Space Marine 2 appears to be the current hotness, a bombastic showcase of the Warhammer 40K universe with plenty of gore, action, and brotherly love. As of writing, it’s still the morning before the game releases for those not willing to spend big on a special edition of the game, and it’s already topping the Steam top sellers charts. You don’t have to be a psyker to glimpse into the future and see it’ll be big.
And with that, it may very well be a gateway game to the wider 40K IP for a variety of gamers out there. This is a great thing! Warhammer 40K is a core pillar of modern science fiction, as well as the UK economy. But where should a Space Marine 2 lover go next for their next hit of grimdark action? Here are few games which are absolutely worth trying out if you love SM2!
Warhammer 40:000 Darktide
While it may be fun to march around as a Space Marine, kicking Tyranids to death with your big boots, why not take it down a notch in terms of size and power? Darktide is an excellent cooperative 1st person shooter, similar to a little game you may have heard of called Left for Dead, as well as Vermintide (the also brilliant fantasy predecessor from the same developer).
Darktide puts you in the shoes of a brave and/or hopeless member of the Imperium of Man, tasked with venturing down into a Nurgle-infested Hive World with the goal of fighting back against the corruption. It’s an absolute blast, especially with a few friends, and the various classes are distinct enough to warrant much exploration on your part.
The game had a bit of a rough start when it first came out, but since then it’s had various updates, fixes, and even a major DLC update that have all worked together to place it in a pretty great spot right now. Give it a try if you want a bit of that Space Marine 2 action from a different perspective.
Warhammer 40:000 Speed Freeks
Who cares about Space Marines anyway? All the Boys knows that green is best. If you feel the same way, then Warhammer 40:000 Speed Freeks is absolutely worth checking out. It’s a vehicular action game, similar in style to Twisted Metal or Crossout, in which you take control of an Ork patchwork vehicle in deadly races and motorised carnage. A altogether different side of the 40K universe, but absolutely a fun one.
There’s some cool customisation for your various vehicles, new vehicles you can unlock, and plenty of dakka for Orks fans to enjoy. Perhaps the nicest thing about Speed Freeks is that it’s free, held up entirely by microtransactions. So you can try it out at no cost and see if it’s for you. Absolutely worth a look!
Warhammer 40:000 Rogue Trader
Now for a genre that’s totally different. If you’re willing to put aside your action-packed Eternal War session in favour of a good ol’ fashioned CRPG, Rogue Trader is rich with love for the 40k setting. In it you play – surprise- a rogue trader, a galactic trade baron aiming to reclaim and manage various worlds under their perview. This means a bit of management sure, but most of the time you’ll be controlling a party of diverse and incredibly interesting characters you come across.
It’s a brilliant narrative adventure through the 40k world, which covers a totally different aspect of the universe than Space Marine 2. It’s a little buggy at times, and since it’s a creation of the Owlcat Games it can be pretty brutal on the difficulty. But save often and slap into an appropriate difficulty and you’ll be set.
Warhammer 40:000 Dawn of War
If you’ve got an apprecation for all things retro (yes, the game came out 20 years ago, so it’s retro now I’m afraid), then the Dawn of War series is absolutely worth going back and trying. The original Dawn of War is a classic, with various expansions all of at least decent quality, it’s a cheap and juicy game worth checking out.
The game is an RTS, in which you take control of various factions and build up a force to overwhelm your enemies. On easier difficulties it’s a nice relaxing romp, while harder difficulties is an addicting gut punch. You also get a chance to see where the Blood Ravens come from, the OG Warhammer video game chapter.
Once you’re done with Dawn of War, you can check out the sequels too. They differ slightly in style but are also pretty great. Take a trip back in time and check out the height of the previous Warhammer video game golden age.
Warhammer 40K, the tabletop game
Listen there’s no way to cut it, all roads lead here. If you love customising your space marine for Operations or the Eternal War mode you can’t beat doing that in real life with a box of plastic, handful of paint brushes, and a couple dozen paints.
For what it’s worth, there are some good starting points for those eager to dip their toes into the ocean of plastic. Try out a Star Collecting box for a faction that looks cool for you, or perhaps take a gander at a Kill Team box for a smaller-scale approach. The only thing you can do wrong is spend a boatload of money on a faction you don’t care about.
Once you buy one box and paint it up, figure out whether you want to keep going. If not, you’ve got some cool figures to place on a bookshelf. If you do, then you can slowly build it up. Be warned though, this is an expensive hobby to get into. More expensive than video games, believe it or not.
There you have it, some recommendations for Space Marine 2 players keen to explore the Warhammer 40K universe a bit more. There are a bunch of other games out there we didn’t mention that are totally worth your time, but starting with one of these won’t do you wrong.