Dawn of War IV has decided it could use a little more time.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV has been delayed to December, moving the Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game out of an increasingly-crowded September release window. KING Art Games confirmed that Dawn of War IV will now launch on 3 December, with early access beginning on 30 November. The game was originally scheduled for 17 September.
The announcement was made on 12 August on Steam, with a video released on YouTube explaining the reason for the delay.
That original date would have dropped Dawn of War IV right into a September crush that includes Control Resonant, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Marvel’s Wolverine, The Blood of Dawnwalker, and Silent Hill: Townfall. Several major releases have ended up clustered in the month, seemingly avoiding the later release window around GTA VI.
Dawn of War IV is now getting out of the way of that rush entirely, although KING Art says the delay itself comes down to needing more time to act on feedback from its community playtests, fix bugs, and improve performance before launch.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV
Relase date: 3 December (Early Access: 30 November)
Platforms: PC via Steam
Developer: KING Art Games
Why was Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV delayed?
Game Director Jan Theysen said the team had also been looking forward to the September launch, but believes the additional development time will ultimately be worth the wait. "We've made the decision to move the launch to December 3rd," Theysen said in the video. “Like many of you, we were looking forward to playing the game in September, but we really believe this is the right decision, and the additional time will be worth it.”
The decision comes after multiple community playtests involving thousands of players, with feedback from those sessions helping KING Art shape Dawn of War IV throughout development. "We know from your feedback that the game feels right, and we captured what makes Dawn of War so special," Theysen explained. Rather than making larger changes to the game, KING Art is using the extra weeks to work more community feedback into the final release while fixing bugs, improving performance, and polishing the overall experience.
"We want to deliver a game that lives up to our ambitions and to your expectations," Theysen added. “We want to make sure that every player has the best possible experience from day one.” KING Art also plans to share more Battlefield Reports, gameplay, and deep dives into different parts of Dawn of War IV ahead of the new December release.
What is included in the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV Year One roadmap?
The delay has also shifted Dawn of War IV's post-launch schedule, with its free Year One content now set to begin in 2027. Crusade Mode and Map Pack 1 will arrive early next year, followed by Map Pack 2 and the Lord Ahmnok Last Stand Crusade in early spring. Map Pack 3 and the mission editor are planned after that, with Map Pack 4 and the Guzcutta Last Stand Crusade following in early summer.
The Year One roadmap also includes two paid releases. The Blood Ravens story prologue is scheduled for spring, while the Aftermath campaign expansion is coming in summer and will introduce a new faction. Theysen said the updated roadmap shows "how all our post launch content now lines up with the new launch date."
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV will now launch on 3 December, with early access beginning on 30 November.
