The 7 best games to get started in the world of Warhammer

Warhammer is a huge world with enormous lore. Whether it’s 40,000, Fantasy or Age of Sigmar, given the volume, potential fans can quickly find themselves intimidated by the mass of content. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus helps and introduces you to 7 games that are particularly suitable for getting started in the world.

Warhammer has been evolving for over 50 years and now has so much lore that no one can really understand it anymore. During this time there were constant changes to the story (“retcons”), new stories and completely new content.

It can be difficult to find a way to get started. But the fascination with Warhammer remains: most recently, Space Marine 2 ensured that new fans were drawn into the world. And it’s worth taking a look, behind the facade of complicated worlds and rules there is a whole universe full of exciting content.

At the same time, the number of Warhammer games available is enormous. That’s why here you’ll find a selection of the games that, in my experience, are best suited for a first look. What was important for the selection was:

I then draw on personal experience for the final selection. I have already played all of the games you find here – most of them for 200 hours or more. There are only a few Warhammer games left on Steam that I don’t own and haven’t played.

The list is intended to offer a selection of different genres in Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy and is not a ranking. So it’s not a leaderboard, but a collection of the best games.

Space Marine 2

Space Marine 2 is one of the best ways to get started with Warhammer 40,000. You hardly need any prior knowledge and you can just get started. The gameplay is catchy, easy to learn and offers enough challenge for many hours of play later.

At its core, Space Marine 2 is a horde sci-fi shooter in which you play a completely overpowered super soldier going up against a sea of ​​beetle aliens and other enemies. There is a campaign with story, co-op missions and a PvP mode.

You will learn a lot about the lore. You play an Ultramarine, an important order of Space Marines, and meet well-known characters from history. Space Marine 2 itself doesn’t explain too much, but if you’re interested in the world, you’ll find a number of starting points here.

You can find some lore articles about the game here:

Space Marine 2 still has over 15,000 players at the same time in November 2024, on Steam alone (via steamcharts) and is also available for Xbox and PlayStation 5. So you’re sure to find teammates if you don’t bring friends with you anyway.

Space Marine 2 has been extremely well received by both the press and gamers and is particularly praised for its gameplay and strong graphics. Space Marine 2 is nominated for best action game at the Game Awards 2024.

Vermintide & Darktide

You can also get started with the action games Vermintide and Darktide without much prior knowledge. Both games are roughly based on the gameplay of Left 4 Dead: A team of 4 characters fights through tricky levels, fights against hordes of enemies and looks for the exit.

Unlike Left 4 Dead, however, the games place significantly more emphasis on close combat. Various characters with skills and talents are available to you, which you can level up and equip. Which of the games you choose is up to you:

Vermintide 2 recently received a PvP mode and is often on sale on various platforms, sometimes even given away. If you’re looking for a cheap way to get started with 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. Most recently, the game has been reworked with “Unlocked and Loaded” and now offers more options to customize your characters. You can play Darktide on Steam or in Game Pass for Xbox and PC. A PS5 version will be released on December 3rd.