It’s official: a Primarch will be in Warhammer 40k Dawn of War 4, which returns with brutal RTS action. Here’s the latest news, gameplay details, and release date info.
After months of rumors, Games Workshop just confirmed at Gamescom 2025 that Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War 4 is happening.
And yes, the Blood Ravens are coming back as the featured Dawn of War 4 faction, because what’s a DoW game without everyone’s favorite Chapter of conveniently plot-friendly librarians?
Here’s the latest on the long-awaited next installment of the video game series that put Warhammer 40k on the map long before Titus and Space Marine.
Everything We Know So Far: Dawn of War 4 Release
Updated on January 18th, 2026, by Rob Baer with the latest YouTube previews.
The Warhammer Dawn of War 4 release date is set for 2026, with the franchise returning to classic RTS gameplay (and even has a board game to go with it).
We also know there will be four playable factions at launch, but with the Dark Angels already confirmed, expect more factions and Chapters to hit the game soon.
A Primarch is Confirmed Playable in Dawn of War 4
The first Dawn of War 4 trailer ended with a clean tease, revealing the Primarch Lion El’Jonson and the Dark Angels stepping onto the stage for the new game. While it didn’t reveal gameplay footage for the Primarch, the reveal alone is enough to get us hyped!
With the Lion leading your charges, you can expect plenty of tactical options, brutal front-line fights, and tons of battlefield carnage.
Dawn of War 4 Factions: All Playable Armies at Launch
The game launches with four unique Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War 4 factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and, for the first time in the series, the Adeptus Mechanicus. Each faction comes with its own Commanders, unique units, and signature abilities.
This is a lineup that not only covers fan favorites but also shakes things up with a brand-new faction for RTS fans to master. If you need some Dawn of War terrain for your 40k tabletop games before this comes out, check out some amazing options here!
The Orks in Dawn of War 4
There was no gameplay in the first Orks trailer, but it still checks all the right boxes. Orks come screaming in on a Rok, slam into a Space Marine battle barge, and instantly turn the place into a floating target.
After the engines get knocked out, it’s straight to boarding action time. The Boyz pile in and start krumping ‘umies the way Mork and Gork intended.
There’s dakka everywhere, Power Klaws doing what Power Klaws do, and Space Marines getting torn up like someone left a chainsaw running in a cardboard factory. If that’s the actual vibe of the playstyle, it looks spot-on.
The closer is pure setup fuel: the Rok smashes into the ship, the remaining Marines bail out in a Thunderhawk, a Drop Pod hits dirt planetside, and the Orks go right after them. Clean, brutal, and basically screaming, “Yep, this is where the game’s going.”
Orks win games by showing up in numbers that make your GPU sweat. They swarm the map fast, scrap everything in sight, and turn every fight into a green avalanche. If you like momentum through pure chaos, this is your crew.
Space Marines in Dawn of War 4
Space Marines are tough, elite, and expensive, so retreat and reinforce become a lifestyle choice. Their squads hit hard, but the real sauce is the unique third health bar that rewards aggressive pushes with a momentum boost that turns every brawl into a highlight reel.
Dark Angels Confirmed
This trailer actually coughs up some gameplay for the Dark Angels, and it looks like they’re going all-in on the vibe: Dreadnoughts stomping around, tanks rolling up, and infantry doing the grim work up close.
And yeah, it wouldn’t be a real Dark Angels get-together without the greatest hits. Ravenwing shows up to go fast and cause problems, and Deathwing is there to teleport in and delete something expensive. Looks like both wings made the cut, which is exactly what anyone wanted.
Then there’s the cherry on top: it’s not just “Dark Angels themed.” The Lion is in (as we mentioned above). So at some point, someone’s going to hit the “deploy Primarch” button and turn the whole match into a cautionary tale.
Adeptus Mechanicus in Dawn of War 4
The Mechanicus runs on battlefield synergy, stacking network-style buffs that make their units smarter, faster, and way more dangerous. Play them right, and the whole army starts humming like a freshly calibrated machine spirit.
Necrons in Dawn of War 4
Necrons spread across the battlefield like they are updating your Wi-Fi network, laying down a power matrix that boosts their advance. Their slow, steady pressure turns any map into their territory, and once they are online, they roll over enemies with cold, efficient inevitability.
Dawn of War 4 Campaign and Story Details
Games Workshop isn’t pulling punches here. Warhammer Dawn of War 4 ships with over 70 campaign missions that can be played solo or co-op. The Dawn of War 4 campaign connects all four factions with Black Library author John French at the helm.
The campaign promises battles across war-torn worlds, weaving together the different factions in a narrative designed for replayability. With AI skirmish modes including Last Stand survival mode, and multiplayer formats ranging from 1v1 to 3v3, there’s no shortage of ways to throw down.
Dawn of War 4 Gameplay Breakdown
A key change in Dawn of War 4 is the return to classic gameplay. It’s ditching the MOBA-lite experiment of Dawn of War III and returning to what made the original Dawn of War series legendary in the first place.
We’re talking fast-paced strategy, massive armies clashing on the battlefield, and the glorious brutality of an expanded Sync Kill system.
Last Stand Mode & Core RTS Mechanics
Fans of the previous Dawn of War games will be happy to see Last Stand return, letting you and your friends test your mettle against endless waves of enemies.
RTS purists will have plenty to chew on, too, with base building, resource management, and unit synergy all playing major roles.
Dawn of War 4 Features and Gameplay Highlights
Blood Ravens Hit the Ground Running
The Dawn of War 4 demo wastes no time and drops you straight into a classic Blood Ravens rescue run, backing up the Imperial Guard while Cyrus takes charge. It sets the tone fast and reminds you exactly why this Chapter keeps showing up in these games.
Upgrades, Tricks, and Cyrus’ Skill Options
Units come loaded with upgrade paths and battlefield tricks, and Cyrus gets his own compact skill tree. You can lean into remote bombs, long-range sniper shots, or sneaky squad buffs, depending on how you want your strike team to play.
Resource Management in Dawn of War 4
Requisition and power nodes return as the backbone of your economy, replacing the old generator spam and keeping the flow of resources tight and tactical. If you played the earlier games, you will feel right at home.
Cinematic Combat Director Moments
There will be a bunch of Dawn of War 4 factions to play, and the combat director amps up the spectacle by making melee clashes feel weighty and cinematic. Some units hang in fights a little longer than they should, but the action still lands hard.
Strong Map Design and Reinforcement Drops
Maps bring asymmetrical layouts and clever routes that keep matches moving. You can even drop reinforcements directly into the action, which opens up some spicy mid-fight pivots.
Dawn of War 4 Release Date Updates
The current (there can always be delays) Dawn of War release date is set for 2026 or basically soon™. We don’t have an exact day or month yet, but we expect it later in the year, around fall. However, that’s just a guess until GW confirms it.
While it might still be a way off, you can already lock your copy in now over on Steam.
Warhammer Dawn of War 4 Final Thoughts
Dawn of War 4 is shaping up to be a wild Grimdark experience. When Dawn of War III dropped in 2017, the fanbase was split. Some liked the experiment, but many walked away disappointed by the simplified, MOBA-inspired mechanics.
GW seems to have taken that criticism to heart. This time, they’re aiming squarely at Iron Harvest and players who fell in love with the series back in 2004.
We think Dawn of War IV is shaping up to be the Warhammer RTS revival fans have been waiting two decades for. The campaign promises depth, the multiplayer is robust, and the return to classic RTS gameplay is exactly what the series needed.
If you haven’t already, you can lock in your copy now on Steam.
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