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This page covers the announced post-launch plans for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV. Everything described here is planned content that has not yet shipped. Dates, contents, and details are pre-release and may change before or after launch. KING Art has outlined both a free Year One content plan and a set of paid expansions.
Year One Free Content
KING Art has announced a Year One plan of free downloadable content running from Fall 2026 to Spring 2027. The plan is set to include the following additions, delivered after the game's September 2026 launch:
Crusade Mode: a turn-based meta-campaign returning to the series as free post-launch content.
New map packs for additional battlegrounds.
A mission editor for creating custom missions.
New Commanders scenarios.
Because this content is planned rather than shipped, the exact release order and the timing of each item within the Fall 2026 to Spring 2027 window have not been finalized. The return of Crusade Mode as free content is notable, as it is a returning mode rather than a launch feature.
Paid Expansions
Alongside the free content, KING Art has announced paid downloadable content. Two paid expansions have been named so far, and both are included in the Release Date and Editions:
Blood Ravens Story Prologue: additional story content centered on the Blood Ravens Chapter.
AFTERMATH Campaign Expansion: a campaign expansion that is set to add a new fifth faction to the game after launch.
The fifth faction introduced by AFTERMATH has not been named or shown. The four Factions available at launch are the Space Marines, the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Necrons, and the Orks; the AFTERMATH faction will join them as a planned post-launch addition. Players who buy the Commander Edition receive both paid expansions as part of that bundle, while Standard Edition owners would need to acquire them separately.
Free Versus Paid
It helps to separate what is free from what is paid. The Year One content updates, including the rollout of Crusade Mode, new modes, map packs, the mission editor, and new Commander scenarios, are free for everyone regardless of which edition you buy. The two paid pieces are the Blood Ravens Story Prologue and the AFTERMATH campaign expansion, both of which are bundled into the Commander Edition described in Release Date and Editions.
On the store, this first year of content is also sold together as a single Year 1 Expansion package, which combines the free updates with the two paid additions. A Crusade is available at launch for five Commanders, with additional Crusades added free as part of this post-launch plan.
Roadmap Summary
The table below summarizes the announced post-launch items. All entries are planned and subject to change.
Item | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
Free | Planned (Year One, Fall 2026 to Spring 2027) | |
New map packs | Free | Planned (Year One, Fall 2026 to Spring 2027) |
Mission editor | Free | Planned (Year One, Fall 2026 to Spring 2027) |
New Commander scenarios | Free | Planned (Year One, Fall 2026 to Spring 2027) |
Blood Ravens Story Prologue | Paid | Announced (included in Commander Edition) |
AFTERMATH Campaign Expansion (new fifth faction) | Paid | Announced (included in Commander Edition; faction unnamed) |
Related Pages
Release Date and Editions: how the Commander Edition bundles the Blood Ravens Story Prologue and the AFTERMATH expansion.
Crusade Mode: the returning turn-based meta-campaign planned as free content.
Factions: the four launch factions, with AFTERMATH planned to add a fifth.
Commanders: the hero leaders featured in the planned new Commander scenarios.