Warhammer Colour is now Citadel Colour. Learn what the name change means, what stays the same, and how it affects your favorite Warhammer paints.
Games Workshop is changing the name of its paint range, and honestly, this one feels pretty straightforward. Citadel Colour is becoming Warhammer Colour, which means the paint pots on hobby shelves are getting a new label that lines up more clearly with what they are actually for: painting Warhammer miniatures.
That is the whole play here. This is a branding update, not some secret reformulation, not a stealth range reset, and not a reason to panic-buy your favorite pot of Nuln Oil like the sky is falling.
Warhammer Colour is just the new name for the paint range, but it is still the same hobby paint lineup painters already know. That means your familiar Base, Layer, Shade, Technical, and Contrast paints are all still part of the range, just under a new name.
For hobbyists, the big takeaway is simple: same paint, new branding, and perhaps no paints in dropper bottles from GW anytime soon now…
Why Games Workshop is changing Citadel Colour to Warhammer Colour
- Citadel Colour is becoming Warhammer Colour: this is a straight branding swap, so the paint line matches the main Warhammer name more clearly.
- Same paint, new label: Base, Layer, Shade, Technical, and Contrast paints are all sticking around, with no sign of reformulation or a range reset.
- No hobby desk panic required: your current Citadel pots, recipes, and old paint guides still work exactly the same through the transition.
- Do not expect droppers: the familiar flip-top pots appear to be staying, so GW is changing the branding, not the bottle style.
- Rollout will be gradual: Warhammer Colour paint pots, sets, and accessories should start appearing in stores over the next few weeks and months, alongside older Citadel stock.
If you have been in the hobby long enough, Citadel paint has been part of the furniture for years. It is one of those names that just lives in the background of the Warhammer hobby. So why change it now?
The reason seems pretty obvious. Warhammer Colour tells new hobbyists exactly what the product is for the second they see it. Citadel Colour has a lot of history behind it, but Warhammer Colour is cleaner, clearer, and easier for new painters to understand at a glance.
From a branding standpoint, this makes a lot of sense:
A clearer name for new hobbyists
Someone walking into a Warhammer store for the first time may not immediately connect “Citadel Colour” with Warhammer miniatures. “Warhammer Colour” removes that extra step.
Stronger connection to the main brand
Games Workshop has been tightening the Warhammer branding across the board for years. This update keeps the paint range locked directly to the core hobby identity.
Easier shelf recognition
Whether you are in a Warhammer store or browsing at your local game shop, Warhammer Colour is a much more direct label. That matters when hobby products are fighting for attention on crowded shelves.
Is Warhammer Colour a new paint formula?
No. That is the part most hobbyists actually care about.
Warhammer Colour is the exact same paint you already know. So if you were worried this meant a reformulation, a range shake-up, or some weird quality-control roulette, there is nothing here suggesting that.
You are still getting:
- Base paints
- Layer paints
- Shade paints
- Technical paints
- Contrast paints
So yes, Contrast paints are still staying put, and yes, this sounds like a rebrand rather than a product overhaul.
That is probably the smartest move possible. Changing the name is one thing. Messing with paint, hobbyists rely on it every week is another.
Don’t Expect Dropper Bottles Anytime Soon
One thing that jumps out with this update is what is not changing. While the name on the pot is shifting from Citadel Colour to Warhammer Colour, the familiar paint pot design appears to be sticking around as well.
For years, hobbyists have debated the merits of the classic Citadel flip-top pot versus the dropper bottles used by most other miniature paint brands. Vallejo, Army Painter, Pro Acryl, AK Interactive, and plenty of others rely on droppers because they make it easier to control paint flow, measure mixes, and avoid drying out in the bottle.
Games Workshop has taken a different approach for decades, and this rebrand does not seem to signal any shift away from that design.
The classic Citadel-style pot is still here
The new Warhammer Colour bottles shown so far appear to use the same familiar pot style hobbyists already recognize. That likely means the painting workflow many Warhammer hobbyists use today will remain unchanged.
Those flip-top lids are designed around a specific painting style:
- Opening the pot and loading paint directly onto a brush
- Scooping small amounts onto a palette
- Using the pot rim to wipe off excess paint
Love them or hate them, that system has been part of the Warhammer hobby experience for a long time.
Dropper bottles remain the industry standard elsewhere
Outside the Warhammer ecosystem, dropper bottles have largely become the norm across miniature paint ranges. They allow painters to squeeze out precise amounts, reduce exposure to air, and help prevent accidental spills.
That is why you often see hobbyists transferring Citadel paints into empty dropper bottles after purchase. It gives them the control they prefer without giving up the color formulas they like.
At the end of the day, the Warhammer Colour rebrand updates the label on the pot, not the pot itself. Anyone hoping the change might bring dropper bottles to the Warhammer paint range will likely need to keep waiting.
What this means for Warhammer painters
For most painters, this is more of a shelf update than a workflow change. Your recipes do not suddenly stop working because the pot says Warhammer Colour instead of Citadel Colour.
If you paint Space Marines, Tyranids, Aeldari, Orruks, Skaven, or anything else in the Warhammer lineup, your hobby routine should stay exactly the same. The paint categories are still familiar, the products are still familiar, and the purpose is still the same.
Your paint collection is not suddenly outdated
That old wall of Citadel Colour on your hobby desk is not being replaced overnight. There is going to be a transition period, which means both names will likely coexist for a while in the wild.
Tutorials and paint guides should still translate easily
Even if older tutorials say Citadel Colour, the actual paints themselves are not changing. So hobby content built around those names should still be useful as the rebrand rolls out.
New painters may have an easier on-ramp
This is where the new branding might actually help. “Warhammer Colour” is more beginner-friendly, especially for someone just starting to paint miniatures and trying to understand which products are tied to which hobby system.
When will Warhammer Colour start showing up in stores?
The rollout is not happening all at once. Based on GW’s statement, paint pots and accessories branded as Warhammer Colour will begin appearing over the next few weeks and months.
That means hobbyists should expect a phased transition rather than a hard switch on one specific day.
Where you will see the new branding
You should start spotting Warhammer Colour products in:
Warhammer stores,
Games Workshop’s own retail locations will be one of the first obvious places to see the branding shift in person.
Local gaming stores
Independent retailers and hobby shops will also start receiving stock with the updated packaging over time.
Mixed stock during the transition
For a while, some stores will probably have a mix of old Citadel Colour pots and new Warhammer Colour branding on shelves at the same time. That would be completely normal.
What happens to Citadel Colour accessories?
Well, it’s not just paint pots, but also accessories, getting the Warhammer Colour branding. That likely means hobby tools and related paint accessories tied to the current Citadel Colour line could also be refreshed with the new label.
So do not be surprised if paint handles, starter paint sets, or painting accessories also start following the same naming convention because it fits the broader brand cleanup.
Citadel Colour FAQ:
Is Citadel Colour being discontinued?
Not in the way people usually mean it. The Citadel Colour name is being replaced by Warhammer Colour, but the paint range itself is staying around. This looks like a rebrand, not a cancellation.
Is Warhammer Colour the same as Citadel paint?
Yes. The submitted information says Warhammer Colour is the exact same paint that hobbyists already use. The branding is changing, but the actual paint categories and products remain the same.
Are Contrast paints changing, too?
No. Contrast paints are still part of the lineup under the new Warhammer Colour branding.
Do I need to replace my current Citadel paints?
Absolutely not. Your current pots are still part of the same paint system. Nothing about this update suggests painters need to replace anything they already own.
Will old Citadel Colour pots still be sold?
Most likely during the transition, yes. Since the rollout is happening over weeks and months, stores will probably have older stock alongside newly branded Warhammer Colour products for a while.
Why rename Citadel Colour to Warhammer Colour?
The reason appears to be clarity. Warhammer Colour tells customers right away that these paints are for painting Warhammer miniatures. It is a simpler, more direct name for new and existing hobbyists alike.
Why this rebrand matters more than it first seems
On paper, changing “Citadel Colour” to “Warhammer Colour” sounds like a minor packaging tweak. In practice, it is a pretty smart branding move.
Citadel has history, sure, but Warhammer has wider recognition. If Games Workshop wants its paints to be instantly readable to newer customers, this is a cleaner way to do it. It makes the product’s purpose obvious without needing hobby context.
For veteran painters, this is mostly a shrug-and-keep-painting moment. For newer hobbyists, it is one less bit of hobby language to decode. That alone gives the change some real value.
Final thoughts on Citadel Colour becoming Warhammer Colour
The important part here is not the new logo on the pot. It is that Warhammer Colour keeps the same paint range intact while making the branding easier to understand for anyone getting into the hobby.
So yes, Citadel Colour is becoming Warhammer Colour, but your favorite paints are still your favorite paints. Base, Layer, Shade, Technical, and Contrast are all still here. The label is changing. The job on the hobby desk is not.
That makes this less of a dramatic hobby shake-up and more of a tidy rebrand that probably should have happened sooner.
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What do you think of the new name for Games Workshop’s paints?
