Skulls 2026 – The Warhammer video games festival

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The Warhammer Skulls video games festival is back for its 10th event, and we’ve got a huge show for you today.

Missed the live show? No problem – read on for all the world premieres, exclusive reveals and announcements for your favourite (and new favourite) games.

If you finished Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters and thought, “That’s daemons dealt with, but what about the xenos?”, we’ve got good news. The sequel is here, and this time you’ll be leading the Long Vigil in a campaign against the alien menace that ravages the Imperium. 

As Interrogator Bastian Rath, you’ll be thrust into leadership of a diverse team straining to maintain the stability of the Tyrian Expanse, where alien threats lurk at every corner. Command an elite Inquisitorial team in strategic, turn-based battles against seven enemy factions, with deep customisation and nine classes – from zealous Inquisition agents to veteran Space Marines.

Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Deathwatch will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Ever wished you could be a sneaky, stabby Skaven assassin? Well, in Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster, you'll start at the bottom and slay your way to the top. It’s a dark and gritty 2D stealth/action platformer, which will test your skills to see if you have what it takes to take the title of Deathmaster.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster will be coming out on Steam, Xbox series X|S, PlayStation, and Switch 2 in 2027. Wishlist it now, yes-yes!

Thank the Omnissiah, the hotly awaited sequel to tactical RPG masterpiece Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is out right now, as the Tech-Priests of Mars butt heads with the Necrons once again over sacred technology and territorial ambitions. What’s more, this time you can play as the Necrons in their own narrative campaign!

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II was first revealed at Warhammer Skulls two years ago, and since then, we have also heard that the Leagues of Votann are involved somehow. To find out just what their stake in the operation is, you’ll have to play it yourself.

You can pick up the game now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Mechanicus mega-fans can also get a digital artbook, the complete original soundtrack and an in-game legacy soundtrack DLC as part of an expanded Omnissiah edition. The legacy soundtrack DLC lets you incorporate the stunning music from the first game into the sequel, adding 10 new tracks by maestro Guillaume David. The soundtrack for Mechanicus II is also available on your favourite streaming services from today.

The next instalment of the beloved Dawn of War series has a release date at last. You can return to Kronus, the war-torn planet from Dawn of War – Dark Crusade, as conflict begins anew on 17 September.

The all-new campaign features the Blood Ravens, Dark Angels, Adeptus Mechanicus, Necrons and Orks, engaging in furiously competitive skirmish matches against friends and computer bots. You can pre-order the game now in both Standard and Commander Editions, with the latter including the digital soundtrack and all of the Year One paid DLC, which come alongside a program of free updates and additional game modes.

So what’s coming in Year One? All players will get the map-conquering Crusade mode, two new Commanders for the Last Stand and Crusade modes, four Map Packs for skirmish games, and a full Mission Editor to play around with as part of a series of free updates. 

Then, the first paid DLC adds a new prologue campaign starring a legendary Blood Ravens commander as they head back to their ancestral homeworld of Aurelia, followed by the Aftermath expansion, which adds a whole new faction to the game – fully integrated into all existing game modes – with a further campaign taking place after the main story of Dawn of War IV.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV releases on PC on 17 September, whilst those who pre-order the Commander Edition can start playing three days early on the 14th.

Not only that, but our friends at Youtooz have revealed their next wave of vinyl figures – and they, too, are drawn from the combatants on Kronus! Coming Soon from Youtooz.com.

Mobile smash hit Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus has today launched a Kronus-themed event to get your blood pumping for the release of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV in September. The campaign event pits the Dark Angels against the Necrons and has Lion El’Jonson as a new Guild Raid Boss, while Captain Cyrus of the Blood Ravens enters the Last Stand!

Need to bolster your roster? You can also get Blood Angels digital character Mataneo – just make sure you’re subscribed to Warhammer+ by 2 June.

To celebrate the Dark Angels aiding the Blood Ravens on Kronus, Secretlab have deployed the Secretlab TITAN Evo Warhammer 40,000 Dark Angels Edition chair. Turn your desk setup into a majestic throne in the halls of the Rock as you command Lion El’Jonson and his sons in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV. 

Already got a TITAN Evo? Pick up a Dark Angels skin to cover your chair and sit like a knight of Caliban without needing to buy a whole new one!

Bring the might of the God-Emperor’s Imperium to the world of managed democracy in a groundbreaking new collaboration between Warhammer 40,000 and Helldivers 2.

PlayStation and Arrowhead Game Studios have confirmed that a new Legendary Warbond is in the works, but as for what’s in it… you’ll have to see later this year. The Warhammer 40,000 Legendary Warbond will be coming to Helldivers 2 on PlayStation, Xbox Series X|S and Steam.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide unveils its next new character class – the Skitarii – to join the desperate battle for the survival of Tertium.

Wielding the esoteric weaponry of the Adeptus Mechanicus and decked out in their signature robed combat armour, the Skitarii bring the divine majesty of the Motive Force to a mix of ranged and melee weapons, supporting the Rejects with advanced technology and well-honed skills.

The Skitarii will be unleashed in Darktide on 23 June as a paid DLC, alongside a Deluxe Edition with extra cosmetic gear to help your cyborg soldier stand out in Tertium’s gloom. 23 June also sees the launch of a new Expedition area, where players experience the badlands of Atoma at dawn for the first time, and the Traitor Vanguard and Cultist Vanguard arrive as new enemies.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is available now on PC, Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5, and can be played as part of an Xbox Game Pass Essentials subscription. Wishlist the Skitarii DLC now! Its sister game, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, sees the return of the Skulls in-game event, where players rack up kills and collect Daemon skulls to earn seasonal rewards. Check it out and give the vile Skaven what for!

Return to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for the new Purgation Update, shadow dropped today to celebrate Skulls. This free major update further expands the intense co-operative Operations mode with a new mission on Kadaku – appropriately named Purgation – and adds the new rapid-fire bolt carbine sidearm for the Assault and Bulwark classes, alongside three new Heroic weapons, six new armour pieces and a new Practice Arena in the battle barge where you can test your loadouts against various enemies.

This update also enhances Siege mode with new rewards, mission modifiers and Boss-level enemies. 

Season Pass 2 owners get access to the Iron Hands Chapter Pack DLC (available to buy separately), which includes a Champion skin for the new Techmarine class, more than 20 cosmetics and customisation options, and colour packs from four Iron Hands Successor Chapters.

For those of you who have not played Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 yet, you can play the first few levels for free until Tuesday morning on Steam and PlayStation 5. This includes the first couple of missions from the Campaign, three Operations (Inferno, Decapitation and Vortex) and all of the PvP game modes.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available on PC, Xbox Series XIS and PlayStation 5. The team at Focus also has an AMD-powered custom Space Marine 2-themed PC giveaway. Check out the Space Marine social media channels for more details.

The proud and savage Tiger Warriors of Cathay step from the deserts led by new Legendary Lord Bhashiva, the White Tiger of Shang-Yang, in a new Character Pack DLC for Total War: Warhammer III, released today.

Command a company of deadly mercenaries with new campaign mechanics that place you at the behest of the Iron Dragon, Zhao Ming. You'll complete missions to unlock access to enhanced units and army capacity, while devoting Relics to the three pillars of the Tiger Court in return for faction-wide boons.

This Bhashiva Character Pack also introduces a new Lord and Hero, and three new units: Tiger Warriors, throwing disc-hurling Tiger Warrior Stalkers, and Iron Claw Tiger Warriors carrying deft guandao polearms. Get it now on PC, coinciding with Patch 8.0, which includes a new free Legendary Hero for all players – Taoyan the Merciless. The DLC is available now on Windows PC and Steam.

Not played Total War: Warhammer III yet? Now’s your chance – the game is Free to Try on Steam for this weekend. Once you realise you love it, you can pick it up at its best-ever discount of 85% off. You can also get your hands on the digital soundtracks for each of the Total War: Warhammer games on Steam and streaming as of today! 

Big news – Total War: Warhammer 40,000 goes to Armageddon

You may have also noticed a little tease for Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Commissar Yarrick could be heard talking over an ominous CRT screen, confirming that the game will feature the endless war on Armageddon. Keep up to date with the latest news on this huge game by wishlisting now on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

Prepare to dodge deadly attacks and take down thousands of teeming foes in a hot-off-the-presses Steam demo for the upcoming bullet heaven spectacular, Warhammer Survivors. 

The trailer is packed with new enemies, stages and weapons. Death Guard and Blades of Khorne warriors flood in by the hundred, with a Great Unclean One appearing as an Extremis boss encounter and the shining glory of Saint Celestine torching her way through the throng. Lord-Commander Bastian Carthalos bestrides two realms at once in a battle between the halves of Hammerhal, and… wait, is that a table covered in hobby tools and painting supplies?

Wishlist and play the demo on Steam now, and get ready for action soon when Warhammer Survivors launches on Steam, GOG, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, and (announcing coming to) mobile! That’s just about every way there is to play games, short of rolling dice on the tabletop.

The launch of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 isn’t far away now, with Rahul Kohli reprising the role of Malum Caedo alongside our very own Skulls host, Alanah Pearce, as Battle Sister Nyra Verath. From today, you can get a taste of it yourself with a pulse-thumping playable demo.

Blast your way through two levels of the upcoming game – one a Death World swamp overrun with Nurgle daemons, and the other a frozen battlefield hiding an Imperial facility overrun with the forces of Chaos. There, you’ll even get to take on the new Khorne Berzerker enemies, who bring an altogether more aggressive threat to the game than previous enemies.

You can also get your hands on Xbox Design Labs controllers inspired by Boltgun 2, with an Elite Controller for Nyra Veyrath and a standard controller design for Malum Caedo. Visit Xbox Design Lab for more information!

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 will be coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 later this year.

But before you go, that’s not all. Purging the warp-addled horrors of the Immaterium is about to become more accessible than ever with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Boom, a new mobile adaptation of the original game from mobile shooter experts Nitro Games.

Boltgun Boom will start with the Graia and Forges of Corruption campaigns this year, so you can keep Caedo in your pocket wherever you go. Long line at the post office? Boltgun. Bus stuck in traffic? Boltgun. Caught a moment between writing Warhammer Community articles? You better believe we’ll be Boltgunning.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Boom will be coming to Android via the Google Play Store and to iOS on the App Store in 2026.

Everyone wants a piece of the Von Valancius dynasty in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, but what could the greatest curator and archivist in the history of the galaxy possibly want with a few humans? 

Team up with a new companion – a Tech-Priest Manipulus with a shadowy past – to find out why Trazyn the Infinite has turned his sights on the Koronus Expanse in The Infinite Museion, the third DLC for Rogue Trader. This new story expansion delves further into the nature of Necron conflicts and questions whether your new ally can be trusted as Trazyn’s plans unfold – you must decide whether to disrupt or fulfil his ambition.

The Infinite Museion DLC releases on 11 June and will be available separately or as part of the Season Pass 2 bundle. Wishlist it now, and if you haven’t begun your adventures in the Koronus Expanse yet, you can try out Rogue Trader for free with Xbox Free Play Days this weekend. 

Want to play Rogue Trader developer Owlcat’s next RPG? We have good news! Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy launches its Closed Beta today, accessible to anyone who purchased one of the game’s Founder’s Packs.

In the Beta, you travel to the spires of Scintilla, a classic hive city sprawl, and mingle with the planet’s prestigious elites at the behest of your Inquisitor. This early look at Dark Heresy gives you a solid seven hours of playtime, with lots to see and do.

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy will be coming to PC as well as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. 

Now available on console with Crossplay – Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks

Players can now experience the high-octane world of raucous Ork racing on consoles, as Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks comes to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S today. 

All of the game’s chaotic modes are included, from Deff Rally to Kill Konvoy, and full cross-play support means you can play with your friends no matter what platform they’re on.

The PlayStation 5 version is even getting an exclusive physical edition, available in participating stores from 16 June.

Now available on console – The Warhammer 40,000 pack comes to Rust console

Following on from the PC release, you can get the RUST Warhammer 40,000 Pack on console right now!

Get suited up in cosmetics inspired by the Death Korps of Krieg on Xbox and PlayStation today! 

The Warhammer 40,000 Pack is available to buy on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Steam.

New DLC – Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector

To celebrate Skulls, the new Ultramarines DLC and 1.0 launch of Crusade Mode have arrived in Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. The base game will be free to try on Steam for the week of Skulls, and it will also be part of Free Play Days on Xbox until 11:59pm UTC on 25 May 2026. 

Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector and the Ultramarines DLC are available to buy now on PC via Steam, Epic Games and on Xbox and PlayStation.

New DLC – Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War

Slitherine is releasing a new unit pack DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War. The Eradication Pack introduces 8 new units and is available now on Steam and Epic Games. On top of that, the base game is Free to Keep on Steam throughout Skulls week!

Quickfire Round

But that’s not all – here’s a roundup of even more news snippets…

• Warhammer Combat Cards. Join the fighting on Armageddon with a new Draft mode, new campaign, and Yarrick and Wazdakka Gutsmek arriving in-game. Download now, and use the code SKULLS26 to access some goodies!

• Talisman: Digital 5th Edition. The Dead Kind expansion changes how you race for the Crown, whether you’re playing Solo, Co-op, or Competitive. Buy now on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation 4, as well as direct from Nomad Games.

• Warhammer Chaos & Conquest. Game Update 5.0 is arriving with the long-awaited Territory system. Work together with your Alliance to claim regions of the Old World to earn new equipment, buffs and loot!

• Zero Latency. Get 20% off on bookings of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Defenders of Avarax until 28 June! Find out more on the Zero Latency website.

• Wētā Workshop. Dark Angel Veteran and Blood Angel Intercessor Sergeant 1:10 scale statues have been revealed, bolstering the defence of both Kronus and Armageddon!

• Xbox Free Play Days. Game Pass subscribers can try out multiple Warhammer games over this weekend, including Space Marine Master Crafted Edition, Rogue Trader, Battlesector, Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters and Inquisitor Martyr until 11:59pm UTC on 25 May.

• My Warhammer. Log in for your chance to win a super prize, including lots of merch linked to Warhammer video games as well as miniatures of some of the units and characters appearing in the showcase today. Nine runners-up will also get Steam Codes for eight of the games featured in the showcase! All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is set up a My Warhammer account, or log in to your existing My Warhammer account by 28 May 2026! Terms and conditions apply.

• Warhammer Classics. That’s the new stuff, but for those of you still into the old classics, we’ve got you covered. Available now on Steam in an accessible, future-proofed form, Warhammer Classics restores more than 20 seminal and fan-favourite Warhammer video games, bringing them back to PC.

That’s a LOT of amazing updates on Warhammer video games! And it’s also enough of us talking – it’s time to go and boot up your favourite games, and don’t forget to take advantage of all the amazing offers on your platform of choice below.

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