Warhammer Skulls: The biggest 40K event of the year delivers over 25 announcements at once

Warhammer Skulls 2026 delivers a ton of 40K news: Dawn of War 4 has a release date, Mechanicus 2 is out, Darktide is getting a new class, and much more.

The Warhammer Skulls Showcase celebrated its 10th anniversary today and brought a massive load of world premieres, updates, and new games from the Warhammer universe.

We’ve summarized the most important announcements for you:

• The highlights of the event

  • Dawn of War 4 finally has a release date
  • Space Marine 2 is getting a free update
  • A new Chaos Gate has been announced
  • Total War: Warhammer 40,000 teases Armageddon

• More exciting Warhammer 40k announcements

  • Mechanicus 2 is now playable
  • Darktide is finally getting the Skitarii
  • Helldivers 2 is getting a Warhammer crossover
  • More 40K announcements at a glance
  • News on several smaller projects

• There was plenty to see beyond 40K as well

The highlights of the event

Dawn of War 4 finally has a release date

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4. The real-time strategy game sends you back to Kronus and is set to release onSeptember 17, 2026. Those who purchase the Commander Edition can get started as early asSeptember 14.

In addition, a first look at the first year after release was provided. According to the roadmap, the following is planned:

• a Crusade mode
• free updates
• a new campaign expansion
• a new faction

For Warhammer fans who have been waiting years for a true return of the series, Dawn of War 4 is likely to be one of the most important strategy games of the year. Especially since the series has a lot to make up for after the controversial Dawn of War 3.

Space Marine 2 is getting a free update

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 hasn’t been forgotten either. A new free update brings several new features:

• the new PvE operation Purgation
• the Bolt Carbine as a new secondary weapon
• variants for several weapons
• six new armor pieces
• a new training arena on the Battle Barge
• a major update for Siege mode

Season Pass 2 owners also get access to the Iron Hands Chapter Pack with new cosmetic content. The pack can also be purchased separately.

There is also a free trial period:The first campaign missions, three operations, and all available PvP modes can be tried out on Steam and PlayStation 5 until Monday.

A new Chaos Gate has been announced

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Deathwatch is a new spin-off that builds on Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters. Not many details about the gameplay are available yet, but the name already hints at the main focus: this time, the Deathwatch takes center stage.

40K fans will naturally take notice:The Deathwatch is the elite unit among the Space Marines, composed of veterans from various orders and specialized in fighting Xenos threats.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 teases Armageddon

A particularly exciting moment for strategy fans: Commander Yarrick appeared in a mysterious teaser and spoke about the endless war on Armageddon via a CRT screen.

There weren’t many concrete details yet, and a release date is still pending, but the combination of Total War and 40K alone generated massive anticipation upon the announcement.

More exciting Warhammer 40,000 announcements

Mechanicus 2 is now available to play

Also big news:Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2is now available for PC and consoles. The tactical game has been a regular feature at Warhammer Skulls over the past few years, from the first teaser to the gameplay reveal. Now the long wait is officially over, and you can throw yourselves into battle.

Darktide finally gets the Skitarii

A new DLC has been announced for Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, set to release on June 23. Particularly exciting is the new playable class: the Skitarii, a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus’s Tech-Guard.

Helldivers 2 Gets a Warhammer Crossover

There were also crossovers at the showcase: Warhammer 40,000 is now teaming up with Helldivers 2. The collaboration, in the form of a Legendary War Bond, is set to release later this year. So you can look forward to new cosmetic items and weapons from the WH40k universe. Exactly what these are hasn’t been revealed yet.

More 40K announcements at a glance

In addition to the big headlines, there were plenty of smaller 40K announcements. So you don’t have to wade through every single mini-news item, here’s an overview:

• Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresyshows off new gameplay and is launching a beta right now for buyers of a Founder’s Pack. The beta is expected to offer around twenty hours of gameplay.

• Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus is getting a Dawn of War 4 campaign event featuring Dark Angels vs. Necrons, and is also introducing Lion el’Jonson as a new guild raid boss and Captain Cyrus to Last Stand.
• Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Traderis getting its third DLC on June 11: Infinite Museion lets you explore a secret vault belonging to Trazyn the Infinite. Rogue Trader is also getting a new Tech-Priest companion named Manipulus.

• Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks is getting cross-play between PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
• Warhammer 40,000: Battlesectoris getting an Ultramarines DLC and Crusade mode in version 1.0 and can be tried for free on Steam until Monday, May 25.
• Warhammer 40,000: Gladiusis getting new units with the Eradication Pack. Gladius is available for free on Steam during Skulls Week.
• Warhammer Combat Cards is getting a new Draft mode, a new campaign, and content featuring Yarrick and Wazdakka Gutsmek.

News on several smaller projects

• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is getting a demo.
• The Vampire Survivors-like game Warhammer Survivors is also getting a demo and has been announced for mobile.
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Boom, a mobile shooter for Android and iOS, has been announced. Pre-registration has already begun, with a release scheduled for 2026.

There were also plenty of highlights outside of 40K

While Warhammer Skulls is primarily the big 40K event for many, Games Workshop naturally has even more brands up its sleeve. There were also several announcements regarding these:

• The side-scroller Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster was newly announced. In it, you play a Skaven and get a glimpse into the world of the rat-men.
• Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting the Bhashiva Character Pack featuring tiger warriors for the Cathay faction.
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is bringing back its Skulls event, where you collect demon skulls and earn seasonal rewards.
• Talisman: Digital 5th Edition is getting the Dead King expansion.
• Warhammer Chaos & Conquest is getting the 5.0 update with a territory system for its seventh anniversary.
• Warhammer Classics is now available on Steam and brings over 20 older Warhammer games back to the PC.
• In addition to Helldivers 2, there was another crossover:Rustis getting cosmetic items on PlayStation and Xbox inspired by the Death Corps of War.

As it does every year, Warhammer Skulls is once again offering a major discount event in 2026. The Warhammer Skulls: Festival of Video Games Sale runs through May 28 on numerous digital stores. Participating platforms include Steam, Xbox, the PlayStation Store, the Epic Games Store, GOG, and the Apple and Google mobile stores.