In one of their worst-kept secrets ever, Games Workshop has leaked the new Warhammer 40k 10th Edition and Leviathan box release date!
First, we saw a flash of the release month at the end of a teaser video, and now two back-to-back statements by GW have revealed the most likely pre-order and release dates for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k and the new Leviathan box set.
The good news is it all lines up EXACTLY with the dates we predicted already and fits perfectly with the current three-year release cycle GW loves to use.
Still, it would be nice to have final confirmation from GW finally, but all signs point to pre-orders for the 10th going live on, well, the 10th of June 2023.
Here’s why we say that (well, besides the fact it just sounds cool to say pre-order 10th on the 10th.)
Closed For Training
This is to inform you that we are closed for training and will resume normal operations on Thursday.
Before every big release announcement, the Games Workshop trade sales department (the department your game store orders though) closes to train their staff on the release roll-out.
Sometimes it goes well, but lately releases have been pretty bad from Games Workshop. So with the horrors of the Idomitus 9th Edition 40k launch fresh in everyone’s memory, coupled with five months of allocations and caps to stores, GW really has an uphill battle with this release in front of them.
Regardless, on a shortened week due to Memorial Day, Games Workshop closed a second time on Wednesday, May 31, for “training.” Keep in mind; this is the day before they start calling stores from Thursday-Tuesdays to inform them of the latest allocations and other pertinent news.
Our guess is this training is for the Leviathan pre-orders that should start on the 10th of June, so it’s the perfect time for them to chat up their store accounts before the official announcement.
The Smoking (Leak) Gun
GW may have accidentally leaked the release date themselves in a recent post about then new free store miniature for June. Remember, when they do a big new edition launch, the pre-order window is two weeks long. So if 10th were to go up for pre-order on the 10th of June, then it would release on the 24th of June in stores worldwide.
Take a look at the date you can walk into a Games Workshop store and get a free Tyranids Miniature:
You can uphold the tenets of the Great Plan with a Saurus Warrior, who will be available in local stores from the 3rd of June. Tyranid Termagants may be small, but they’re vicious and you can get your free push-fit miniature by speaking to a staff member at your local Warhammer store from the 24th of June. Both will only be available while stocks last.
That seems to line up perfectly with a pre-order date of the 10th for a two-week order window, followed by delivery on the 24th of June, 2023!
Games Workshop Reveals 10th Edition 40k Release Date
Blink, and you’ll miss this release teaser from Games Workshop! The good news is it all lines up pretty well with everything we’ve seen and is about perfect with the current three-year release cycle GW loves to use.
Still, it’s nice to finally have some confirmation from GW about the release month so we know how the tournament scene will start to shift from this Warhammer Community post
It’s finally official; 10th Edition is coming in June 2023! They sort of hid this in a recent video about Tyranids getting punched by Terminators (we’ll have it below for you.) Either way, it’s nice to have some confirmation after so much hype.
While this doesn’t give us the exact day for pre-order or release, we’ve done the detective work to determine when we’ll probably see the Leviathan and 10th Eidtion 40k hit store shelves.
Most Likely 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Release Date Now
While we know that 10th Edition 40k will release in June per GW already, the KC Open will be the first chance for hobbyists to demo the 10th Edition Warhammer 40k in the States. Therefore, if they let people play before the edition drops, we know that the edition (well, mostly know) can’t release until after that, right?
This event will take place from June 2nd-4th, so in theory, Warhammer 40k 10th Edition has to come out after the first week in June.
Warhammer World is Wide Open In June
Another clue that the new edition will drop in June is the fact there are no major events in June at Warhammer World, meaning they could be leaving the whole rest of the month open for 10th shenanigans (but plenty in July).
Atlantic City Open 2023
Then Atlantic City Open is in the middle of the month and could be the last major 9th event. Considering GW generally works with FLG for things like previews and such, it could make sense to have this be the last event for 9th Edition.
This takes place from June 16th-18th, smack dab in the middle of the month, and could mean that this would be a terrible week to launch a new edition of the game.
There is another big reason the 16th-18 would be bad timing, too, as you are about to see…
The Local Game Store Rules Them All
Lastly, if their stock report is to be taken seriously, their highest profit performer was sales through game stores.
So to release a new edition, Games Workshop would be wise to yield the right of way to what is happening in gaming stores in June. Unfortunately for them, June is already packed with blockbuster releases outside of 10th Edition Warhammer 40k.
- June 3rd: Star Wars Shatterpoint Miniatures Game Release, Diablo 4 and Street Fighter 6 Video Games
- June 10th: Open
- June 16-18th: Magic the Gathering Lord of The Rings Crossover Pre-Release Weekend
- June 24th: Open
As you can see, there are already two big weekends claimed by Shatterpoint and the new Magic LoTR cards in June.
So, it would make sense for Games Workshop to drop the new edition pre-orders on June 10th with a two-week pre-order period as they normally do for larger releases. Meaning the edition could hit store shelves on June 24th.
This would be very sensible for GW to let stores work around the other larger releases of the Summer Blockbuster release season and then have at least one full week to order what they need without having the other big games interfering.
Plus, doesn’t pre-ordering 10th on the 10th just sound lovely?
The First Major 10th Edition 40k Tournament
There is also one final hint, GW most likely would want the Tacoma Open to be the first 10th Edition tournament (considering this is their event). If you look at the cut-off above, they will allow rules dropped before July 7th for the tournament.
Seeing how the weekend after the 24th of June will also be Independence Day weekend observed (here in the States), most hobbyists won’t be in stores buying things.
So GW having the first 10th Edition Tournament and low foot traffic on July 4th Weekend are two big reasons to already have 10th Edition on the shelves by June 24th at the latest.
Check out the latest Warhammer 40k rumors for the rest of the 9th and even 10th Edition, new releases, and more!
View Gallery: 29 Images
Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from preview models that we should watch out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still to be revealed!
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits In 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits started with Rob trying to stay motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects and share his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
Scale model hobbyist in the 80s, miniature wargamer, and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy since 5th Edition, but Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and minatures made of both pewter and resin.
