Kill Team is Warhammer 40,000 shrunk down to a handful of models a side. Instead of commanding whole units and tanks, you run a small squad where every fighter has a name, a job, and a decent chance of dying horribly. It’s faster and cheaper to get into than full 40k, and it’s a great way to actually care about individual models.
What kill team actually is
Kill Team is a skirmish game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A normal 40k battle is big armies with vehicles, characters, and whole squads moving as blocks. Kill Team flips that: you take a small group of soldiers, usually somewhere around half a dozen to a dozen models, and each one acts on its own.
That single change matters more than it sounds. Because you control models individually, every one gets a role, a bit of personality, and a story. Losing a fighter stings in a way that losing a random trooper from a 30-model unit never does.
- Small squad vs small squad, not army vs army
- You move and fight with individual models, not whole units
- Played on a mat with sculpted terrain for cover and climbing
- Custom measuring tools and dice handle movement and combat
How a game plays out
You pick a faction, build a kill team from it, and face another player’s team in a mission. Turns are alternating: you activate one model (or a few, depending on their rules), do its thing, then your opponent activates one. That back-and-forth keeps both players involved the whole time instead of waiting for a long turn to finish.
After a set number of rounds the game ends, and the mission objectives decide the winner. Shooting and melee both come down to dice. Terrain isn’t decoration either, since cover and verticality shape where you can safely move.
Why it matters to 40k fans
Kill Team is one of the cheapest and quickest ways into the 40k hobby. You don’t need a full army, you don’t need a huge table, and a game fits into an evening. It also uses the same model ranges as 40k, so anything you build for Kill Team can slot into a bigger force later.
Games Workshop has leaned into it too, releasing bespoke Kill Team boxes with models designed for the game. There’s also campaign play, where you string games together into a story and upgrade your fighters between battles, which is where the skirmish format really shines.
How it connects to 40k lore
Kill Team doesn’t invent its own setting. It sits inside the same grimdark galaxy as 40k: the Imperium of Man, the Emperor, the endless wars, all of it. The difference is scale and focus. Instead of a sweeping campaign, you’re following a tiny group of soldiers on one brutal mission.
That’s the appeal for a lot of players. The lore of 40k is about vast, uncaring forces, and Kill Team zooms in on the people caught inside them. Your squad’s story is small, personal, and usually ends badly, which fits the setting perfectly.
Key facts
- Kill Team is a Warhammer 40,000 skirmish game with small squads instead of full armies
- You control individual models rather than whole units, so each fighter has a distinct role
- Games use alternating activations, dice for combat, and terrain-heavy boards
- It shares the 40k universe and model ranges, making it a cheap entry point to the hobby
- Campaign rules let you carry a team through multiple linked games and upgrade them
FAQ
Do I need a full Warhammer 40k army to play Kill Team?
No. You only need a small team of models, which is part of why it’s a popular entry point. Many Kill Team fighters come from the same kits used in full 40k armies.
Is Kill Team the same as Warhammer 40,000?
They share a universe and model ranges, but the rules are separate. Kill Team is a skirmish game where you control individual models, while 40k is a larger battle game with whole units and vehicles.
Can you play Kill Team as a campaign?
Yes. Campaign rules let you link several games into one ongoing story and improve your fighters between battles, which gives your team a sense of progression.