New rumors say Games Workshop could bring back something like the legendary Warhammer 40k Armageddon army boxes for 11th edition. Here’s why it makes sense, and what could return.
Every edition launch needs a headline grabber, and “Warhammer 40k Armageddon army boxes are back” would do the job in one sentence. The rumor mill says Games Workshop could be aiming for a 2026 return with boxes built for Eleventh Edition, and honestly, it tracks.
Big value bundles sell, they move new and refreshed kits, and they get players into games without months of list paralysis.
Let’s break down why this rumor has legs and what a modern Armageddon army box might actually include.
Updated on January 6th, 2026, with the latest rumors for new box sets and more.
Warhammer 40k Armageddon has already popped back up in 2025 with a smaller campaign book, and plenty of people assumed that was the anniversary lap. Except with everything else piling up, it’s starting to look like that book was the teaser trailer, not the whole movie.
If GW’s plan is to roll into a new edition with a big narrative hook, giving Armageddon a spotlight beforehand is exactly the kind of groundwork they love to lay.
The latest rumors making the rounds point to a full set of Armageddon boxes with Deathwatch taking center stage around what could be an Armageddon-themed 11th edition starter set when it comes to factions. But, obviously, Commisar Yarrick, Space Marines, and Orks would almost have to be a part of it in some way.
Yarrick Keeps Getting Mentioned Like GW Wants You to Notice
GW has been doing that classic thing where they swear they are not teasing anything while aggressively teasing everything.
White Dwarf has been leaning into the idea that characters we thought were dead could make a comeback, and Grotmas went out of its way to talk up Yarrick and the legend surrounding him in Armageddon.
Translation: the door is wide open. If Warhammer 40k Armageddon is coming back as a headline conflict, Yarrick is the kind of name that sells the story instantly. If he turns up tied to an Armageddon-style box, nobody should act shocked.
We will all act shocked anyway, but that’s just tradition.
Five Hundred Worlds, Maelstrom, Then Warhammer 40k Armageddon?
This is where it stops feeling like wish-casting and starts feeling like GW’s usual playbook. We have already seen narrative-forward pushes with the 500 Worlds products and the Maelstrom boxes, which look to be part of the tenth edition finale.
So if Warhammer 40k Armageddon boxes roll in as the next step, especially alongside the launch of 11th edition, it fits perfectly. GW loves an edition transition with a story attached, and new boxes and campagin books are the cleanest way to move that story onto tables while also conveniently refilling the release schedule.
How GW Could Actually Pull Off Warhammer 40k Armageddon, Again
If GW wants to do Warhammer 40k Armageddon again, they do not need to recreate the old global campaign monster in one swing. The smarter play is a modern “contained chaos” approach that still feels big.
Start with a campaign book that matters. Not a thin mission pamphlet. Not “here are six games and a sticker.” If they go back to Armageddon, it needs to feel like a war zone, with narrative rules and detachments that actually sell the vibe. Orks should be front and center, Marines should be in the spotlight, and if GW wants to make the internet combust, this is the moment to start teasing Steel Legion again.
Even if it is rules and lore first, it gets the hype train moving. But we know GW doesn’t like to reveal rules without minis.
Warhammer 40k Armageddon Army Boxes from 2000
Warhammer 40k Armageddon Army Boxes from 2000
Then you push it with boxes, because that is how GW delivers stories now. Think Boarding Patrol and Boarding Actions vibe, but aimed at Armageddon. Multiple factions get themed boxes, you get ready-made mini campaign energy, and suddenly everyone is fighting over the same blasted world again because the product line told them to.
There’s chatter about extra Armageddon boxes for different factions, too, including a rumored Deathwatch one, which would be hilariously appropriate if Orks are about to become everybody’s favorite problem again. Xenos hunters showing up to ruin an Ork party is basically a public service.
If It’s Really Armageddon, Expect the Usual Suspects and a Few Wallet Threats
If it really is Warhammer 40k Armageddon for 2026, the lineup writes itself. Orks, front and center. Space Marines, because of course. And if GW is feeling especially cruel, this is where a Steel Legion refresh stops being a meme and starts being a problem for your wallet.
Was the Warhammer 40k Armageddon Anniversary the End, or Was It GW Setting the Table?
The twenty-fifth anniversary happening in twenty-twenty-five might not have been the big sendoff. It might have been GW setting the table. With Five Hundred Worlds and Maelstrom already establishing the rhythm, Warhammer 40k Armageddon-style boxes landing alongside 11th edition feels less like a wild swing and more like the next obvious step.
The only real question is how hard they commit this year now.
The Original Warhammer 40k Armageddon Campaign:
Warhammer 40k Armageddon campaign website from 2000
It’s been more than two decades since the Third War for Armageddon lit the 40k hobby on fire. Global campaign chaos, a codex that actually mattered, and a wave of models that basically taught GW how to sell “the end is nigh” to all of us forever. Good times, loud tables, and enough green paint to qualify as a controlled substance.
For those who weren’t around in the early 2000s, Codex: Armageddon was the moment when Warhammer 40k didn’t just tell you a story; it made you part of it. This wasn’t just another supplement with a few extra pages of lore and some new datasheets. This was a global, player-driven war where your tabletop battles actually counted for something.
And, oh boy, did it change the game.
Warhammer 40k Codex Armageddon: More Than Just Another Rulebook
Let’s start with the Codex: Armageddon itself. It wasn’t just a book; it was a statement. It gave entire factions a serious glow-up, separating them from their more generic counterparts and solidifying their roles in the Warhammer 40k Armageddon lore.
Black Templars went from being “just another Space Marine chapter” to an unstoppable, chainmail-wearing, sword-swinging, Emperor-obsessed zealot war machine. They got their own unique rules, a new playstyle, and a reputation for never backing down from a fight, something that still defines them today.
Salamanders leaned hard into their slow-but-resilient identity, reinforcing their status as expert craftsmen with master-crafted weapons and flame-wielding fury. They weren’t about speed; they were about durability, firepower, and wrecking anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.
Steel Legion became the poster boys for mechanized infantry, embodying the Imperial Guard’s steel-hearted, tank-riding, gun-blazing approach to warfare. If you loved the idea of rolling up with an entire army of Chimera-mounted guardsmen, this was your moment.
Orks? Oh, Orks took center stage in the most gloriously violent way possible. Ghazghkull Thraka was back with his biggest WAAAGH! Yet, with him came the rise of Speed Freeks(okay, fine, cult of speed is what they called it back then), warlike-heavy lists, and specialized Ork factions that cranked up the faction’s personality to eleven.
It wasn’t just about balance tweaks or minor changes; this book fundamentally altered how these armies played and felt on the battlefield.
The Warhammer 40k Armageddon Global Campaign: Where Every Battle Mattered
Now, let’s talk about the real meat of this whole event, the global campaign. Warhammer 40k Armageddon wasn’t some “write-your-own-headcanon” situation. This was Games Workshop running a worldwide war, where players submitted battle results that actually influenced the outcome.
Every game played, every skirmish, and every major victory was recorded, shaping the narrative as the war raged on. And the community ate it up.
- White Dwarf was stacked with battle reports, faction spotlights, and live updates on how the war was unfolding. Players would open each issue like it was a breaking news report, waiting to see which side was gaining ground.
- The GW website (which, back then, felt like cutting-edge technology) had a live-tracking system where players could see which factions were winning in different theaters of war.
Miniatures, Models, and Madness for Warhammer 40k Armageddon
Of course, no campaign is complete without some shiny new plastic, and Warhammer 40k Armageddon did not disappoint back then.
- Black Templars got their first real set of models that distinguished them from standard Space Marines: chainsword-wielding maniacs in tabards and gothic armor, ready to purge anything that wasn’t praying to the Emperor.
- Salamanders saw model updates that reinforced their tough, flame-heavy aesthetic.
- Steel Legion miniatures became a hot commodity, with their WWII-style gas masks, trench coats, and mechanized warfare vibes making them one of the coolest Imperial Guard regiments to hit the tabletop.
- Orks went wild with Speed Freeks and new vehicles that let them tear across the battlefield in proper Mad Max-style mayhem.
Warhammer 40k Armageddon: Final Thoughts
Armageddon is one of the most iconic settings in Warhammer 40,000. If Games Workshop decides to revisit it, they have the chance to create a campaign that brings back the magic of global player-driven events while setting up the next edition.
It wouldn’t be easy. It wouldn’t be cheap. But if they get it right? It could be one of the most exciting moments in 40k’s modern history. Now, all that’s left to do is wait and see if GW is ready to go back to Warhammer 40k Armageddon.
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Would you be excited to see Warhammer 40k Armageddon again?
I dont think Theill Bring back steel Legion proper its much too soon after the Big Krieg Releases.
But something akin to the Plastic Krieg Kill Team could happen, including some Rules for 40k and if we are Lucky a Steel Legion Tank Crew Set. More then enough heavily Increase the Guard vehicle sales and if Steel Legion sells well maybe we get more.