Warhammer 40K: Darktideis the latest co-op horde action game fromVermintideandVermintide 2developer Fatshark. The upcoming game has seen multiple delays, as initiallyDarktidewas set to release in 2021. However, due to development issues and constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was pushed to a September 2022 release date, something that Fatshark only revealed in April. Confusingly, the new date was announced on April 1, causing quite the confusion amongDarktide’sfan base.
WithDarktide’srelease date approaching, Fatshark has begun to roll out more trailers and teases for the game.Darktide’sstory trailer gave fans a closer look into the Chaos-infested Hiveworld ofWarhammer 40Kthat the players will have to fight through, with extra “Vox Transmissions” giving new details on the game’s lore piece by piece. A magazine interview with Fatshark also revealed that there will be anew class coming toDarktide, as well as how the game will implement some live-service elements. Now, fans have gotten a proper look atDarktidegameplay, something they’ve been wanting for a while.
RELATED:Warhammer 40K: Darktide Story Trailer Reveals New Enemies
The newDarktidetrailer only runs about two minutes long, but that is enough for fans to get a general sense of how the game and new missions will work. What might be the most obvious change from Fatshark’s previousWarhammerhorde gameVermintideis that the missions follow a more complex structure than just having the players go to a certain place and wipe out enemies or caputre and destroy certain objectives. It seems that puzzles and minigames will feature inDarktide, using the advanced technology ofWarhammer 40Kto give players something to do besides killing Chaos worshippers.
The action and combat are of course whereDarktidewants to excel, and it seems from the gameplay shown in the trailer that Fatshark has kept much of what madeVermintideand its sequel so successful. There are even re-used enemy attack animations fromVermintide 2, which drew criticism from some of the fan base. Also, it seems that many of the classes inDarktidewill have similarities with the playableclasses inWarhammerVermintide, including ultimate abilities that can either help to bring down a particularly strong enemy or rapidly wipe away waves of foes.
While there appear to be similarities betweenDarktideand Fatshark’s other successfulWarhammergames, there are plenty of differences to make the newest game stand out, such as the new character creation feature. Previously, each class inVermintidewas tied to a certain character, and inDarktideplayers will be able to make whatever character they want, complete with a new set of pre-recorded voices to choose from. Some showed concern that this new feature would result in a lack of character banter, but Fatshark was quick to calm those fears in adeveloper blog where it stated thatWarhammer 40K: Darktidewill have thousands of voice linesfor its characters.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktidereleases on June 10, 2025, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
