Warhammer 40,000: The 15 best video games in the 40K universe to make the Emperor proud

The Emperor protects? But he doesn't have to, because Warhammer 40,000 is currently selling like hot cakes even without divine support. At no point in gaming history have so many high-quality 40K games existed simultaneously; and not only that, because Warhammer now reaches a huge audience. Just the dewy one186,000 players played on Steam at the same time at launch. Because of niche.

But Inquisitor Eisenhorn already knew: popularity isn't everything; after all, chaos attracts significantly more people than a loving round of questions with his own troops. That's why today we're digging a little deeper and bringing you what we think are the 15 best games in the dark universe of Warhammer 40K.

15. Necromunda: Hired Gun

We're starting this list off on a controversial note, because Necromunda: Hired Gun is debatable. For the 2021 release, many fans were hoping for a Doom Eternal in the Warhammer universe and instead got a buggy, poorly running first-person shooter whose limited budget is evident in every nook and cranny.

A few years and many patches later, however, Hired Gun can be better appreciated for what it is: a fairly ambitious, entertaining fast-paced shooter with great movement and varied level design.

Hired Gun doesn't reinvent the wheel at any point, but it plays much faster and more smoothly than, for example, Space Hulk: Deathwing. If you want to immerse yourself in the world of the 40K spin-off Necromunda, you'll get a pretty humorous introduction? However, we recommend that you shoot this thing on sale.

14. Armageddon

It's already ten years old, but that doesn't matter because it looks like it's from the 80s anyway. Or rather from the heyday of the good old hex field strategy. Here you will find no big frills, no graphic spectacle, but tough tactical battles in which you move tanks, space marines and mechs one turn at a time.

The base game contains over 30 scenarios between Empire and Orcs and should keep you busy for hours. If you haven't had enough after that, there are tons of DLCs waiting for you. By the way, Armageddon also has a spin-off to the famous Horus Heresy, but unfortunately it has now disappeared from the digital stores for licensing reasons. It's a shame, there can never be enough Horus Heresy video games.

13. Gladius - Relics of War

Anyone who wants to do Gladius - Relics of War an injustice calls it Civilization in the Warhammer universe, because even though the turn-based strategy game looks like Civ with Necrons, under the hood it is much more focused on... well, on war, us after all, we're talking about Warhammer. No diplomacy, no complex research, instead you build a base, explore a deadly planet one step at a time and pump units onto the field so that opposing parties don't eat you for breakfast.

It sounds simple, but it becomes a sweaty tactical puzzle, especially against multiple opponents. Every nation has clear strengths and weaknesses that you have to take into account in your strategy? The Space Marines, for example, cannot build additional cities, but they can summon mobile bases from the sky.

Unfortunately, Relics of War doesn't offer a real campaign apart from the sandbox battles, but the procedurally generated maps and additional DLC races give you at least a few hours of variety. And the game is reduced in almost every Steam sale.

12. Shootas, Blood & Teef

If the 40K universe really wants to go crazy... wellstillwants to turn off more than it already does, then it drags the orcs into the center. Would you like some evidence? In the newly released Speed ​​Freeks you basically play Mario Kart with bazookas, in Dakka Squadron you control rattling fighter pilots like from the Second World War? But the best quality crazy orc game is without a doubt Shootas, Blood & Teef or: The game in which you buy upgrades with your enemies' teeth.

And you use these upgrades to shoot your way through 2D levels as an orc soldier either solo or in co-op, to pull the wool over other orcs and even to take on the empire. Shootas, Blood & Teef doesn't take the lore too seriously, so you sometimes dismantle an Imperial super tank single-handedly. And all because another orc stole your pet. Almost like John Wick.

11. Darktide

Let's not beat around the bush: Darktide had a very, very difficult start. The game was released at the end of 2022 with tons of problems, horrendous monetization (despite full price)? and that from the development studio of the award-winning Vermintide 2? Yes, Darktide started out as a disappointment.

But over a year later, things look different: With various patches and content expansions, the game has become a real co-op hit for all those who like shooters in the style of Left4Dead or Payday 2.

At the beginning of each round you choose a class, for example the burly Ogryn giant, pack the right weapons and jump into battle in co-op with up to three fellow warriors. Like Vermintide, Darktide thrives on you playing missions over and over again to get better rewards and crack the harder difficulty levels. And the journey there is now very, very fun.