| Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review | Switch 2 Review |
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Review Overview
What is Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader?
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is the first CRPG made in the historic Warhammer 40K franchise, developed and published by Owlcat Games. It plays similarly to their previously released and highly regarded CRPG, Pathfinder. The game features a custom character who will be employed as a Rogue Trader, leading a crew of psykers, marksmen, and other warriors through the vast and perilous Koronus Expanse, with the goal of exploration and profit for the Imperium of Man.
The game’s combat mechanics lean heavily on its cover system and each character’s characteristics. Each character has their own specialty and weapon, which you can use to address and showcase their strengths in each of the numerous combat scenarios in the game. Lastly, the game features multiple choices and deep character-based interactions, depending on your actions throughout, similar to most CRPGs.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader features:
⚫︎ Warhammer 40K Universe
⚫︎ Multiple NPC Factions and Outcomes
⚫︎ Turn-Based Cover-Centric Warfare
⚫︎ Choices-Matter
⚫︎ Massive Build Variety and Customization
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader’s gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | ||
|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Playstation |
 Xbox |
 Switch 2 |
 GoG |
 Epic |
| $49.99 | ||
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Deep Combat Mechanics Numerous Build Options Choice-Driven Worldbuilding Mouse Mode Option |
Big Graphics Downgrade Crashes Still Happen Still Incomplete Content Considerable Load Times |
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Story - 8/10
The story of Rogue Trader is a very long journey of making countless decisions in classic CRPG fashion. The game’s take on the karmic system does well in making you feel responsible for the decisions you’ve made, especially when you’re deciding the fate of multiple characters, factions, and even planets. The world of Warhammer 40K is titanic, and the game does an amazing job of building and showcasing that identity, so even those with no context or clue about the franchise can dip their toes into its overwhelming lore. But a little research on the world would definitely help in streamlining the experience.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Gameplay - 8/10
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader’s combat transitioned quite well into the Switch 2 version. The grid-based CRPG-style gameplay shines on the console, especially since it works well in both handheld and docked modes. However, even with the new patch, there are still issues that need fixing, particularly longer load times, crashes, and the lack of polish on the Mouse Mode implementation.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Visuals - 5/10
Sadly, the Switch 2 version’s graphics took a big nose-dive. While the original was never the most good-looking game, this version looks noticeably worse both in motion and on standby, and it's even worse since the game's performance hasn’t been stable even with the new patch. To make matters worse, the update also seemed to destroy the game’s menus, where you can’t tweak any of the graphics, display, or accessibility settings.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Audio - 7/10
The audio design of Rogue Trader effectively showcases the world of Warhammer 40K. Music is foreboding and haunting, sound effects are punchy, and the voice acting is great when it's there. The main issue stems from the game’s mundane parts: voice acting is absent for most NPCs, voice lines are repetitive, and the music starts to repeat itself. It’s good, but only for the parts that matter and not every single minute of the game running.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Value for Money - 7/10
For $49.99, Rogue Trader for the Switch 2 is a treasure trove for fans of the Warhammer 40K world and the CRPG genre. The value of being able to play this game with over 100 hours of content on handheld is great, and is definitely the biggest factor as to why you’d buy it in the first place. However, the game is still not in its best state, and it might be better to wait until many of its issues are ironed out and its DLCs are patched in. Multiple performance and technical issues still plague it, and its visuals are definitely a downgrade compared to other titles.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Overall - 70/100
It’s not a secret that Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader is an amazing game that deserves to have a Nintendo Switch 2 port, even if the game doesn’t look great. However, it shouldn’t have been released in a fragile state on its backend. The latest patch has significantly improved the game’s performance and finally added Mouse Mode, but multiple problems with its menus, graphics options, and other technical aspects prevent it from being a win for the Imperium of Man. When these issues get ironed out, and all of its DLC are finally released, it’ll be a port worthy of the Emperor’s grace.
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Review: Not Fit For The Omnissiah's Favor Just Yet
The Emperor Provides
In recent years, Warhammer 40K has been killing it, releasing great game after great game. The best part is that they’ve been carving a name for themselves for a long time now, and they’re doing it in different genres to showcase how vast the Grimdark world really is.
Obviously, we got arguably the franchise’s biggest game yet with Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, where it shows off the strength of the titular super soldiers in glorious third-person action. If you’re more of a first-person shooter fan, there’s Boltgun and Darktide for a different flavor of action, depending on whether you're a more solo boomer shooter or a co-op multiplayer enjoyer.
For RTS fans, there’s Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War IV that’s going to be released this year, and you could dip your toes into the world through its older iterations. The point is, the Warhammer 40K franchise has been doing its absolute best to get people hooked into the franchise.
But what if you’re more of an RPG fan? Well, you’re in luck because they’ve also got you covered with Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader being the series' first ever CRPG released back in 2023. Even more recently, the game finally got its Nintendo Switch 2 version, so you can explore the vast Koronus Expanse in handheld mode. But, of course, the main question we need to ask is: Is the game worth its salt? Or is it another bad port?
The answer? It’s worth it, but you’ll need to stick around for the long explanation, since it has some problems.
A Great CRPG Now Playable On the Go
Back in 2023, I wrote the review for Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, and throughout its lifespan, the game has definitely gotten better and better with every patch and content update. It has the same punchy narrative you expect from a Warhammer 40K game, complete with amazing worldbuilding, great characters, impactful decision points, and overall great writing.
You’ll be able to shape your companion’s personal quests with the scenarios that you’ll encounter throughout your journey. An example of this is the mutiny held in the Lower Decks of your Voidship, where your decision can shape the demeanor of one of your companions and ultimately change the outcome of his personal quest later down the road.
In terms of its gameplay, I would even go so far as to say that its gameplay can be considered one of the best in the genre, as it sports massive build options, deep character variety, and a fun combat system that’s worth your time to learn and optimize around. The turn-based grid combat is nothing new, but the scale of the fights in Rogue Trader makes it different from your run-of-the-mill CRPG.
You control a 6-man team consisting of soldiers, warriors, psykers, operatives, and officers of your choice against enemies with overwhelming odds that range from daemons of the Warp, Chaos cultists, and more. The character customization and builds in this game are huge, as skills, talents, and abilities are determined by the character’s homeworld, origin, and archetype (or class, for most RPGs).
It’s no secret that creating and building a character is an undertaking that’ll easily take you time to get used to, but the sheer amount of variety blows many of its competitors out of the water. For instance, the difference between a Voidborn Officer versus a Hive World Officer is quite large, as the former can utilize their Intelligence stat instead of their Fellowship stat as a modifier, while the latter has access to more party-wide abilities.
If you’re a fan of CRPGs, then you’ll probably find yourself at home with how convoluted the systems can be. Rogue Trader is very much in the same DNA as its compatriots in the CRPG space. It has numerous menus, different attributes, abilities, status effects, and more. So while I’d say it’s a great first game to get you into the world of Warhammer 40K, it’s also quite overwhelming, so it might be wise to get acclimated with the series’ lexicon.
So, we’ve established that the PC title is great already, so what’s the problem with the Switch 2 version? Isn’t it already good enough that you have access to more than 100 hours of content on the go with handheld mode? Well, yes, but there are many drawbacks.
Noticeable Graphical Downgrade
Let me preface this by saying that the visuals of the original Rogue Trader aren’t necessarily the greatest. I’m not trying to say that it doesn’t look good, but it’s not bad, either.
The Switch 2 version, in comparison, looks bad. Like, noticeably bad. The textures and jagged edges, for example, make everything look cheap, and you can see it in the opening cutscene as it awkwardly tries to showcase the scale and magnitude of the game.
While its latest patch fixed many of its stuttering and tendency to look like a slideshow most of the time, it also introduced a host of new problems with the graphics options. Or rather, the inability to actually change the graphics options this time. Originally, you could pick between two different anti-aliasing methods, but now the game doesn’t even let you move anything in that specific screen. This carries over to the display and accessibility settings, as you can’t change anything on those menus.
Mouse Mode Works, But It’s Not Perfect
Okay, so the graphics are pretty bad, but how about the newly added Mouse Mode? Is it good? Well, it is, but it’s not perfect.
One of the newest features of the Switch 2 is the ability to use the right Joy-Con as a Mouse for a new control scheme. For Rogue Trader, which was originally a PC title, it seemed like an obvious inclusion and an even more obvious advantage that it could be played in Mouse Mode. But, sadly, the implementation isn’t perfect, at least not yet.
For instance, Mouse Mode has to be manually toggled in the settings to switch the control scheme. Its basic functionalities are good enough, and it’s playable, but it's missing the ability to rotate the camera, and the menus were obviously just taken from the PC version, as some of the prompts are even mislabeled.
However, Mouse Mode is still a game-changer, despite its flaws, and the control scheme will prove to be my preferred one as the game continues to update and patch up its issues. Speaking of patching up its issues, there are still a number of performance issues that the game has, specifically on the backend.
Still Needs Assistance From a Tech-Priest
While I can’t necessarily speak too much about the Switch 2 version on release since I didn’t have that much time with it compared to the more recent patch, let’s just say that it wasn’t good, like at all. The framerate was a mess, the load times were horrendous, and the game had a tendency to crash a lot.
Now, with the new patch, the performance has definitely improved. It runs much better now, but the stability is still questionable depending on what area you’re in. The load times and menus have considerably improved, but the game still tends to crash in my experience.
It’s good that Owlcat is already on the job when it comes to improving the game, especially since it really deserves its time in the spotlight for being a great game when all the gears turn. But as it stands, the game needs more time to fix its issues, especially since no one likes a game to crash during a long play session.
Is Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Worth It?
Give It Some Time, Then Praise the Emperor At Will
To answer the question of whether it's worth it or not, yes, Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader is worth the price, but we’d suggest giving it some time so that the experience is flawless.
As of now, it’s not quite at that state where it’s downright amazing. It’s currently suffering from the classic Owlcat blunder, where they ship a game a little too early and fix it as you go along. With the latest patch, I can safely say that it’s definitely playable and arguably worth your time already because of how much content there is in the game.
However, I wouldn’t blame you for waiting for a sale on the eShop or at least until the issues are 90% fixed. And all of its promised content isn’t in the game yet, as both the Void Shadows and Lex Imperialis DLCs are still pending to be included in the game.
It’s an amazing game with loads of content, an engaging narrative, great characters, thoughtful combat, and customization that’ll keep you up at night. And, well, the Emperor already knows that I’ve been spending a lot of time already on the original version, so it wouldn’t hurt to play it again on a different Archetype and Conviction this time.
| Digital Storefronts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Playstation |
Xbox |
| Switch 2 |
GoG |
Epic |
| $49.99 | ||
Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader FAQ
How do you use Mouse Mode on Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader for the Nintendo Switch 2?
Open the Settings menu, then toggle the option for "Activate Joy-Con 2 mouse controls" to on. The game will then switch to Mouse Mode.
Does the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader come with its DLC (Void Shadows and Lex Imperialis)?
No. However, Owlcat Games has confirmed that both DLCs will be added at a later date.
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Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader Product Information
| [:img:3804676:{alt:Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader Cover, size:440x230, mode:original}] | |
| Title | WARHAMMER 40,000: ROGUE TRADER |
|---|---|
| Release Date | December 11, 2025 (Nintendo Switch 2) December 8, 2023 (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S) |
| Developer | Owlcat Games |
| Publisher | Owlcat Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Genre | Strategy RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | Teen |
| Official Website | Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Website |
