Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV at last shows campaign gameplay in its latest reveal

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has revealed new footage and details on every single aspect of its gameplay, from its cinematic story mode to thrilling multiplayer modes.

If you've been watching the battle reports for the latest entry in Warhammer 40,000's iconic real-time strategy series and have been waiting for an overview of what it has to offer beyond intense RTS combat, this trailer will have you covered.

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It first goes over what we can expect to see from its single-player campaign mode. You will play as one of four factions fighting for control of the planet Krono — Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus, Orks, and Necrons.

The campaign will feature a cinematic storyline for each faction with branching paths depending on your choices across 70 missions and can be played either solo or co-op.

A sci-fi strategy game battle fills a snowy industrial battlefield, with glowing energy beams, explosions, armored units, and a tactical interface creating a chaotic, intense mood. — The Adeptus Mechanicus battle the Necrons. (Image credit: Deep Silver)

We then get a summary of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV's gameplay loop.

In this game, you build bases to generate units for your army, capture points on the map to generate resources for your forces, and engage your enemies in bloody, fast-paced RTS skirmishes with cinematic kill animations during melee combat.

Each faction has its own unique playstyle, unit roster, and strategies:

Orks — an endless horde of greenkin brutes who overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers of melee fighters and war machines that can be empowered by WAAAGH energy.
Adeptus Mechanicus — a cult of cyborg soldiers, engineers, and priests who use advanced technology to scout out enemy positions and buff units and buildings, and summon building-sized mechs called Imperial Knights to devastate enemy lines.
Necrons — an ancient race of living killing machines that deploy monoliths to infect maps with Power Matrix influence that heals their forces and teleports them across the battlefield.
Space Marines — elite super-soldiers enhanced and trained to tackle any situation with a jack-of-all-trades style roster of units and deploy them behind enemy lines via Deep Strike reserves. They also have specialized units like the Blood Ravens, who excel in covert operations, and the Dark Angels, who charge into the fray with heavy armor and power weapons.

A grim sci-fi game menu shows armored Blood Raven Space Marines on a ruined battlefield, with loadout, squad settings, and matchmaking panels. — Dawn of War IV's Last Stand preparations screen (Image credit: Deep Silver)

Beyond the Campaign, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV will feature a Skirmish mode with four game types where you can test your skills against AI-driven opponents.

There's also a Last Stand game mode where you and two allies must work together to survive 20 waves of enemies, each one more deadly than the last. Defeating each wave will grant EXP, which can be spent to upgrade your forces' abilities for a better chance of survival.

Last Stand will allow you to command five Commander units at launch and will add more in post-launch updates.

A bulky orange-and-gray combat mech stands in a dark workshop as a color wheel and Advanced Painter controls show its customization options. — Painter is back and better than ever. (Image credit: Deep Silver)

Next, the trailer goes over the competitive multiplayer portion of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4. This mode will let players face human or AI opponents in 1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 matches across 30 maps and three match types whose rules can be customized to your liking.

Lastly, the trailer highlights the Painter. This is a fan-favorite gameplay feature from previous Dawn of War games that allows you to customize the color schemes (including individual body parts) and cosmetics of your favorite factions so you can show them off in the Skirmish, Multiplayer, and Last Stand modes.

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A heavily armored sci-fi soldier stands with a rifle before a massive red war machine, as troops advance through a dusty, smoke-filled battlefield. — Captain Cyrus leads the Blood Raven Space Marines to battle. (Image credit: Deep Silver)

I've been waiting for gameplay footage of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV's campaign for ages, and after watching many multiplayer-focused gameplay deep dives, this trailer did not disappoint.

The mission select screen brings back memories of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War's Dark Crusade expansion, the story looks just as over-the-top as previous games, and the multiple branching paths sound awesome for replay value purposes.

Not to mention it's awesome to see the Painter mode return once more while allowing players to customize each individual part of every unit to their liking (which is great for fans of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game who need help planning out their custom paint jobs for their miniatures).

After watching this trailer, I'm now completely sold on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV and will play it when it launches on December 3, 2026, on PC.

Do note that if you purchase Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV's Commander Edition, you will gain 3 days of early access starting November 30, 2026.

Take control of the Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, or Adeptus Mechanicus factions and wage a bloody war for domination in epic single-player campaigns or chaotic multiplayer modes in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV.View Deal

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