Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on 3 December 2026 on PC via Steam. If you buy the Commander Edition, you can play from 30 November 2026, three days earlier. As of 10 November 2026, publisher Deep Silver has not announced the launch time, a pre-load window or the download size. Below you will find what “Advance Access” on Steam actually means, why the game was delayed from September and what is still unknown.
When you can play, by edition
Your start date depends on the edition you buy. Prices are from Steam as of 10 November 2026, and the 10% pre-order discount runs until launch.
| Edition | Play from | Pre-order price | Regular price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | 3 December 2026 | $53.99 / £44.99 / €53.99 | $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 |
| Commander Edition | 30 November 2026 | $80.99 / £67.49 / €80.99 | $89.99 / £74.99 / €89.99 |
Steam lists the date as “3 Dec, 2026”, and both the official website and the publisher confirm it. Besides the earlier start, the Commander Edition includes both paid DLCs, Blood Ravens Story Prologue and Aftermath, and according to the official website a digital soundtrack as well. The full breakdown of each edition is in our editions and price guide.
Advance Access is not Early Access
On the official website the Commander Edition bonus is called the 3-Day Early Unlock. On Steam the game carries the label “Advance Access – Starts 30 Nov”, and Steam describes it as playing the game three days ahead of full release. This is not Early Access in the usual sense, where you buy an unfinished game that the developers keep building for months. From 30 November you play the same game that launches for everyone on 3 December, you just get it three days sooner.
If you buy the Standard Edition, you start on 3 December 2026. The base game is the same in both editions, the Commander Edition simply adds extra content on top.
What time does the game unlock
Nobody knows yet. As of 10 November 2026 the publisher has not announced a launch time for either 3 December or 30 November. Steam does not show one and neither does the official website. The pre-load window and download size are also unknown. That is why we are not giving you any estimate or time zone conversion. As soon as Deep Silver announces the time, we will add it here.
The download size ties in with the PC requirements, which are not out yet either. What we know so far is in our system requirements guide.
Why Dawn of War IV was delayed
The game was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live in August 2025. The developers announced the release date on 21 May 2026: originally the game was set to launch on 17 September 2026, with the Commander Edition playable from 14 September.
On 12 August 2026, however, KING Art Games moved the launch to 3 December 2026. Creative director Jan Theysen explained that the team wanted more time for performance optimisation, bug fixing and overall polish. The official announcement is on the Deep Silver website.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live |
| 21 May 2026 | release date 17 September 2026, editions and DLC plan announced |
| 12 August 2026 | delay to 3 December 2026 |
| 21–26 October 2026 | Closed Beta under NDA |
| 30 November 2026 | Commander Edition unlocks |
| 3 December 2026 | launch for everyone |
Between the delay and launch, a five-day Closed Beta ran from 21 to 26 October 2026 with all four factions. It was under NDA and sign-ups went through the newsletter. What we can say about it and whether another test is planned is covered in our beta test guide.
Where the game launches
Dawn of War IV launches only on Windows PC and is sold on Steam. The publisher lists no Mac, Linux or console versions. Pre-orders are open on the Steam store page with a “Pre-Purchase Promotion – Offer ends 3 December”, so the 10% discount ends on launch day. If you are new to the game, start with our game overview.
What has not been announced yet
- the launch time on 30 November and 3 December 2026,
- the pre-load window,
- the download size and system requirements,
- any further public test before launch (none announced as of 10 November 2026).
Join our Discord and we will let you know as soon as the publisher announces the launch time: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
Dawn of War IV launches on 3 December 2026 on PC via Steam. With the Commander Edition you can play from 30 November 2026.
Not in the usual sense. It gives you three days of early play in the finished game, labelled Advance Access on Steam and 3-Day Early Unlock on the official website.
As of 10 November 2026 the publisher has not announced a launch time. We will add it to this article once it is official.
According to Jan Theysen of KING Art Games, to allow more time for performance optimisation, bug fixing and polish. The original date was 17 September 2026.
The 10% discount on Steam runs until launch, which means until 3 December 2026.
Information verified on 10 November 2026. We will update this article once the launch time is announced and again after the game is out. More guides are in our guides section.