When is the Dawn of War 4 release date? Dawn of War knows how it feels to go from considerable highs to devastating lows. Once king of the RTS genre, the Warhammer series was universally loved by fans of the tabletop wargame. Then, Dawn of War 3 happened, new MOBA mechanics were introduced, and, as often happens when developers try something new, Dawn of War's reputation was in shreds.
It's fair to say, then, that a new entry in the 20-year-old series would be a tough sell, and anyone undertaking the challenge would need to get it right. Thankfully, that seems like the case with Dawn of War 4. So far, the upcoming game, developed by King Art, an entirely new studio to the series, looks set to return the series to its RTS game roots, and it's bigger and better than ever before. Here's what we know about the DoW4 release date so far, and what to expect when it arrives.
Dawn of War 4 release date estimate
We hope we don't have to wait this long, but we'd estimate that the Dawn of War 4 release date will fall sometime around September 2026. This guess is based on previous DoW and King Art launch dates, as well as the announcement timeframe.
The Dawn of War 4 Gamescom announcement came as a surprise to most, but it has been in the works and even secretly hinted at for some time. Not only was the remastered Dawn of War Definitive Edition released just days before the reveal, presumably to build some hype for the new game, but hindsight has also revealed something else.
In a March 2024 blog post, King Art announced that it had received federal funding for two new games. One of these, dubbed a "classic real-time strategy game," had the not-so-subtle working title of "Tischplatte," AKA Tabletop. We can now assume this was Dawn of War 4 all along, given Warhammer's origins as a tabletop wargame.
As with previous Dawn of War games, we can assume that DoW4 will be exclusive to PC, and no other platforms have been announced.
New developer and publisher
Changing developer, especially in such a beloved series, is always going to result in some trepidation. That said, it was the series' long-term dev, Relic, who decided to shake things up with the third game, leading to widespread disappointment.
King Art, meanwhile, has a proven history with the RTS genre. Their last game, Iron Harvest, was met with praise, and their dedication to player feedback is clear from their highly interactive Kickstarter period for the game. Speaking with PCGamesN, the team goes into more detail about which features from Iron Harvest they are bringing to Dawn of War 4, including stunning battle animations.
Dawn of War 4 is being published by Deep Silver, which has previously worked on the likes of Metro Exodus, Dead Island 2, and Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance.
Gameplay
Perhaps one of the most exciting revelations about the upcoming Dawn of War is that there are four entirely separate campaigns. This complements the announcement that there are four playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and the Adeptus Mechanicus in their DoW debut, and each has its own dedicated story campaign, playable in single-player or co-op.
Playing a preview of the game, and speaking with the devs about this massive decision, we learnt more about these four campaigns, which feature over 40 minutes of cinematic cutscenes and give a different perspective of the battle unfolding on Kronos. "For a single-player RTS campaign fan," says King Art creative director Jan Theysen in our interview, "this game probably offers more than any other RTS out there."
Of course, it doesn't end there, as the usual multiplayer carnage ensues with up to six players across 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 multiplayer, while fan-favorite mode Last Stand also returns. Then there's Skirmish mode, playable in multiplayer or single-player mode.
And, perhaps most importantly, you can paint your army in your favorite colors, bringing the feel of original tabletop Warhammer to the PC game.
Trailers
The gameplay trailer, shown at Gamescom ONL 2025, is narrated by the Blood Ravens' Cyrus, presumably the top dog of the Space Marines factions in the absence of Gabriel Angelis. Discussing, in the recognisably gravelly voice of Steve Blum, what brought us here, we get our first introduction to one of the four campaign angles and how the Ravens are seeking revenge - at any cost. Whether we'll see three more trailers to round out the perspectives of all four playable factions remains to be seen, but we know the battle for Kronos will be bloody.
Unusually for an announce trailer, a section of gameplay is shown at the end. We can only assume this is an intentional effort to ease the minds of fans still hurt by the changes in DoW3, and demonstrate the series' return to the classic RTS genre.
Shortly after the news of Dawn of War 4 broke, we played a DoW4 preview, and are excited to see the classic RTS game return to its roots. If you can't wait to see it for yourself, keep yourself busy with Dawn of War Definitive Edition in the meantime, and check out some of the best DoW mods that still hold up today.