Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 Is Finally a Reality — but Its Developer May Surprise You

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is officially on the horizon, revealed during the Opening Night Live 2025 showcase. The announcement brought a debut trailer, gameplay glimpses, the introduction of a new faction to the series, and a surprising development team at the helm.

Originally launched in 2004 by Relic Entertainment, the Dawn of War franchise quickly became a cornerstone of real-time strategy gaming. Fans naturally assumed any sequel would come from Relic, especially following their recent release of the Dawn of War Definitive Edition, which revitalized the classic titles. However, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is being developed by King Art Games—creators of the 1920s-inspired RTS Iron Harvest—and published by Deep Silver, known for titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Dead Island 2. The project is also supported by a German video game funding grant.

Dawn of War 4 aims to bring the series back to its core roots, honoring the legacy of the original game. Players can expect deeply engaging RTS mechanics and a more brutal, evolved Sync Kill system. These cinematic kill sequences, a fan-favorite feature, showcase dramatic animations when specific units eliminate enemies—now with enhanced detail and intensity.

At launch, the game will feature four playable factions: the iconic Space Marines, the chaotic Orks, the ancient Necrons, and the Adeptus Mechanicus—making their first appearance in the Dawn of War series. The campaign spans four storylines with over 70 missions, complete with spectacular CGI intros and fully animated cutscenes. The narrative is crafted by acclaimed Black Library author John French, known for his Ahriman series, and supports both solo and co-op play.

The Blood Ravens Space Marines return, along with familiar faces such as Captain Cyrus, Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, and the ever-memorable Warboss Gorgutz. Set many years after the events of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade—the second expansion to the original game—the story unfolds on the war-torn planet of Kronus. Notably, the announcement makes no reference to Dawn of War 2 or the poorly received Dawn of War 3, signaling a deliberate return to the tone and gameplay style of the original.

In addition to the campaign, Dawn of War 4 includes Last Stand and Skirmish modes with over 30 missions, alongside robust multiplayer featuring more than 30 maps for 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 battles. Players can choose from over 10 unique Commanders and command more than 110 distinct units and buildings, many of which are customizable. An in-game editor and a Painter tool allow for deep personalization of units and factions, letting players tailor their armies to their playstyle.

Here’s the official description:

The series returns to its roots with classic Dawn of War gameplay and a combat system designed to bring Warhammer 40,000’s bloodthirsty combat to life like never before. Grow your force, build your base of operations, specialise your squads, and savour an expanded Sync Kill system that delivers an unprecedented degree of melee combat detail.

Enjoy an endlessly replayable collection of game modes, including the return of fan-favourite Last Stand! Fight highly-configurable AI battles in Skirmish, or take on the world in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 multiplayer. Wherever you’re waging war, use the Painter tool to stamp your own unique personality on your fighting forces, as well as the option to use existing factions from the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

Set many years after the events of Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, war has returned to the planet Kronus, along with Captain Cyrus, Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, and Warboss Gorgutz and several new commanders as four factions fight for supremacy. Kronus features a number of distinct biomes including the Wasteland, Iceland, Highlands, Hive City & Manufactorum regions.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is scheduled for release in 2026. [ttpp]