Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV is a real-time strategy game (RTS) set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, made by German studio KING Art Games and published by Deep Silver. It launches on 3 December 2026 on PC via Steam, and the Commander Edition lets you play from 30 November 2026. This overview covers who is making it, what the story is about, the factions and modes, the price and what comes after launch. Everything here is current as of 10 November 2026, and each section links to a detailed guide.
Who is making Dawn of War IV
The game comes from KING Art Games, an independent studio based in Bremen, Germany, that has been making games for almost 25 years. Its previous RTS is Iron Harvest, set in an alternate 1920s with dieselpunk mechs. The publisher is Deep Silver, a division of PLAION. Studio co-founder Jan Theysen is the creative director, and according to the developers’ update from 2 November 2026 the team has been working on the game for almost six years.
That is a big change for the series. Every previous game was developed by Relic Entertainment, so Dawn of War IV is the first one made by a different studio. It was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live in August 2025, and the developers describe it as a “modern interpretation of the first Dawn of War”. The official website’s tagline is “At last, back to war”. What the new game takes from each of its predecessors is covered in our series comparison.
What the story is about
The game is set on the planet Kronus, roughly 200 years after Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, the expansion for the first game. The story is written by Black Library author John French. According to the developers there are four separate campaigns, one per faction, which weave together into one larger story. Together they add up to more than 70 missions, and you can play the campaign solo or in co-op with a friend. The setup, branching paths and commanders are explained in our campaign guide.
Four playable factions
Four factions are playable at launch: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. The Space Marines come with two chapters, the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels. Adeptus Mechanicus is playable for the first time in the series, and the Dark Angels are new to the series too. According to the developers, each faction has its own mechanics, such as the Orks’ Waaagh!, the Necrons’ Power Matrix or the Adeptus Mechanicus Noosphere Network. How each side plays and who leads it is covered in our factions guide.
How it plays, according to the developers
The game is not out yet, so everything about gameplay comes from the developers and pre-release previews. It is a classic RTS: you build a base, capture and upgrade resource points (Requisition and Power), command squads and research upgrades. The headline feature is the Combat Director, which expands on the series’ familiar sync kills. According to the developers, synchronised animations play out in every fight rather than only on the final blow, with more than 10,000 combinations.
Game modes
According to the developers, the launch version includes the campaign (solo and co-op), Skirmish against the AI, multiplayer in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3, and the co-op Last Stand mode. In Last Stand three players hold out against 20 waves, each controlling a commander with wargear. The endless Crusade mode, with a turn-based map of Kronus, arrives for free after launch. There is also the Army Painter, where you can paint your units and share colour schemes with the community. The rules of each mode are in our game modes guide.
Release date, editions and price
The game comes in two editions. Prices below are from Steam as of 10 November 2026. The 10% pre-order discount runs until launch.
| Edition | Play from | Regular price | Pre-order price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | 3 December 2026 | $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99 | $53.99 / £44.99 / €53.99 |
| Commander Edition | 30 November 2026 | $89.99 / £74.99 / €89.99 | $80.99 / £67.49 / €80.99 |
The Commander Edition adds three days of early play and both paid DLCs. Why the launch moved from September is explained in our release date guide, and the full edition breakdown is in editions and price. You can find the game on Steam.
Platforms and languages
Dawn of War IV launches only on Windows PC via Steam. As of 10 November 2026 the system requirements have not been published, and Steam lists them as “Coming soon”. What is officially known is tracked in our system requirements guide.
Full voice-over is in English only. According to Steam, the interface and subtitles are available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and Turkish.
What comes after launch
The developers have a plan for the first year. Free for everyone: the Crusade mode, new map packs, a mission editor and new commander scenarios. Two paid DLCs are coming too: Blood Ravens Story Prologue, which tells the story before the campaign begins, and Aftermath, which expands the campaign and adds a fifth playable faction. The developers have not said which one yet. The overview is in our DLC roadmap.
What the press says so far
There are no reviews or scores yet, since the game is not out. Journalists have played a preview build. Polygon wrote that Dawn of War 4 “has the potential to be the best Warhammer 40,000 game ever”, and PC Gamer, after playing two campaigns, said they are “everything I hoped they’d be”. Players could try the game in a closed test, and what we know about it is in our beta test guide. For official news, follow the official website.
Join our Discord to talk strategy and see who is picking up Dawn of War IV on day one: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
It launches on 3 December 2026 on PC via Steam. With the Commander Edition you can play from 30 November 2026.
KING Art Games from Bremen, the studio behind Iron Harvest. Deep Silver is the publisher. The previous games were made by Relic Entertainment.
Four at launch: Space Marines (with the Blood Ravens and Dark Angels chapters), Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. The paid Aftermath DLC adds a fifth faction.
As of 10 November 2026 the publisher has only announced a Windows PC version on Steam. No console version has been announced.
Yes. According to the developers, the campaign can be played solo or with a friend.
Information verified on 10 November 2026. We will update this article after the game launches. More guides are in our guides section.