Here are the latest release dates and roadmap to all the 10th Edition Codex books that are on the way for Warhammer 40k!
The new 10th Edition 40k Codex Roadmap is here, and if all goes according to plan, a whopping 12 Warhammer 40k codex books will be released by Summer 2024! Straight from Warhammer Community, let’s dive into the new details and find out what will happen to our current books in the future.
Warhammer 40k Codex Books Arriving By Summer 2024!
The new 10th Edition 40k Codex Roadmap is here, and if all goes according to plan, a whopping 12 Warhammer 40k codex books will be released by this summer alone! That’s right, now Sisters and Genestealer Cults will hit in the summer of 2024!
They didn’t say much about the redacted army, but there are a lot of Space Marine supplements to be made, so that’s always a solid guess.
But maybe the biggest news is that without all the Space Marine supplements, there are only around 25 factions of armies in Warhammer 40k total. It is kind of wild to think that just one year into 10th Edition, half of the Codex books will have been released!
Warhammer 40k Codex Book Lineup For 10th Edition:
| Month Released: | 40k Codex: |
| September 9, 2023: | Tyranids |
| October 7, 2023: | Space Marines |
| December 9, 2023: | Ad Mech |
| December 9, 2023: | Necrons |
| February 3, 2024: | Dark Angels (In Deathwing Assault) |
| March 9, 2024: | Dark Angels (Separate Release) |
| March 23, 2024: | T’au Empire ( In Kroot Hunting Pack) |
| April 20, 2024: | Adeptus Custodes |
| April 20, 2024: | Orks |
| May 4th, 2024 | T’au Empire (Separate Release) |
| Spring 2024: | Chaos Space Marines |
| Summer 2024: |
Genestealer Cults |
| Summer 2024: | Adepta Sororitas |
| Summer 2024: | Redacted Faction |
Either way, it looks like they are keeping up with the codex roadmap from the beginning of 10th, and if they release two to four each quarter, we should get a good shot in the arm for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k!
The question now may be if GW will take two years to release the last 14 codex books after this summer, as they tend to reboot 40k every three years. Based on that trend, that puts 11th edition 40k on track for summer of 2026.
Which 10th Edition 40k Codexes are Coming Next?
We have the roadmap through most of the summer, but that still leaves a lot of new Codex books to release! If you look at the 9th Edition 40k, some of the books didn’t drop until nearly the end of the edition, so unfortunately, we expect the same fate for 10th.
Most recently, Tau, Orks, and Adeptus Custodes have hit shelves with Genestealer Cults, Adpta Sororitas, and Chaos Space Marines codex books next.
Here is what is left compared to the last edition, as well as what is coming next.
- Chaos Space Marines: Late Spring 2024
- Sisters of Battle (Adepta Sororitas): Summer 2024
- Genestealer Cults: Summer 2024
- Chaos Knights: Unknown
- Aeldari: Unknown
- Space Marine Supplements: (Blood Angels, Black Templars, Deathwatch, Salamanders, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, and possibly more)
- Imperial Agents: (not confirmed but rumored)
- Grey Knights: Unknown
- Imperial Knights: Unknown
- Death Guard: Unknown
- Drukhari: Unknown
- Leagues of Votann: Unknown
- Astra Militarum: Unknown
- World Eaters: Unknown
- Thousand Sons: Unknown
- Chaos Daemons: Unknown
- Emperor’s Children: (rumored, not confirmed)
What are Warhammer 40k Codexes?
Warhammer 40k Codexes are essential guidebooks for players to play the different factions in Warhammer. They serve as rulebooks and lore compendiums for all the playable factions within the universe. When combined with the core rules, they have all the rules you need to play your army.
Each Codex delves into the history, tactics, and unique characteristics of a particular army, offering players insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their chosen faction. From the stoic Space Marines to the insidious forces of Chaos, every Codex provides detailed information on unit types, special abilities, and army-building strategies.
These books not only outline the rules for gameplay but also immerse players in the rich narrative and worldbuilding of Warhammer 40k. They often include captivating stories, stunning artwork, and detailed illustrations, bringing the grim darkness of the far future to life.
GW regularly updates codexes to ensure balance within the game, with new editions introducing revised rules and additional content. Generally, these updates are done through FAQs and Balance Dataslates.
What Will Happen To Codex Books In 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
The Design Studio has taken a long, hard look at the state of the game. The core rules that underpin Warhammer 40,000 are strong, but in their review, they found many opportunities for streamlining the system, fixing rules that didn’t quite sit right, and numerous other ‘quality-of-life’ changes.
As they said multiple times, the new edition aims to simplify and streamline a lot of the clutter surrounding rules. With this reveal, they reiterated that idea further.
Those sticky complexities have now been smoothed out, and without losing any of the game’s depth. These much-needed simplifications are substantial enough that, from a rules perspective at least, every ninth edition codex has been rendered obsolete. That’s not to say they’re useless – they’re still bursting with the lore, history, and short stories that define each faction, and until new codexes emerge over the course of the new edition, these books will still be the main repository of the knowledge you need.
While it sounds rough, “rendered obsolete,” it does make sense. The overhaul they are talking about seems to be all-encompassing, and trying to tie in or errata all the current rules just isn’t worth it and would be confusing for players anyways.
The associated packs of datacards are also obsolete. One of the main vectors for streamlining armies has been to heavily reduce the numbers of Stratagems available to each faction. Gone are the days of shuffling through 50 cards to find the right ability – each army now has a lean list of them included on the double-page spread that defines them.
With the band-aid ripped off, datacards containing the rules from the codexes will also be unusable.
You will nevertheless be able to play your chosen army as soon as the new edition lands. We are releasing revamped, restatted, and reconsidered datasheets for every single unit in the game – all free to download at launch and ready to go. You’ll also be able to buy inexpensive packs of these cards at launch.
However, to ease the pain a bit, all factions received a sort of Index set of rules for free online on day 1!
Boarding Actions, on the other hand, are still going strong. The core rules in Arks of Omen: Abaddon were specifically written to work with the new edition, and the book will remain available for the foreseeable future. All you need to play this tight and tense format of Warhammer 40,000, is this book, the book that contains your own faction rules, and a set of terrain.
The last tidbit they gave us was regarding the Arks of Omen series, and thankfully these recent books and their rules were made to continue working into the 10th edition… Thank the Emperor for that, at least
More 10th Edition 40k Detachments On The Way
Let’s start with detachment rules. Each army started the game with only a single rule; however, GW can easily put in a bunch ahead of a certain codex release. Even on their app, they say “more coming soon,” which was an understatement after the first 10th Edition 40k codex previews hit:
Each Detachment offers your army unique benefits: a Detachment rule, four Enhancements, and six Stratagems. While some factions will find that the Detachment from their Index changes slightly when their Codex arrives, this is not the case for the Invasion Fleet, which functions exactly as it does now.
Now we know the first 10th Edition 40k Codex, Tyranids, received six detachments, each with four enhancements and six stratagems! So, chances are each new 10th Edition 40k codex book will follow a similar pattern and have 24 enhancements and 36 stratagems to keep track of.
How Detachments & Abilities Can Be Updated In the Future
Between what we know about codexes and the Balance Dataslate, GW can look at how each army’s detachment rules are working, then easily pop something new in there at any point or in coordination with other events and updates. This is also easier to balance since they are not making individual points for models in units (or even their weapons). With everything being a set point value, it’s easier to determine how a detachment rule will work.
GW obviously had some pretty strong ideas for the way each faction would play. They can easily use the current meta to determine whether things are working the way they want (and add more in this direction) or have to go a totally different route. Take Ad Mech, for example; in theory, doing mortal wounds or Battleshocking units is strong, but with how unimpactful Battleshock is so far, it doesn’t really work.
So, in the new codex, it should be simple to just add in different ideas with the base of the meta and what doesn’t work currently. Then, they even have enhancements and stratagems set up in the same place, meaning GW can easily add unique enhancements and stratagems for each detachment as well.
How Do You Redeem Warhammer 40k Codex Codes?
On the back page of every codex, there is a code that will grant you online access to the rules and the army builder function within the Warhammer 40k app. You will need to have a My Warhammer account to redeem the code. Once you have that setup, you can go into the Warhammer 40k app and type in the code that comes on the back page of the codex.
Once you have entered the code, you will then be able to access the rules within the 40k App, which will be automatically updated when GW updates the rules, and you can also use the army builder in the app to make your army lists. The code can only be used once, so don’t share it!
Ease of 10th Edition 40k Codex Releases
With a complete framework for every faction, making new codexes has never been easier for GW. All they have to do is look at the meta, change some points, fill in some new detachments, and add artwork. Boom, a new book! For the last edition, they had to make basically entirely new books with only the models laid out for them. This time, they don’t have to worry about individual points, coming up with the identity for the edition, or anything like that.
So, in theory, it should be easy (as long as they can ship out the products) to make new books, stay on track, and actually make changes closer to release than usual. It’s great to see GW make some promises about so many factions within the next year, and with a good variety covered, many players should be happy!
Get the latest on 10th Edition Warhammer 40k by clicking on our article coverage below:
- Warhammer 40k New 10th Edition Release Guide: LATEST
- New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Starter Set
- What Will Happen To Codex Books in 10th Edition
- All the Latest 10th Edition Rules Changes
- How to Build Army Lists in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
Warhammer & 40k New Releases Roadmap UPDATED
Here is the latest updated Games Workshop new releases roadmap featuring tons of minis for most Warhammer and 40k games! Read MoreAre you excited about the 10th Edition Warhammer 40k and GW’s stance on the codex book rules?
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
