What are some of the best Warhammer games to play in 2021?

There are a ton of Warhammer games that have been released over the years, but some of them stand out among the others as games that have remained and will remain good for a long time. Let's check out some of the better titles!

10. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War

Check out the trailer for Gladius!

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is about the planet Gladius Prime being a site for ancient artifacts of interest to multiple factions who strive to do battle to secure each of their respective interests. Play as Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Eldar, Necrons, Tyranids, Imperial Guard, T’au, or Orks and stake your claim on Gladius Prime and its resources by defeating your adversaries in battle.

Gladius is a hex tile turn-based strategy game that takes a lot of inspiration from the tabletop rules, with mechanics such as rapid-fire, allowing your units to fire their weapon twice at close range, for example. You get to choose from eight factions, expand your base and upgrade your units with a research tree, eventually gaining access to powerful and fun-to-use units that can dominate the battlefield. There are resources across the map that can provide useful bonuses to your different resource incomes or bonuses in battle that you will fight against other factions to secure and defend. The game is won by eliminating all enemy factions. Gladius is a simple, albeit quite enjoyable, game and is worth giving a try if you’re a fan of the Warhammer 40k universe.

9. Warhammer 40,000: Inquistor - Martyr

Check out the trailer for Inquisitor - Martyr!

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr takes place in the universe of Warhammer 40,000. The player assumes the role of an inquisitor during the discovery of an abandoned battleship in the Caligari Sector, soon discovering that the ship is possibly corrupted by cultists worshipping the Chaos god of decay and new life, Nurgle.

It is an action role-playing game with a complex character progression, dynamic enemies, and often linear map progression. You are tasked with slaying hordes of monsters while building up your character’s strength to deal with increasingly strong enemies and boss encounters, eventually facing off against a greater demon of Nurgle.

8. Space Hulk: Deathwing - Enhanced Edition

Space Hulk: Deathwing - Enhanced Edition takes place on a Space Hulk, an abandoned conglomeration of dead battleships, infested by Genestealers. You assume the role of a Librarian of the Dark Angels, a psychically gifted individual, protected by the infamous Terminator Armor and tasked with cleansing the ship of the Genestealer cult’s corruption.

Space Hulk: Deathwing is a single-player or coop game in which team play is important. You must support and be supported by your fellow Space Marines to succeed in this unforgiving environment, braving hordes of Genestealers with your superior weaponry. Complete various missions across the Space Hulk to progress through the game. 

7. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2

Check out the trailer for Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2!

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 takes place during the Gothic War in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, with the player assuming control of one of six factions, The Imperial Fleet, Chaos, Ork Pirates, Eldar Corsairs, Space Marines, or T’au Empire, who do battle for control of the Gothic sector of space.

The player assumes control of gigantic battleships or faster frigates and destroyers with the ability to customize their ships with their choice of weaponry, support sub-systems and defenses. Mission objectives consist of wiping out enemy fleets or flagships, stealing data from flagships, escorting transport vessels, protecting defense stations, or reaching bombardment positions to assist allied ground forces. Your ships will be awarded experience and promotions by succeeding in missions.

6. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 

Check out the trailer for Mechanicus!

Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus takes place on a Necron Tomb World from the perspective of adepts of the Mechanicum, seeking to uncover ancient technology from the dangerous tombs populated by Necrons that are sleeping...for now.

You assume control of a team of Tech-Priests of the Mechanicum with Servitors and Skitarii warriors under their command, tasked with navigating treacherous Necron tombs. You are required to constantly make decisions on the route you take and how you interact with puzzles and traps, sometimes rewarding your decisions and sometimes punishing you for them. Engage in turn-based battles utilizing resources like CP (command points) to outmaneuver Necron enemies and secure the coveted technology they guard.

5. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

 Check out the trailer for Space Marine!

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine takes place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe on Forge World Graia, a planet dedicated to the production of military weapons for the Imperium of Man that has been invaded by Orks. You follow the exploits of a three-man squad of Ultramarines, Captain Titus, Sergeant Sidonus, and Tactical Marine Leandros.

You are tasked with fighting through hordes of Orks and minions of Chaos, employing melee and ranged fighting from a third-person perspective, and able to regenerate portions of your health by performing certain actions. You fight through hordes of Orks their Warboss, eventually uncovering Chaos corruption and having to fight Nemeroth, a Chaos Space Marine who seeks to ascend to Daemon Prince status.

4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Check out the trailer for Dawn of War II!

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II takes place in the Warhammer 40,000 universe from the perspective of Sergeant Tarkus deep-striking onto the desert planet Calderis to aid Captain Davian Thule and his followers. These mighty Space Marines of the Blood Ravens are forced to contend with Orks, Eldar, and eventually the forces of Chaos, including Chaos-corrupt Space Marines.

Dawn of War II is a Real-time Strategy game that differs from the first and third iteration of the game in that base-building is completely removed and the focus is on squad management and strategic placement of your units to outmaneuver your enemies and achieve victory. There are different game modes including but not limited to objective capturing and campaign mode. Play as factions such as Eldar, Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Orks, Imperial Guard, or Tyranids. Upgrade your units and outflank your enemies to achieve victory. If you enjoyed games such as Dawn of War, or Warcraft III, but found the base building aspects to be tedious, you will certainly enjoy Dawn of War II’s focus on squad management and unit placement.

3. Total War: Warhammer 

Check out the trailer for Total War: Warhammer!

Total War: Warhammer takes place in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, during the year 2502 when Emperor Karl Franz ascends to the throne and attempts to unite a fractured Empire while the surrounding lands erupt in a civil war with the multitude of factions all vying for power. The land is ravaged by war and you must choose your faction and expand your empire by conquering your enemies and making allies with those whose cause aligns with your own.

Total War: Warhammer is a turn-based strategy game with a combination of campaign map management as well as real-time tactical battles between your own and enemy armies. You must manage the different resources specific to your chosen faction, as well as public order, army placement, quest completion, and much more. You have the option to automatically resolve battles based on the balance of power, or participate in a live-action version of the battle with the potential to outmaneuver your opponent with superior strategy and beat even unfavorable odds. This is great game design, allowing you to take risks and be potentially rewarded for it.

2. Total War: Warhammer II

 Check out the trailer for the second installment of Total War: Warhammer!

Total War: Warhammer II, although a separate game, incorporates all of the content from Total War: Warhammer into itself, and thus acts sort of like a simultaneous expansion and overhaul of its predecessor. It takes place in the Warhammer Fantasy universe but with access to both the original map from the first game and a new map centered around the Battle of the Vortex, an unstable vortex of energy acting as a gate between the physical world and the realm of Chaos that has been made unstable by Skaven meddling. The game takes place Millenia later with certain factions seeking to stabilize the vortex and others seeking to recklessly exploit it for power.

Total War: Warhammer II is essentially a continuation of Total War: Warhammer with some much-improved game systems and access to awesome downloadable content including new Lords, Heroes, and Factions. Gain access to factions such as the plotting Skaven, the Tomb Kings, Vampires of the Coast, and many more!

1. Warhammer: Vermintide II

Check out the trailer for Vermintide II!

Warhammer: Vermintide II takes place during the early days of the End Times of the Warhammer Fantasy universe, following the heroes of Ubersriek as they battle against apocalyptic hordes of Skaven and the Rotbloods, a Chaos Warband dedicated to worshipping the Chaos god of decay and new life, Nurgle.

Vermintide II is a four-player coop action game in the first-person perspective that plays similarly to the popular Left 4 Dead game of years past. It has clean and reactive melee and ranged combat, giving you the ability to choose talents, gear, level up your characters, and get stronger to progress through increasing difficulties on mission maps. There are ways to increase the difficulty even further, such as picking up tomes and grimoires across the map or completing special challenges. There is an emphasis on team play, as there are special enemy units that will disable you, requiring your teammates to knock them off of you so that you can continue fighting. Fatshark has done a beautiful job on this highly polished game and you should look forward to their upcoming title, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, which will play similarly to Vermintide but in the universe of Warhammer 40,000! 

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