Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has four separate campaigns, one per faction, with more than 70 missions in total. All of them take place on the planet Kronus and weave together into one larger story that you can play solo or in co-op with a friend. Below is the spoiler-free setup, how branching works, how many missions a single campaign has and who voices the main characters. Everything comes from KING Art Games’ official posts and from press previews, as of 10 November 2026. The game launches on 3 December 2026, so all campaign details are based on what the developers and pre-release previews have shown.
Where and when the story is set
The story returns to Kronus, the planet from Dark Crusade, the expansion for the original Dawn of War, roughly 200 years after its events. The developers call it a new story with familiar faces rather than a direct sequel. Gorgutz and the Blood Ravens are back. The story is written by Black Library author John French.
The setup without spoilers
The developers have officially revealed only the opening, and that is all you will find here. The Blood Ravens, led by Captain Cyrus and Chief Librarian Jonah Orion, arrive on Kronus to replenish their chapter. They end up beyond the Great Rift and are ambushed by Warboss Gorgutz. Meanwhile the Adeptus Mechanicus has uncovered a Necron complex beneath the sand, first a tomb, then a prison. The Necrons are waking up, and the Dark Angels arrive to help.
The game opens with a prologue. In the preview build for the press, there was a two-mission Astra Militarum prologue and a Space Marines prologue. Lion El’Jonson, primarch of the Dark Angels, plays a small but crucial role in the story according to the developers, and he is playable only in some missions. The developers say he is the first playable primarch in a video game.
Four campaigns and the mission count
Officially the game has more than 70 campaign missions. Jan Theysen of KING Art Games told GamesRadar that each campaign has roughly 12 to 15 missions and is longer than the campaign of the original Dawn of War. An official per-campaign count has not been announced.
| Campaign | Who you play | What we know before launch |
|---|---|---|
| Space Marines | Blood Ravens and Dark Angels | Cyrus and Jonah Orion on Kronus, the Dark Angels come to help |
| Orks | Orks | after a race you side with the local Orks or with the invaders led by Gorgutz |
| Necrons | Necrons | awakening beneath the sands of Kronus |
| Adeptus Mechanicus | Adeptus Mechanicus | a choice between the Magos Dominus and Marshal, or Potentia |
How the factions differ in mechanics and commanders is covered in our factions guide.
Branching paths and choices
According to previews by PC Gamer, GamesRadar and TechRadar, the campaigns branch. In the Ork campaign you decide after a race whether to back the local Orks or the invaders under Gorgutz. In the Adeptus Mechanicus campaign you choose between the Magos Dominus with the Marshal and Potentia. Each path has different commanders and partly different missions, so seeing everything means playing a campaign twice.
Some decisions carry over into other campaigns, according to Jan Theysen. The boss you support in the Ork campaign then rules on Kronus in the Space Marines campaign as well.
Campaign co-op
You can play the campaign solo or in co-op with a friend, as both the official FAQ and the developers’ posts confirm. The game launches on PC via Steam only. All other modes, including Last Stand and Skirmish, are in our game modes guide.
How the story is told
According to the developers, every faction gets its own CGI intro. From there the story runs through in-engine cutscenes, dialogue on the world map and unit chatter inside missions.
The main voice cast includes Brian Drummond (Gorgutz), Steve Blum (Cyrus), Alex Jordan (Ezrael), James Alexander (Thothmek) and Alistair Petrie (The Lion), with Toby Longworth voicing various Space Marines. Full voice-over is English only.
Campaign and multiplayer are balanced separately, so a unit can be stronger in the campaign than in multiplayer. The Army Painter, the tool for custom unit colours, works everywhere except the campaign.
What the preview showed
In October 2026 the press got a three-week preview build with the Astra Militarum and Space Marines prologues, the full Ork and Adeptus Mechanicus campaigns (more than 30 missions) and 1v1 Skirmish. PC Gamer’s verdict was: “I’ve played 2 of Dawn of War 4’s campaigns, and they’re everything I hoped they’d be.” There are no reviews or scores yet, since the game is not out.
How the campaign compares to earlier entries is in our series comparison, and the big picture is in our game overview.
Join our Discord to find a partner for campaign co-op: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
More than 70 missions across four campaigns. According to Jan Theysen, each campaign has roughly 12 to 15 missions.
Yes, the campaign can be played solo or in co-op with a friend.
On the planet Kronus, roughly 200 years after the events of Dark Crusade.
No. The developers describe it as a new story with familiar faces such as Gorgutz and the Blood Ravens.
John French, a Black Library author.
Information verified on 10 November 2026. We will update this article after launch. More guides are waiting in our guides section.