Warhammer 40,000 (40k for short) is a tabletop miniatures wargame from Games Workshop, first published in 1987 and now on its eleventh edition. Its setting is a vast, decaying far-future galaxy where humanity clings to survival under a godlike Emperor, and that lore has grown into novels, video games, and a planned screen universe.
What the setting actually is
It’s the year 40,000-something, and things have gone badly. Humanity’s Imperium sprawls across a million worlds, ruled from Terra by an Emperor who’s been entombed on the Golden Throne for ten thousand years. He’s neither fully alive nor fully dead, and the empire he built is a brutal, superstitious theocracy that burns heretics and worships him as a god.
Beyond human space, the galaxy is crowded with hostile aliens and supernatural predators. War is constant, and the tagline says it plainly: in the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. That phrase is where the word grimdark comes from.
How the game and the story fit together
The wargame came first. You buy, build, and paint miniature soldiers and vehicles, then fight turn-based battles on a tabletop with dice and simple maths. Games Workshop’s publishing arm, Black Library, fills in the universe through novels, and spin-off games like Necromunda, Kill Team, and Battlefleet Gothic explore different scales of the same war.
There’s no strict canon hierarchy. Games Workshop treats almost everything ever published as true, told by unreliable narrators. That’s why fan wikis can feel contradictory, and it’s also why the setting has room to keep growing.
The major players
Those are the headline factions, but there are many more, from the T’au Empire to the Genestealer Cults. Each has its own army list, lore, and playstyle, which is a big part of why the game keeps people hooked for decades.
| Faction | What they are |
|---|---|
| Imperium of Man | Humanity’s decaying empire, held together by faith and the Adeptus Astartes (Space Marines) |
| Chaos | Warp-born gods and their mortal followers, including traitor Space Marines |
| Aeldari | Ancient, dying alien race with powerful psychic abilities |
| Orks | Brutal, war-loving greenskins who thrive on conflict |
| Necrons | Ancient robotic dynasties waking from millions of years of slumber |
| Tyranids | A ravenous hive-mind that devours whole planets |
Where to start if you’re curious
If you want the story, pick up a novel or a lore video before buying models. If you want the game, a starter box gives you two small armies, rules, and dice in one go. Either way, don’t try to learn everything at once. The setting is nearly forty years deep, and nobody absorbs it in a weekend.
- For lore: Black Library novels and the core rulebook’s background sections
- For play: a starter set, then expand one faction at a time
- For video games: Dawn of War, Space Marine 2, and Darktide are common entry points
Key facts
- Warhammer 40,000 launched in 1987 and is published by Games Workshop
- The current edition is the eleventh, released in 2026
- It’s the best-selling miniature wargame in the world
- The setting inspired the term grimdark, from its famous tagline
- Black Library publishes the tie-in novels; video games include Dawn of War and Space Marine 2
- A film and TV universe led by Henry Cavill is in development
FAQ
Is Warhammer 40k the same as Warhammer Fantasy?
No. They started as separate settings, though 40k was originally conceived as a sci-fi counterpart to the fantasy game. They share some themes but aren’t connected.
Do I need to paint miniatures to play?
Not strictly, but painting is a big part of the hobby. Most players field painted armies, and many enjoy the modelling side as much as the battles.
Where does the story begin?
There’s no single starting point. The 1987 Rogue Trader rulebook set the tone, and later novels and campaign books fill in the history of the Imperium and the Horus Heresy.