Dawn of War IV: September 17 Release Date, All Factions and Roadmap Revealed at Warhammer Skulls 2026

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Warhammer Skulls 2026 Officially Confirms Dawn of War’s Return

After years of anticipation, RTS fans finally have a firm date on the calendar. At the Warhammer Skulls Showcase on May 21, 2026, King Art Games and Deep Silver confirmed the launch date for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV: September 17, 2026 on PC. Ten years after the divisive Dawn of War III, this legendary franchise is back — and this time with a clear mission to return to what made the series great.

An Official Date at Last
Four Factions and 70+ Missions Back on Kronus
Base-Building, Last Stand and Multiplayer
Year 1 Roadmap: What’s Coming Post-Launch
Why Dawn of War IV Could Succeed Where III Failed

An Official Date at Last

Warhammer Skulls 2026 — the annual festival celebrating Warhammer video games, marking its 10th anniversary this year — delivered a standout moment for strategy fans worldwide. The headline reveal: Dawn of War IV launches September 17, 2026, with the Commander Edition available three days early on September 14 for those who pre-order.

The Commander Edition bundles the base game with the Year 1 Expansion Pass, packaging the year’s paid DLC content into a single purchase. It’s the first concrete release window after months of drip-fed reveals and community speculation.

Developed by King Art Games (known for Battlefleet Gothic: Armada) and published by Deep Silver, Dawn of War IV brings Warhammer 40K back to its RTS roots. The gameplay demo shown during Skulls highlighted large-scale battles on Kronus with detailed environmental destruction and the kind of atmosphere that made the original games iconic.

Four Factions and 70+ Missions Back on Kronus

The game returns to Kronus, the war-torn world that served as the backdrop for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War — Dark Crusade (2006). This choice of setting is deliberate — a love letter to the franchise’s most celebrated entry, familiar to veterans and intriguing for newcomers.

Four factions are playable at launch:

Space Marines — Blood Ravens: The franchise’s signature chapter, intact with Terminators, Land Raiders and the narrative legacy that runs through the entire series.
Orks: Overwhelming hordes, improvised structures and Nobz who hit harder than reason allows. The faction of choice for players who prefer chaos and brute force.
Necrons: Immortal mechanical warriors with gauss weapons and a cold, relentless playstyle. High skill ceiling, distinctive aesthetic.
Adeptus Mechanicus: Making their Dawn of War debut, the Tech-Priests bring plasma weapons, cybernetic infantry and a completely unique battlefield identity.

The main campaign spans 70+ missions playable solo or in two-player co-op. Each faction has its own campaign arc that feeds into an overarching narrative. Critical story decisions branch the experience — some missions only appearing based on earlier choices, encouraging multiple playthroughs.

Base-Building, Last Stand and Multiplayer

The removal of base-building in Dawn of War III was the most divisive design decision in the franchise’s history. The MOBA-inspired approach alienated a large portion of the fanbase. King Art Games has addressed this directly: base-building returns in Dawn of War IV, rebuilt from the ground up to balance depth with accessibility.

Game modes at launch include:

Last Stand: The beloved horde mode from DoW II where three players defend against escalating enemy waves. Returning with new exclusive commanders and a dedicated progression system.
Skirmish: Customizable matches against AI opponents — the classic RTS solo experience.
Competitive multiplayer: Ranked online play in 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 formats, covering every competitive bracket.

The full campaign is playable in co-op from start to finish, a feature fans have wanted since Dawn of War II’s co-op campaign proved how well the formula translates to cooperative play.

Year 1 Roadmap: What’s Coming Post-Launch

The post-launch plan is built to keep the community engaged through the first year. Free content confirmed for Year 1 includes:

Crusade Mode — a new persistent progression game mode
Additional map packs for multiplayer
Mission Editor — community tools to build and share custom campaigns
New Last Stand commanders for all factions

Paid DLC (included in the Commander Edition’s Year 1 Pass):

Blood Ravens Prologue (Aurelia) — a prequel expansion exploring the origins of the Blood Ravens and their connection to the fortress world Aurelia
Aftermath — a mysterious expansion introducing a fifth, currently unrevealed faction, set to reignite player interest well after launch

Why Dawn of War IV Could Succeed Where III Failed

The strategic calculation is simple: Dawn of War III tried to reinvent the wheel and paid the price. King Art Games has clearly done their homework on what the community wants:

Base-building restored — economic strategy and construction are back as core pillars
Last Stand preserved — the beloved co-op horde mode that built a dedicated playerbase
Substantial campaign (70+ missions) with branching paths and replay value
Return to Kronus — emotionally resonant setting for long-time fans

The Skulls 2026 demo generated largely positive reactions, with players praising the large-scale combat, destruction effects and authentic 40K atmosphere. King Art Games has proven with Battlefleet Gothic that they understand this universe at a granular level.

September 17, 2026 is the date to mark. Head to our Dawn of War IV hub to follow all our coverage of the franchise.

Total War Warhammer 3: Nagash and Lords of the End Times DLC Coming Summer 2026

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Nagash Is Finally Here — The DLC Set to Reshape Immortal Empires

Announced at Warhammer Skulls 2026 on May 21, the Lords of the End Times DLC is officially the next major expansion for Total War: Warhammer III. Creative Assembly is placing the Great Necromancer Nagash at the head of four new Legendary Lords, backed by unprecedented campaign mechanics and a free update that will permanently reshape the Immortal Empires map.

Developer : Creative Assembly
Publisher : Sega
Planned release : Summer 2026
Platforms : PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store)

Four New Legendary Lords
Nagash’s Mechanics: Unifying the Undead
The Free End Times Update
A Busy May for TW WH3

Four New Legendary Lords

The DLC introduces four Legendary Lords, with three confirmed so far:

Nagash — the Great Necromancer, the supreme lord of undeath in Warhammer Fantasy lore. Never playable in the trilogy until now, his arrival has been demanded by the community since the game’s 2022 launch.
Neferata — the first of the Vampires and queen of the ruined city of Lahmia, one of Nagash’s historic Mortarchs.
Archaon the Everchosen — a second incarnation of the Chaos Eternal Champion in the context of the End Times events.
A fourth Lord yet to be revealed.

A free Legendary Lord will also be released alongside the paid DLC, continuing Creative Assembly’s Free-LC tradition.

Nagash’s Mechanics: Unifying the Undead

Nagash comes with a unique spell lore inspired directly from the tabletop game. His central mechanic revolves around the Mortarchs: he can draw nine Mortarchs — Legendary Lords already present in other undead factions — away from their own campaigns to serve as his personal lieutenants.

His roster merges units from Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts, and Vampire Pirates, creating unmatched tactical flexibility. Gameplay revolves around domination, conversion, and reshaping the world in Nagash’s image — a thematic match that will feel instantly familiar to lore veterans.

The Free End Times Update

Alongside the paid DLC, Creative Assembly will release a free update that permanently transforms the Immortal Empires campaign:

Cataclysmic events: volcanic activity and Warpstone corruption visibly deforming continents.
Ravaged provinces: entire map regions can be destroyed as the campaign progresses.
Apocalyptic scenarios: new win/loss conditions tied to the arrival of the End Times.
Campaign customisation: new options to dial in the intensity of events and game pacing.

Players who don’t own the DLC will still benefit from this campaign overhaul — consistent with the studio’s Free-LC policy. Creative Assembly has also confirmed that Lords of the End Times is not the end of TW WH3 support, with more content planned beyond this release.

A Busy May for TW WH3

Warhammer Skulls 2026 (May 21) also saw the launch of the Bhashiva Character Pack ($4.99), introducing Bhashiva, the White Tiger, as a new Legendary Lord for Grand Cathay. This smaller, single-lord format offers an accessible entry point while the community waits for the full DLC.

For players preparing their undead strategy ahead of Nagash’s arrival, our Total War Warhammer 3 hub gathers all our guides and news on the game, including faction breakdowns and Immortal Empires strategy.

Conclusion

Lords of the End Times may be the most ambitious DLC in the Warhammer trilogy since Immortal Empires launched in 2022. Nagash’s arrival — long-demanded and now confirmed — combined with a permanent apocalyptic overhaul of the campaign map marks a genuine turning point for TW WH3’s endgame. The confirmation that this isn’t the last piece of content should ease concerns from a community that’s sometimes been left waiting.

Summer 2026 can’t come soon enough.

Sources: Windows Central · GamesRadar · Warhammer Community

Warhammer Skulls 2026 — After Strategy