any models, any objective, any scenario, with minimal restrictions.
CrusadeA persistent narrative campaign where one army grows across linked games, gaining XP, Battle Honours and Battle Scars on an Order of Battle.
Combat PatrolA small fixed-roster beginner mode using each faction's predefined ~500-point list on a small board; the recommended on-ramp.
Boarding ActionsCorridor-fighting set in cramped spaceship decks, with modified rules and smaller forces.

Video games

Dawn of War (series)Released
RTS · Relic · 2004
Dawn of War 4Announced
RTS · King Art / Deep Silver · 2026
Gladius – Relics of WarReleased
4X turn-based · Proxy / Slitherine · 2018
Total War: Warhammer 40,000In development
Strategy · Creative Assembly
Space MarineReleased
3rd-person action · Relic · 2011
Space Marine 2Released
3rd-person action · Saber Interactive · 2024
Space Marine 3In development
3rd-person action · Saber Interactive
DarktideReleased
Co-op FPS · Fatshark · 2022
BoltgunReleased
Boomer-shooter · Auroch / Focus · 2023
MechanicusReleased
Turn-based tactics · Bulwark / Kasedo · 2018
Mechanicus IIReleased
Turn-based tactics · Bulwark / Kasedo · 2026
BattlesectorReleased
Turn-based tactics · Black Lab / Slitherine · 2021
Chaos Gate: DaemonhuntersReleased
XCOM-like · Complex / Frontier · 2022
Rogue TraderReleased
CRPG · Owlcat · 2023
TacticusReleased
Mobile tactics · Snowprint · 2022

Where to start reading (Black Library)

Eisenhorn: Xenos good startEisenhorn (Dan Abnett) — Self-contained Inquisition thriller; the most-recommended entry point.
Ciaphas Cain: For the Emperor good startCiaphas Cain (Sandy Mitchell) — The most accessible and funniest entry.
Horus Rising good startThe Horus Heresy (Dan Abnett) — Best start for foundational lore; opens the 54-novel Heresy series.
The Infinite and the Divine good startStandalone (Nate Crowley) — Witty Necron tale requiring zero prior knowledge.
Helsreach good startStandalone (Aaron Dembski-Bowden) — A single book of classic battlefield grit.
Gaunt's Ghosts: First and OnlyGaunt's Ghosts (Dan Abnett) — Gritty Imperial Guard military drama.
Avenging SonDawn of Fire (Guy Haley) — Jumping-on point for current Era Indomitus 40k.

Animation & screen

AstartesSyama Pedersen's viral Space Marine short acquired by GW, with Astartes II returning in 2026.
Hammer and BolterThe flagship anthology of standalone animated 40k stories on Warhammer+.
Pariah NexusA CGI animated series depicting the Necron Pariah Nexus conflict.
Angels of DeathAn animated series following the Blood Angels.
Henry Cavill Amazon adaptationAn Amazon MGM film/TV adaptation with Henry Cavill starring and producing, still in development as of 2026.

Sister games

Kill TeamThe 40k skirmish game of small operative teams, currently 3rd edition (Hivestorm).
Horus Heresy (30k)The M31 Age of Darkness civil war of massed Space Marine Legions, now plastic-line 3rd edition.
Legions ImperialisEpic-scale Horus Heresy with tiny minis fielding Titans and hundreds of infantry.
NecromundaCampaign-driven gang warfare in the underhive with persistent fighters.
Adeptus TitanicusEpic-scale Titan-vs-Titan combat set in the Horus Heresy.
Age of SigmarGW's separate high-fantasy sister game set in the Mortal Realms, currently 4th edition.