Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 will return to its series’ roots, promised developer King Art. Read on to find out more about its major refocus on mass battles and large-scale base building mechanics.
Warhammer 40,000 Brings Back Classic RTS Mechanics
Massive Battles and Proper Base-Building Return
Though it’s no longer being developed by the original developer Relic, developer King Art (known for Iron Harvest) gave very optimistic promises with the announcement of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 at Gamescom 2025. Fans of the series might be pleased to hear that its newest title aims to return to its roots with a major refocus on base-building and controlling large-scale armies.
After Dawn of War 2’s dive into squad-based tactical battles and Dawn of War 3’s attempts to intermarry RTS combat with MOBA elements, Dawn of War 4 decided to champion large-scale skirmishes between armies that are more akin to the original entry. It will come with an expanded Sync Kill system, which makes for more dynamic melee combat.
Much like the combat, base-building also disappeared or returned with limited features in the previous entries, which prompted King Art to base Dawn of War 4’s system on the original game’s. A variety of structures, capture points, and the base cover system were added back in.
Moreover, a series feature called the Painter tool, which lets you customize your units’ look with colors and banners, also makes a return in this entry.
Four Playable Factions, 70 Campaign Missions, and Last Stand
Dawn of War 4 is shaping up to be one of the biggest entries in the series in terms of content, with over four factions, 70+ campaign missions, and the return of the fan-favorite game mode Last Stand.
The four factions include: the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and, for the first time ever in the Dawn of War series, the Adeptus Mechanicus. Each faction features its own respective campaigns, with a total of 70+ missions co-written by 40K’s Black Library author John French.
The campaign has players return to the planet Kronus, which debuted in the original Dawn of War’s Dark Crusade expansion. Chronologically, the new campaign is set 200 years after the events of Dark Crusade.
Fan-favorite Last Stand makes a return ever since its debut in Dawn of War 2’s Retribution expansion. Devs described the mode as an endless game mode with 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 multiplayer, and highly configurable AI battles.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 is set to release sometime in 2026. The game is now available for wishlist on Steam.
Sources:
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV Official Announce Trailer | Gamescom Opening Night 2025
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV on Steam
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Dark Crusade on Steam
