Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - What We Know So Far

Warhammer 40,000 is currently so popular it could be considered "heresy." The miniature wargame title was once niche, but recently Games Workshop has been branching out, and almost everyone wants to get on the company's bandwagon. There are books aimed at younger audiences, and both Bandai and McFarlane Toys are manufacturing Warhammer 40K action figures. Oh, and Warhammer 40K video games are the new hot item.

Granted, Warhammer 40K is no stranger to the world of video games (it has seen everything from dungeon crawlers to hack 'n slasher/shooters), and Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is merely the latest in a long line of titles in the franchise. Developed by Fatshark — the studio behind the Left 4 Dead-inspired Warhammer: Vermintide series — Darktide was announced during the recent Xbox Series X Games Showcase. If you're wondering what to expect from Darktide, here's everything we know so far.

The good news is, Fatshark and Microsoft have announced Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will launch in 2021. The bad news, unfortunately, is neither company has elaborated on this release window.

It's unclear if Darktide will launch in the Summer of 2021 or the holiday season. All we have to go on is an incredibly vague 2021 launch window. Even the game's Steam page doesn't provide a more specific release date. No matter where you go, everyone states the game will release in 2021.

With any luck, we will receive more information in the future, but this is all we have right now.

Microsoft and Fatshark first announced Warhammer 40,000: Darktide during the Xbox Series X Games Showcase, and they did so with a trailer.

While the trailer doesn't include gameplay snippets, it provides enough information to give gamers a basic gist of Darktide. Similar to the Warhammer: Vermintide series, players will group up in teams of four to tackle overwhelming odds. Players will wage war with iconic Warhammer 40K weapons, including chainswords, lasguns, and plasma guns.

Moreover, the trailer indicates gameplay will primarily, if not exclusively, take place in underground areas where light is scarce, so players will have to tread lightly with flashlights. One character in the trailer wields a faulty flashlight, but we currently don't know if that will be a game mechanic or if it was placed in the trailer for comedic effect.

At first glance, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide's story is simple: Four space soldiers enter an underground catacomb and get in over their head when they encounter evil, green, spikey mutants. However, closer examination — and an encyclopedic knowledge of Warhammer 40K lore — reveals a few more important details.

According to the trailer and official Darktide website, the game will take place in "hive Tertium." For those of you new to Warhammer 40K lexicon, hives are massive, underground, and self-sufficient supercities. People can live, work, and die in hives without ever seeing the sun. But, the lower levels of hives tend to have mutant and demon problems, and since the soldiers are heading towards "sublevel 6" in the trailer, that's exactly what they will face.

Since the trailer's narration addresses a "Lord Inquisitor," it is fairly obvious the protagonists serve the Imperial Inquisition, a secret organization that roots out demon worshippers, alien-human hybrids, and everything else that threatens humanity. Furthermore, the ending of the trailer and the Steam page screenshots reveal that players will face none other than Poxwalkers, which could indicate the demon god Nurgle may serve as Darktide's main antagonist.