Warhammer is a huge world with an enormous lore. Whether it’s 40,000, Fantasy, or Age of Sigmar, the scope can quickly make a potential fan feel intimidated by the sheer amount of content. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus helps out and presents 7 games that are particularly suitable for getting started in this world.
For over 50 years, Warhammer has continuously evolved and now has so much lore that no one really has a clear view anymore. During this time, there have been repeated changes to the story (“Retcons”), new stories, and completely new content.
Finding an entry point can be correspondingly difficult. However, the fascination with Warhammer remains: recently Space Marine 2 has managed to draw in new fans into the world. And it’s worth taking a look; behind the facade of complicated worlds and rules lies a whole universe full of exciting content.
At the same time, the number of games available for Warhammer is enormously large. Therefore, here you will find a selection of games that, in my experience, are best suited for a first look. For the selection, the following were important:
- how actively the games are still played and maintained
- how well the lore or the rules of Warhammer are implemented
- how well the games are generally received
For the final selection, I rely on personal experience. I have played all the games you find here – most of them for 200 hours or longer. On Steam, there are only a few Warhammer games that I don’t own and haven’t played.
The list aims to offer a selection of different genres in Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy and is not a ranking. It is therefore not a best-of list, but rather a collection of the best games.
Space Marine 2
For the very first entry into Warhammer 40,000, Space Marine 2 is one of the best options. You need almost no prior knowledge and can simply start. The gameplay is catchy, easy to learn, and later offers enough challenge for many hours of play.
At its core, Space Marine 2 is a horde sci-fi shooter where you play a completely overpowering super soldier fighting against a flood of bug aliens and other enemies. There is a campaign with a story, co-op missions, and a PvP mode.
In doing so, you also learn a lot about the lore. You play as an Ultramarine, an important order of the Space Marines, and meet notable figures from the lore. Space Marine 2 does not explain too much on its own, but if you’re interested in the world, you’ll find numerous starting points here.
Some lore articles about the game can be found here:
Space Marine 2 has over 15,000 players concurrently in November 2024, just on Steam (via steamcharts) and is also available for Xbox and PlayStation 5. So you will definitely find players to join you, unless you already bring friends with you.
Both with the press and players, Space Marine 2 is extremely well received and is praised especially for its gameplay and strong graphics. At the Game Awards 2024, Space Marine 2 is nominated as best action game.
Vermintide & Darktide
You can also jump into the action games Vermintide and Darktide with little prior knowledge. Both games are loosely based on the gameplay of Left 4 Dead: a team of 4 characters fights through linear levels, battles hordes of enemies, and searches for the exit.
Unlike Left 4 Dead, however, the games place significantly more emphasis on melee combat. You have various characters with abilities and talents available that you can level up and equip. Which of the games you choose is entirely up to you:
- Vermintide takes place in the world of Warhammer Fantasy. Here you can choose one of five characters with “sub-classes,” fight against ratmen and beastmen, and often encounter magic. Vermintide 1 and 2 are both popular, but the second part is even more actively played.
- In Darktide, you dive into the dystopian world of Warhammer 40,000 and play as a prisoner who is supposed to clean out the lower areas of massive macro-polis cities that have been infiltrated by Chaos cultists. Unlike in Vermintide, you have fewer classes, but more talents and also more opportunities to use firearms and explosives.
Vermintide 2 recently received a PvP mode and is often on sale on various platforms, sometimes even given away. If you’re looking for an affordable entry into Warhammer, you have the best chances here. The game is available for Steam, Xbox, and PS5.
Darktide is the newer offshoot from the same developer and receives more frequent and larger updates. Recently, the game was reworked with “Unlocked and Loaded” and now offers more options for customizing your characters. You can play Darktide on Steam or in the Game Pass for Xbox and PC. A PS5 version will be released on December 3.
