WithWarhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2on the way, there’s never been a better time to get into this sprawling franchise. It’s been nearly 40 years sinceWarhammermade its debut as a tabletop miniature war game with a fantasy slant. Since then, it’s spawned innumerable spinoffs and adaptations, including a space-age spinoff and several forays into the video game space. The latest of those isWarhammer 40k: Space Marine 2, which is now available for preorder ahead of its launch on August 22, 2025.
In the ensuing 40 years,Warhammerhas skyrocketed to international popularity, with an enormous player base and evena handful of celebrity endorsements. But the release of any new video game in such a storied franchise inevitably brings newcomers to the table, and with so much history and so many different properties, it can be difficult to know where to begin. For those wondering whatWarhammer 40kis all about, and who may be interested in checking outSpace Marine 2,Screen Ranthas compiled a rundown of everything a player needs to know.
What Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2?
A Struggle For Survival In A Doomed World
Space Marine 2is a third-person shooter game (with some hack-and-slash elements, too) that pits players, in the role of the titular genetically modified Space Marines, against enormous hordes of mindlessly deadly giant bugs and bloodthirsty Chaos cultists. Besides a challenging single-player mode,players can also team up with their friends in thrilling battles for survival. There’s also a suite of 6v6 player-versus-player modes.
Space Marine 2is under development by Saber Interactive, the studio behindEvil Dead: The Game, and the upcomingJohn Carpenter’s Toxic Commandoandremake ofStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This is a developer that specializes in bombastic, big-name adaptations, especially those with a horror slant, which meansWarhammeris right in its wheelhouse.
InSpace Marine 2,players will have acces to a varied arsenal of powerful weapons, tactics, and equipment: Scout combat knives that allow them to deliver flurries of cuts to unsuspecting enemies; enormous cannons that bore holes in tanks; jetpacks they can use to close distances quickly; and so much more. They’ll need a solid balance of tactics, and a knowledge of when to employ which weapons, to survive odds that are constantly stacked against them in epic battles against tireless foes.
Players will also findan engaging story inSpace Marine 2, even if they haven’t played the first game or caught up onWarhammerlore. It’s told through the eyes of Lieutenant Demetrian Titus, an Ultramarine who’s spent several lifetimes in the service of the Imperium of Man, a corrupt theocratic empire ruled by a half-dead Emperor whose faculties are only preserved by his cybernetic Golden Throne. The game picks up sometime after the firstSpace Marine, as Lieutenant Titus returns from penance for his alleged heresy to a galaxy torn (further) asunder by the new ravages of Tyranid and Chaos hordes.
After willingly choosing to join the Deathwatch faction of defenders against the most hostile and dangerous forms of alien life, Titus is sent to defend the planet Kadaku from encroaching Tyranids. Separated from his squad and rapidly realizing that he has little hope of survival, Titus sacrifices himself by launching a virus bomb into the planet’s atmosphere. However, he wakes up sometime later to learn he’s been transformed into a Primaris Marine, a faster, stronger kind of supersoldier, and is made to return to the throes of battle as an Ultramarine. Theconflict between Titus' past and present, his honor and his duty, will be at the forefront ofSpace Marine 2’s thrilling campaign.
Everything In Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Collector’s Edition
An Artbook, A Statue, & So Much More
The Collector’s Edition ofSpace Marine 2is a desirable package deal that includes the game itself on the platform of the player’s choosing, theMacragge’s ChosenDLC,and a number of physical and in-game goodies to delightWarhammerfans old and new. First, there’s a 64-page book that includes both concept art and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the game. Players will also receive a Steelbook cover forSpace Marine 2, alongside a 6.9-inch-tall statue of Lieutenant Titus ripping a Tyranid out of the ground.
The Collector’s Edition also includes the Ultramarines Champion Pack, a series of cosmetic armor skins in-game, alongside the Season Pass for any future DLC. Plus,players who pre-order the Collector’s Edition will be able to access the game up to four days early- beginning on June 09, 2025.
Why You Should Be Playing Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2
Engaging Gameplay & A Co-Op Campaign
Space Marine 2is ideal for any fan of third-person co-op/PvP shooters, dystopian science fiction, or action games in general,whether or not they’re alreadyWarhammerfans. Both the entire main campaign and its plethora of side missions are fully playable in groups of up to three. Characters come in six different classes and can equip a host of cosmetics, so there’s plenty of opportunity to customize and strategize. They’ll explore awe-inspiring and terrible scenery on alien worlds, sharing triumphs and defeats across its epic campaign.
Although designed in part for co-op, all ofSpace Marine 2’s main and side missions can also be played as a party of one.
More competitive-minded players will find endless entertainment inSpace Marine 2’s three PvP modes: Annihilation, Seize Ground, and Capture and Control. These wargames divide Space Marines into teams of six, and pit themselves against each other in a diverse assortment of PvP objectives.
Although a standalone story in theWarhammer 40kuniverse,Space Marine 2ties into the widerWarhammerlore in countless ways. Seasoned fans will find familiar faces like Lieutenant Titus and Marneus Cagar in a new, sprawling campaign.
New fans can consider this their introduction to theWarhammer 40ksetting, a chance to learn about the Space Marines, Tyranids, and Chaos factions, as well as central events and concepts like the Era Indomitus and the 4th Tyrannic War. It’ll use new twists on familiar gameplay concepts to introduce these new players to a vast and varied universe, full of man-made horrors, terrifying alien monstrosities, and a long list of other imaginative creations.
Space Marine 2makes the perfect entry pointfor anyone curious about the wider world ofWarhammer 40k, and an excellent adaptation for series diehards. Whether they’re a first-time dabbler, or a longtime fan of the franchise,Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2should be on every player’s radar.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
The galaxy is once again plunged into chaos as Lieutenant Titus returns to battle the relentless Tyranid swarm. With unmatched power and brutal combat skills, he leads the Ultramarines in a desperate fight for survival against overwhelming odds, showcasing the grim reality of endless war in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
