Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV is a real-time strategy game by KING Art Games, published by Deep Silver. The fourth main entry brings the series back to Kronus and clearly returns to classic RTS structures with base building, resource points, large armies and asymmetrical factions.

At launch, you can choose from Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. Each faction follows its own rules for economy, base building, units and battlefield control.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on Dec 3, 2026 for PC. KING Art Games postponed the launch, originally announced for September, to further improve performance, stability and gameplay flow.

The Commander Edition allows you to start playing as early as Nov 30, 2026. Both editions launch regularly on Dec 3.

PC via Steam is currently the only announced platform for Dawn of War IV. Console versions have not been confirmed so far.

Dawn of War IV combines base building with offensive map and resource management. Control points provide important resources, units use cover and buildings, and commanders supplement regular troops with specialized abilities.

The factions are deliberately asymmetrical: Space Marines rely on resilient elite units and orbital structures, Orks focus on mass and aggressive forward bases, Necrons expand their Power Matrix, and the Adeptus Mechanicus link buildings through a Noosphere Network.

In the first year after launch, two larger story expansions are planned. They are set to continue the story on Kronus and add an additional playable faction. Free content is set to include, among other things, new maps, game modes, commanders, a mission editor and the return of Crusade mode.

The Commander Edition includes the Blood Ravens prologue and the Aftermath campaign expansion. KING Art Games and Deep Silver have not yet announced release dates for the later content.

The story of Dawn of War IV is spread across four campaigns with more than 70 missions in total. They tell the war over Kronus from the perspective of the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. Decisions can branch the course of individual campaigns.

All four campaigns can be played solo or cooperatively. The factions differ not only in their units, but also in base building, resource supply and combat tactics. The Adeptus Mechanicus are, for the first time, a fully playable faction in the series.

Base building is once again a central element. Buildings unlock units, research and other structures, while the four factions use their infrastructure differently. Space Marines can deploy structures in line of sight via orbital drop, Ork infantry can build cheap armed buildings far forward, Necron structures spread the Power Matrix, and Adeptus Mechanicus buildings together form the Noosphere Network.

Dawn of War IV offers 30 maps for online battles and three competitive game modes. 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 matches have also been announced.

Beyond PvP, you can set up battles against up to five AI opponents. Skirmish mode offers four game types and numerous settings. In Maelstrom mode, shifting objectives appear on the map and are contested for victory points.

In Last Stand, three players fight together against waves of enemies. You can choose from five heroes, each of whom can bring along a group of supporting units. The four story campaigns also support co-op.

With the Painter, you can change the colors, markings and equipment of individual units. The tool offers pre-made schemes but also allows your own combinations. Colors and insignia can be adjusted, as can parts of armor and war gear.

Army customization is available for the free-play modes. In the story campaigns, units appear with their fixed allegiances.

The Space Marines are designed as an elite faction with few, costly units. During a match, players can equip and specialize individual squads. Keeping these units alive therefore matters more than simply rebuilding them.

Drop Pods can bring previously prepared reserves onto the battlefield from orbit. The Thunderhawk Relay can reposition troops that are already deployed. Together with Infiltrators and Eliminators, this allows different approaches to resource points and large maps.

The campaign features two chapters, Blood Ravens and Dark Angels, which differ in their starting position and mission focus.

The Necrons build their structures on a Power Matrix that grows with every new structure. Inside the energy field, their units recover faster. Resurrection Galleries can redeploy lost troop types.

Many Necron units are slow. Tomb Pylons extend their reach across the map, while Translocation Science moves up to five units to a position already in sight. Scarabs distract other units, and Deathmarks specialize in targets at long range.

The Adeptus Mechanicus combine mobile ranged units with a network of positions. Skitarii Rangers keep enemies at a distance, while Ruststalkers can engage them in close combat. Vehicles include the Ironstrider Ballistarius, Onager Dunecrawler and Skorpius Disintegrator.

The Noosphere Network connects buildings, defenses and units. The Void Shield protects larger areas from ranged attacks, but does not stop enemies from entering the protected zone. A Knight Castellan is available as a particularly heavy unit.

Dawn of War IV launches with English voice acting. German menus and subtitles are planned. Other supported text languages include French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Polish.