The Warhammer Franchise Has No Shortage of Great Games
Main image courtesy of Geek Native.
The Warhammer franchise has carved out a place for itself as the most popular tabletop wargame in the world. But even outside of the tabletop, Warhammer has gained a level of popularity that rivals fantasy goliaths like Dungeons and Dragons.
One of the biggest contributors to Warhammer’s success in pop culture is its presence in media outside of the tabletop game. From books, to audio dramas, to Youtube lore videos, there are many Warhammer fans who’ve never even touched the tabletop. Of these alternative forms of media, video games have done a lot of work in terms of putting eyes on the Warhammer franchise, Warhammer 40,000 especially.
Games Workshop has done a remarkable job allowing studios to make amazing games in the Warhammer universe. There are a ton of Warhammer games to choose from on Steam, but we’ve narrowed our list down to 10 titles. Whether you're a diehard Warhammer fan with a couple tabletop wins under your belt or someone who's just interested in the lore, we know you’ll enjoy these forays on the Warhammer universe.
Steam Reviews: Mixed (74,086)
Total War: WARHAMMER 3 completes Creative Assembly’s trilogy of RTS games set in the Warhammer universe. It takes all the winning elements of the first two games to create an experience that surpasses them both.
Take on the avatar of a legendary lord as you defend your world from the Realm of Chaos. Build an army and grow your empire as you progress through a captivating campaign, participating in dynamic real time battles along the way. Will you remain pure in your fight against Chaos? Or will you welcome the help of customizable daemonic champions?
And don’t forget to try out the improved multiplayer modes, with 8-player campaigns and a 1v1 Domination mode that you can enjoy with your friends.
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (78,635)
Picking up the torch from co-op giants like Left 4 Dead, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is some of the most fun you can have with friends in a melee action game.
In a Warhammer world overrun with chaos-aligned Skaven vermin, you and up to three of your friends get to play exterminator. Pick one of the five different characters, each with unique skills to master, and jump into visceral melee combat. Customize your style of combat as you gain experience in battle and discover new weapon types. Trek through dark, war-torn environs ripped apart by the Skaven horde. Can you stem the tide?
Steam Reviews: Mixed (5,046)
If you’re craving some fast-paced first person shooting in the vein of Doom Eternal, then Necromunda: Hired Gun is the game for you.
There’s no shortage of work for a hired gun in Necromunda, a hive city filled to the brim with crime and villainy. You and your trusty cyber-mastiff companion will hunt down marks in the darkest depths of Necromunda, carving your way through gangers and mutants with an endlessly customizable arsenal of weaponry and cybernetic augmentations. Coordinate the perfect dance of agile FPS complete with a grappling hook and wall running. Those bounties are waiting. Go make your fortune.
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (9,703)
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus puts you in the shoes of the Imperium’s tech priests, the Adeptus Mechanicus, as they quell the awakening of a Necron army deep in the tombs of Silva Tenebris.
You’ll engage in tactical turn-based combat where your cybernetic augments will be the difference between life and death. Match the Necrons metal for metal as your tech priests become more machine than flesh. Participate in a narrative with rich characters, intricately designed visuals, and choices that will affect your ending. May the Omnissiah bless your allies and smite your foes.
Steam Reviews: Mostly Positive (8,994)
Another foray into turn based strategy, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters takes us out of the dingy Necron tombs of Silva Tenebris and into a galaxy-wide crusade against the corrupting forces of Chaos.
Lead your team of Grey Knights as you thwart a plot to infect the galaxy with the Bloom, a plague that can destroy whole planets. How you traverse the galaxy map will decide what planets live or die. Personalize your squad’s equipment and skills to prepare for engaging combat encounters with grotesque Bloom infested enemies. Combine the unique Precision Targeting system with the dynamic destructible environments to control the flow of combat. Root out the Bloom once and for all as the Imperium’s greatest weapon.
Steam Reviews: Mostly Positive (12,793)
Owlcat Games took the CRPG expertise they gained from their work on the Pathfinder games and brought it all to Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
As a Rogue Trader, you'll travel the perilous Koronus Expanse, a backwater region of space filled with danger, exploration, and profit. Be the God-Emperor’s envoy as you gather a retinue of colorful companions and “deal with” the enemies of humanity (in either sense of the phrase). You’ll face your foes in isometric turn-based combat that adapts the Rogue Trader tabletop ruleset. Your positioning, environment, and companion will be pivotal to your success on the battlefield. Go forth and conquer Koronus in the Emperor’s name!
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (6,761)
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War brings 4X strategy to the world of Warhammer 40,000.
What was once a peaceful planet has now become a world at war as four of Warhammer’s most fearsome factions now vie for control. Play as either the Astra Militarum, Space Marines, Orks or Necrons, each with their own unique playstyle, as you explore the dangerous world of Gladius Prime. Defeat the other factions on the field of battle to expand your empire across the planet and carefully manage resources to maintain your dominance over each region. Only one region can rule Gladius. Make sure that faction is yours.
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (12,740)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Anniversary Edition reintroduces a nearly 15-year-old third-person action game to a modern audience, complete with all the DLC and a host of extra goodies.
As Captain Titus, a Space Marine of the Ultramarine chapter, you will lead your team of marines against a horde of millions of orks as they lay siege to an Imperial Forge World. Chew through the green tide with an armory of advanced weaponry perfected over millennia of battle, adding new equipment to your arsenal with every level. Experience blockbuster style set pieces as you defend strategic points across the forge world.
And you can take your combat online with the 8 vs 8 multiplayer mode, where Space Marines and Chaos Space Marines face off in brutal combat.
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (1,904)
In a departure from most of the Warhammer 40,000 titles on this list, Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef doesn’t even give you the option to play as an Imperium aligned entity. Instead, you are placed in the shoes of a fearsome ork boy on a quest to retrieve their most precious possession.
Ork Warboss Ogruk Gutrekka has stolen your precious hair squig. So it’s time to carve a bloody path through the planet of Luteus Prime to get it back and prove your strength, like any self-respecting ork would do. This beautifully hand-drawn 2D action adventure will set you against some of the strongest factions in Warhammer 40,000 as you inadvertently conquer the planet in the quest for your hair squig. Choose from a variety of character classes and weaponry to face off against challenging bosses. Enjoy the hijinks and comedic moments that come with being among ork boyz. Hope you brought enough dakka.
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (11,467)
Just as Necromunda took cues from Doom Eternal, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun draws heavy inspiration from classic 90s first-person shooters like the original Doom.
This retro shooter casts you as Malum Caedo, a space marine on a special mission to locate a mysterious shard on the forge world Graia. Along the way you’ll face off against the legions of Chaos as daemons and chaos space marines do their damndest to stop you. You’ll have to fend them off in levels full of visceral pulse pounding action, complete with satisfying gunplay and traversal. Explore the stylized grim dark environments with pixelated visuals that hearken back to shooters of old. And if you can’t get enough of the carnage, jump into the horde mode and face off against an endless supply of monsters and heathens.
Between leading fantasy armies in Total War, mowing down hordes of ork boyz in Space Marine, and making a name for yourself in Rogue Trader, there’s a little something for everyone to be found in Warhammer video games. Have you tried any of these yourself? Do you plan to? Let us know in the comments.
