GW Plans Out Major New Releases 3 Years In Advance

By Travis Pasch | March 25th, 2024 | Categories: 10th Edition 40k, 40k News & Articles, Age of Sigmar, Citadel Paint, Games Workshop, Tabletop Gaming News & Rumors, Warhammer Community

Games Workshop has planned out its major Warhammer new releases (like 10th Edition 40k) three years in advance, and here is what may be next!

For over a decade now, Games Workshop has kept a very regular three-year sales plan, or cycle, with rotating releases for three of their biggest lines, Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, and Citadel Hobby Supplies (like paint, etc.) We’ll look at each of these three-year sales plans and use this to see what’s likely next in 2024 and beyond…

How Games Workshop Plans Their Major New Releases 3 Years In Advance

So, what is a three-year sales plan or cycle from Games Workshop? Well, for the last decade or so, every year in the cycle they seem to have big new release for either Age of Sigmar, Warhammer 40k, or Citadel hobby supplies (like paint). Think of a summer movie-style blockbuster release every year, right when times are the slowest for retail sales.

In 2022, we had the new Citadel Hobby Shades and Contrast release. In 2021, we had Dominion, and the year before that, the 9th Edition of Warhammer 40k. Then, 2023 saw the 10th Edition of 40k!

Are you starting to see the pattern? Now, let’s look at the past cycles for each and then check out what this means for the future.

Citadel Hobby:

2016 Paint line expanded (free guide pdf published)
2019 Contrast and ‘360’ paint rack rolled out to stores
2022 Paint line expanded again: Contrast and Shades

Warhammer 40k:

7th edition 2014
8th edition 2017
9th edition 2020
10th edition 2024

Age of Sigmar:

1st edition 2015
2nd edition 2018
3rd edition 2021 (Dominion)
4th edition 2024 (rumored and not confirmed by GW yet)

What’s Next From Games Workshop?

If Games Workshop continues to follow this three-year sales plan (and they seem to be on track, with 10th Edition last year), it means 4th Edition AoS will hit shelves in 2024!

In fact, the next three years of big releases from Games Workshop may mirror the last three based on this pattern:

2024: Age of Sigmar 4th Edition
2025: More Citadel Hobby
2026: Warhammer 40k 11th Edition

Hopefully, this brings out a big starter set, as we saw with 3rd Edition again. While Dominion didn’t sell quite as well as Indomitus, we still expect GW to drop a big starter box for AoS (and there are some rumors about Skaven).

While some people seem to think it won’t be that soon for 4th Edition AoS, we don’t expect GW to delay the schedule as they have been on it since 2014, not to mention the current General’s Handbook will have been around for a full year by then as well.

Even More New Games Workshop Games

We didn’t cover it, but GW also seems to roll out Specialist Games lines paired with either AoS or Citadel Hobby releases in some years, too. They dropped Adeptus Titanicus in 2018 (the same year as AoS 2.0) and 2023 with Legions Imperialis and 19th Edition 40k.

Games Workshop also likes to release new Specialist Games expansions on Black Friday weekend, as they have done with Necromunda and Blood Bowl.

However, they always seem to keep the summer hot with one of their big three money makers, Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, or Citadel Hobby.

While this release keeps the hobby moving, especially during the slow sales times, it would be nice to have more value for retailers and consumers alike, especially when you consider the paint side of things.

Look at the last release of new Shades and Contrasts; they forced stores to buy a new rack’s worth of paints when retailers were at their slowest sales-wise. Most of the new colors don’t really seem to have a general use, and while the new Shades formulas are cool, reducing the pot size and keeping the same prices just didn’t seem to go over well with anyone.

So there you have it, what looks to be how Games Workshop plans its major new releases three years in advance, dating back to 2014.