{"id":1947535,"date":"2026-05-21T17:45:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1947535"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:45:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:45:49","slug":"warhammer-40k-dawn-of-war-4-gets-a-release-date-as-devs-suggest-we-could-get-even-more-factions-after-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1947535","title":{"rendered":"Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 gets a release date, as devs suggest we could get even more factions after launch"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-4\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 gets a release date, as devs suggest we could get even more factions after launch<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;If there is something that Warhammer 40K has, it&#8217;s a lot of factions&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/dawn-of-war-4-chaos.png?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Dawn of War 4 official image showing a Chaos lord with glowing purple eyes and magic\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"dawn-of-war-4-chaos.png\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Deep Silver \/ Plaion<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Chris Tapsell avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1521645531.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Chris Tapsell avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1521645531.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/chris-tapsell\">Chris Tapsell<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Editor-in-Chief<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-21T17:45:49+00:00\">May 21, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"e17469ff-2173-46c8-a539-90631505a10e\" data-name=\"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\" title=\"Follow Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV\"><br \/>\n  Follow Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-4\">Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4<\/a> has a release date, and happily for fellow DoW fans it&#8217;s not too far away. The excellent-looking RTS sequel will launch on 17th September this year, with a fancier Commander Edition also getting you access a few days early, on 14th September, as well.<\/p>\n<p>The news comes via the annual Warhammer Skulls showcase, where the series&#8217; new, German developer King Art Games also laid out their plan for the first year of post-launch updates as well.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after launch, there&#8217;ll be a mix of free updates and paid DLC for the game, we&#8217;re told. In autumn 2026, Crusade Mode returns, which sounds like a modernised version of the much-loved Dark Crusade campaign, where you work to gradually dominate a planet via a big, territory-based overworld map. There&#8217;ll also be new modes, map packs, and a mission editor to come too, plus additional commanders with their own crusade objectives.<\/p>\n<p>As for the paid DLC, that comes in two main parts, both of which are included in the Commander Edition. The first is a Blood Ravens Story Prologue for the fan-favourite Space Marine faction. &#8220;Before war engulfs Kronus,&#8221; the blurb goes, &#8220;a Blood Ravens strike force returns to their ancestral homeworld of Aurelia. Guided by a legendary commander, their mission sets in motion events that will shape the fate of the Chapter. Fight through pivotal battles ignited by ancient relics.&#8221; No word on who that legendary commander is just yet.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing what each edition gets. Standard gets the base game. Commander gets that plus the Blood Ravens prologue, new faction and campaign expansion, and digital soundtrack.\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(24).png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.776536312849162\" width=\"636\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing what each edition gets. Standard gets the base game. Commander gets that plus the Blood Ravens prologue, new faction and campaign expansion, and digital soundtrack.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(24).png\" height=\"358\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.776536312849162\" width=\"636\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Deep Silver \/ Plaion<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There&#8217;s then an Aftermath Campaign Expansion, where you&#8217;ll be able to &#8220;command a powerful new faction as the war enters its next chapter. Aftermath continues the main campaign&#8217;s story in a narrative-driven expansion that explores the consequences of your victories \u2014 and the new threats set to reshape the battlefield.&#8221; That means a fifth faction, new commanders, and a big expansion to the Crusade Mode.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in a meaty <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-big-warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-iv-interview-year-1-roadmap-new-playable-factions-and-more\">interview with our friends at IGN<\/a>, King Art Games&#8217; creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest teased a little more on those new factions, as well as talking a little more depth about the new campaign mode. (There&#8217;s lot&#8217;s of mentions of board games. As Theysen quipped: &#8220;We are German, so we do board games, right?&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>On the new factions front, in particular that fifth faction Theysen had this to say: &#8220;Obviously we can&#8217;t tell you what it is, but if you look at the history of Dawn of War and ask yourself, what could you expect from a Dawn of War game that maybe isn&#8217;t in Dawn of War IV, maybe you&#8217;re going in the right direction.&#8221; An educated guess from me would be Eldar. Surely!<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing when each part of the expansion launches. Crusade mode and map pack 1 in autumn. New lord and map pack 2 before winter. Mission editor and map pack 3 just before 2027 stars. Then another commander and map pack 4 before spring 2027. Blood Ravens expansion comes mid winder and Aftermath expansion late spring.\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(23)_OJpP6g5.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7833333333333334\" width=\"642\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing when each part of the expansion launches. Crusade mode and map pack 1 in autumn. New lord and map pack 2 before winter. Mission editor and map pack 3 just before 2027 stars. Then another commander and map pack 4 before spring 2027. Blood Ravens expansion comes mid winder and Aftermath expansion late spring.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(23)_OJpP6g5.png\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7833333333333334\" width=\"642\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Deep Silver \/ Plaion<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for the future ones, the developers said it would ultimately come down to how well the game fairs, which is to be expected. &#8220;This basically covers the first nine months after launch,&#8221; Theysen said. &#8220;After that, hopefully, if the game works well and everybody is excited, hopefully we can do more. But this is the plan we have so far.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I mean, if there is something that Warhammer 40K has, it&#8217;s a lot of factions, right?&#8221; He added. &#8220;So we would be very happy to have more of the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Elliott Verbiest added, similarly: &#8220;Yeah. We&#8217;ve no shortage of options here, I think.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fair enough! If you&#8217;re in the mood for more grimdark titillation you can read more semi-subtle teases in that IGN interview. In the meantime, we&#8217;ve plenty more on the game, including my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ive-played-warhammer-40k-dawn-of-war-4-and-it-feels-like-the-sequel-to-the-original-that-rts-fans-always-wanted\">hands-on impressions from DoW 4&#8217;s first reveal (I liked it very much)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dawn-of-war-4-devs-on-taking-over-from-relic-the-health-of-real-time-strategy-and-reviving-a-legend-of-the-genre\">earlier interview with Verbiest and Theyson<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-4\">Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4<\/a> has a release date, and happily for fellow DoW fans it&#8217;s not too far away. The excellent-looking RTS sequel will launch on 17th September this year, with a fancier Commander Edition also getting you access a few days early, on 14th September, as well.<\/p>\n<p>The news comes via the annual Warhammer Skulls showcase, where the series&#8217; new, German developer King Art Games also laid out their plan for the first year of post-launch updates as well.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after launch, there&#8217;ll be a mix of free updates and paid DLC for the game, we&#8217;re told. In autumn 2026, Crusade Mode returns, which sounds like a modernised version of the much-loved Dark Crusade campaign, where you work to gradually dominate a planet via a big, territory-based overworld map. There&#8217;ll also be new modes, map packs, and a mission editor to come too, plus additional commanders with their own crusade objectives.<\/p>\n<p>As for the paid DLC, that comes in two main parts, both of which are included in the Commander Edition. The first is a Blood Ravens Story Prologue for the fan-favourite Space Marine faction. &#8220;Before war engulfs Kronus,&#8221; the blurb goes, &#8220;a Blood Ravens strike force returns to their ancestral homeworld of Aurelia. Guided by a legendary commander, their mission sets in motion events that will shape the fate of the Chapter. Fight through pivotal battles ignited by ancient relics.&#8221; No word on who that legendary commander is just yet.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing what each edition gets. Standard gets the base game. Commander gets that plus the Blood Ravens prologue, new faction and campaign expansion, and digital soundtrack.\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(24).png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.776536312849162\" width=\"636\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing what each edition gets. Standard gets the base game. Commander gets that plus the Blood Ravens prologue, new faction and campaign expansion, and digital soundtrack.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(24).png\" height=\"358\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.776536312849162\" width=\"636\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Deep Silver \/ Plaion<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There&#8217;s then an Aftermath Campaign Expansion, where you&#8217;ll be able to &#8220;command a powerful new faction as the war enters its next chapter. Aftermath continues the main campaign&#8217;s story in a narrative-driven expansion that explores the consequences of your victories \u2014 and the new threats set to reshape the battlefield.&#8221; That means a fifth faction, new commanders, and a big expansion to the Crusade Mode.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in a meaty <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-big-warhammer-40000-dawn-of-war-iv-interview-year-1-roadmap-new-playable-factions-and-more\">interview with our friends at IGN<\/a>, King Art Games&#8217; creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest teased a little more on those new factions, as well as talking a little more depth about the new campaign mode. (There&#8217;s lot&#8217;s of mentions of board games. As Theysen quipped: &#8220;We are German, so we do board games, right?&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>On the new factions front, in particular that fifth faction Theysen had this to say: &#8220;Obviously we can&#8217;t tell you what it is, but if you look at the history of Dawn of War and ask yourself, what could you expect from a Dawn of War game that maybe isn&#8217;t in Dawn of War IV, maybe you&#8217;re going in the right direction.&#8221; An educated guess from me would be Eldar. Surely!<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing when each part of the expansion launches. Crusade mode and map pack 1 in autumn. New lord and map pack 2 before winter. Mission editor and map pack 3 just before 2027 stars. Then another commander and map pack 4 before spring 2027. Blood Ravens expansion comes mid winder and Aftermath expansion late spring.\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(23)_OJpP6g5.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7833333333333334\" width=\"642\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dawn of War 4 roadmap showing when each part of the expansion launches. Crusade mode and map pack 1 in autumn. New lord and map pack 2 before winter. Mission editor and map pack 3 just before 2027 stars. Then another commander and map pack 4 before spring 2027. Blood Ravens expansion comes mid winder and Aftermath expansion late spring.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(23)_OJpP6g5.png\" height=\"360\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7833333333333334\" width=\"642\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Deep Silver \/ Plaion<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As for the future ones, the developers said it would ultimately come down to how well the game fairs, which is to be expected. &#8220;This basically covers the first nine months after launch,&#8221; Theysen said. &#8220;After that, hopefully, if the game works well and everybody is excited, hopefully we can do more. But this is the plan we have so far.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I mean, if there is something that Warhammer 40K has, it&#8217;s a lot of factions, right?&#8221; He added. &#8220;So we would be very happy to have more of the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Elliott Verbiest added, similarly: &#8220;Yeah. We&#8217;ve no shortage of options here, I think.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fair enough! If you&#8217;re in the mood for more grimdark titillation you can read more semi-subtle teases in that IGN interview. In the meantime, we&#8217;ve plenty more on the game, including my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ive-played-warhammer-40k-dawn-of-war-4-and-it-feels-like-the-sequel-to-the-original-that-rts-fans-always-wanted\">hands-on impressions from DoW 4&#8217;s first reveal (I liked it very much)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dawn-of-war-4-devs-on-taking-over-from-relic-the-health-of-real-time-strategy-and-reviving-a-legend-of-the-genre\">earlier interview with Verbiest and Theyson<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 gets a release date, as devs suggest we could get even more factions after launch &#8220;If there is something that Warhammer 40K has, it&#8217;s a lot of factions&#8230;&#8221; Image credit: Deep Silver \/ Plaion News by Chris Tapsell Editor-in-Chief Published on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1947535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1947535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1947535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1947535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1947535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1947535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}