The 2023 Games Workshop price increases appear to be more than three times higher than originally stated and include tools, paints, and starter sets as well.
We spent the night analyzing the list of price increases GW provided to retailers and found what appear to be huge discrepancies in GW’s price increase statement. On top of that, items they said weren’t getting increased (paints, starters, and tools) are also going up in price.
GW said prices would increase by about 6% and gave an example in GBP and said this would be equivalent in other currencies. However, the prices in USD appear to be going up by way more than that…
Editor’s note we are currently receiving reports from retailers that Games Workshop has walked back the list of price increases they sent retailers on February 9th, 2023, and are in the process of providing a new list to retailers.
The information provided below by industry insiders was correct as of press time.
GW Price Increases are Actually THREE times Higher Than Stated
This first picture is from Warhammer Community.
We polled both large and small stores in three different geographical areas in North America, and the list of price increases provided is all the same.
From our calculations, the average price increase seems to be around 18% for the 1019 items that actually changed.
Furthermore, tools, paints, and brushes all received price increases according to the information provided to us, which seems to contradict the statement by GW themselves on February 9th, 2023. Again, they mention an “*” in local currencies in their post, but the stated increase of 6% looks more like 18% to us.
Here are some of the price change highlights so far (we’ll talk about paints and tools next):
- $60 squads now $70 (Primaris, Sisters, Admech, Votann, Contemptor Dread, Leman Russ, etc.)
- $110 tanks now $130 (Votann Hekaton, land raiders, battlewagon, etc., things like Spartan & Stormraven $112 to $135)
- $80 tanks now $95 (Repulsor, Sisters Immolator)
- $70 units now $85 (Redemptor Dread, Stormspeeder, etc.)
- $85 units now $100 (Sisters Exorcist, Repulsor Executioner, Leviathan Dreadnought, Armigers, etc.)
- $42 Character models are now $53, and $35 character models are now $41.50 (assassins jumped from $38 to $48)
- Battleforces $210 now $260
- Knights & Baneblade $170 now $200
- Greater Daemons $150 now $180
- Daemon Primarchs $160 now $190 (Angron included)
- Combat Patrols $150 now $180
- Horus Heresy starter set $300 now $360
- New World Eaters Khorne Berzerkers and IG Lord Solar Leontus are already going from $60 to $75.
- Rogal Dorn Tank $90 to $110
As you can see from just the numbers, this looks like a lot more than 6% to us.
Now, let’s look at the price changes on paints and tools that GW stated weren’t changing.
First, they said sprays would change, so we expected that. However, it looks a ton of paintbrushes are changing…
We talked about Votann earlier, but everything is rising by at least 16.67%, with the average being over 18%… In this image, tools are also increasing.
According to this, paints are also increasing; here’s the major changes:
- Chaos black spraypaint now $24 a can various other colors now $27.50
- Contrast, technicals, washes (aka shade), and air paints were $7.80, now $9.40 a pot
- Layer and base paints are $4.80 and now $5.40
It’s unclear to us how their statement says an average increase of 6%, yet the example they give (Battle Sister Squad) is an increase of 4%, and the actual math seems to be triple (18.31% on the 1019 items with price changes in the US).
What Can You Do About the GW Price Increases?
The changes go into effect on March 6th, so there is time to still get what you need at the previous pricing.
If you don’t like this round increases, consider canceling your Warhammer+ sub. Because just as the D&D OGL situation was won by players canceling their DDB subs,
Best of all, the D&D community has shown hobbyists how to cancel Games Workshop if they try something like the OGL or worse.
GW has now revealed how much Warhammer+ means to their bottom line in their January mid-year financial report. So the scene may be set to vote with your hobby dollars if this situation in the most effective manner by either keeping or canceling your Warhammer+ Plus subscription now.
From the GW investor page.
Warhammer+ Plus is so important to GW that they put the numbers in the report for the first time in three such reports (to date). Currently, there are 115,000 subscribers; they even mentioned the associated revenue and costs and talked about the growth.
This is something they have put a ton of money into (£2.4 million) in just the last six months alone.
So what if a large percentage of users cancel at the exact same time? It could make GW think twice about whatever move they made to upset so many people simultaneously!
The D&D Community Has Shown Us How to Cancel Games Workshop
Or maybe it’s time to just get more into 3D printing!
Click Here For Warhammer Going Super Cheap on eBay
What are your thoughts on the discrepancies in Games Workshop’s price increases for 2023?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
