Release Date and Editions

This page covers the release date, platform, and available editions for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV. As the game has not yet launched, all details reflect what has been officially confirmed before release and may change.

Release Date

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV releases on December 3, 2026. The game launches on PC (Windows) only. No console, Mac, or Linux versions have been announced. The game was first revealed at Gamescom in August 2025.

Release Date Change

The game was first dated for September 17, 2026. On August 12, 2026 the studio published a release date update moving the launch to December 3, 2026. The announcement was delivered on video by game director Jan Theysen, who set out the decision to take additional time before release. The same post thanked everyone who had joined the playtests and said more gameplay, Battlefield Reports and updates would follow in the run-up to launch.

The new date carries through everywhere the game is listed: the official FAQ, the store page, and the pre-order promotion all point at December 3, and the store shows Advance Access starting November 30.

The free post-launch window announced in May 2026 read Fall 2026 through to Spring 2027 and was not restated for several months after the delay. It has since been updated: the roadmap art republished in September 2026 runs its timeline from 2027 through Spring to Summer. See Post-Launch Roadmap and DLC for the revised sequence.

Advance Access

Commander Edition players gain access from November 30, 2026 through what is officially called the 3-Day Early Unlock, three days ahead of the December 3 general release. The game's store page labels the same benefit Advance Access.

Players who purchase the Commander Edition receive three days of Advance Access ahead of the standard launch. This early unlock begins on November 30, 2026, three days before the December 3 release. Earlier material gave this as an approximate date worked back from the launch date; the official site now prints November 30 directly. The three-day early unlock is exclusive to the Commander Edition and is not part of the Standard Edition.

Closed Beta

A Closed Beta runs from October 21 to October 26, 2026. It was announced on October 7 as a chance to help put the game through its paces ahead of launch, and players register their interest through an official application. It follows two rounds of Closed Alpha testing held in November and December 2025. As of October 17, 2026 the beta has not started, and its content and size have not been detailed.

Editions

Two editions are available at launch: the Standard Edition and the Commander Edition. The Standard Edition contains the base game. The Commander Edition adds several bonuses, including content tied to the Post-Launch Roadmap and DLC.

The Commander Edition is the more complete package, bundling two pieces of paid downloadable content (the Blood Ravens Story Prologue and the AFTERMATH expansion) together with the base game. The AFTERMATH expansion is set to introduce a new fifth faction after launch; that faction has not been named or shown. Both of these expansions are described further under Post-Launch Roadmap and DLC.

Pre-Order Bonus

Both the Standard Edition and the Commander Edition include a 10% pre-order discount. This discount applies to pre-orders placed before launch. Aside from the discount, the Commander Edition's additional contents (the story prologue, the AFTERMATH expansion, the digital soundtrack, and the early unlock) are what distinguish it from the Standard Edition.

Pricing

Confirmed retail pricing is $59.99 (USD) for the Standard Edition and $89.99 (USD) for the Commander Edition. A 10% pre-order discount applies before launch, bringing the pre-order price to $53.99 for the Standard Edition and $80.99 for the Commander Edition. Regional pricing may differ, and store prices can change before release.

Soundtrack, Languages, and the Year 1 Expansion

Alongside its other extras, the Commander Edition also bundles a Digital Soundtrack. Separately, the first year of additions is offered on the store as a single Year 1 Expansion package, which combines the free post-launch updates with the paid Blood Ravens Story Prologue and the AFTERMATH campaign expansion. See Post-Launch Roadmap and DLC for the full breakdown of what is free versus paid.

The game is text-localized into thirteen languages, with full voice acting in English only. The other supported interface and subtitle languages are French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Turkish.

System Requirements

As of October 2026, system requirements have not been announced. The store page still lists only a 64-bit processor and operating system, with the operating system itself marked as coming soon, and no minimum or recommended hardware has been published. They will be added here once confirmed.

Age Ratings

Ahead of launch the game already carries an 18 age rating in Germany, Brazil and Indonesia, with descriptors that include extreme violence, drugs and strong language, plus horror in Indonesia. The official content note on the store page, marked as not yet final, says violence is present throughout, with gore and blood visible both in gameplay and in cutscenes.

Commander Edition Contents as Published

The storefront lists the Commander Edition contents as a single block, and it is worth reproducing in the order it is printed, because it makes clear that the pre-order benefits and the edition contents are separate things.

The two bonuses on the first line are tied to pre-ordering rather than to owning the Commander Edition after launch. See AFTERMATH Expansion for what the campaign expansion adds.

Related Pages

• Post-Launch Roadmap and DLC: the planned free and paid content after launch, including the AFTERMATH expansion bundled in the Commander Edition.

• Crusade Mode: a turn-based meta-campaign planned as free post-launch content.