Deep Silver’s upcoming RTS (real-time strategy) sequel Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV has gotten its release date, and it’s not too far away either, as the game will launch on 17 September 2026, with its announcement also outlining the title’s already substantial post-launch roadmap.
Unveiled via the Warhammer Skulls showcase, the franchise’s new developer, German studio King Art Games, laid out what’s to come over the first year following Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV’s release, which consists of a mix of free and paid content.
Kicking off in Autumn 2026, the game will see the return of Crusade Mode, which looks to be a modern take on the original Dawn of War’s (2004) “Dark Crusade” campaign, which saw players and their chosen faction conquering a planet region by region, enhancing their army along the way. The game will also be receiving new free modes, maps and a mission editor over the course of the year.
Speaking of factions, the game will launch with four, including series staples such as the Space Marines and Orcs, alongside the slow-moving Necrons, last seen as a playable faction in 2006’s Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War – Dark Crusade, alongside the Adeptus Mechanicus, which makes its debut as a playable faction in Dawn of War IV. Like the original 2004 game, which saw numerous factions being added via expansions, this line-up is also set to increase in time thanks to paid DLCs, with the trailer also outlining some details of the first two in the pipeline.
First up is the Blood Ravens Story Prologue in Winter 2026, which takes players to the ancestral homeworld of the iconic Space Marine faction, Aurelia, and pits them in pivotal battles fought alongside a currently-unrevealed “legendary commander”. Follow this, the Aftermath Campaign Expansion will launch in Spring 2027, which continues the main campaign and introduces a mystery fifth faction.
While the announcement didn’t provide any clues as to the nature of this mystery faction, King Art Games’ creative director Jan Theysen did tease during an interview with IGN that fans can expect the return of a familiar face seen throughout “the history of Dawn of War”, which does allude to series staples such as Chaos Space Marines, the Eldar, or the Imperial Guard.
All these just cover the content planned for the Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV’s first year of launch, so hopefully the game meets the lofty expectations of fans, especially following the disaster that was 2017’s Dawn of War III, and allows for the studio to support the title for years to come with a steady stream of new factions, just like we saw with the original.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Natalie
