Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
About the game
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a four-player co-op action game by Fatshark, the Swedish studio behind the Vermintide series, this time carrying its formula into the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000. You play a condemned conscript in the service of an Inquisitor — one of the rejects — thrown into the colossal hive city of Tertium to purge heretics and cultists. This isn't a hero-driven campaign shooter: you're the Imperium's disposable meat, and the game never lets you forget it.
Its beating heart is horde slaughter: weighty melee — blocks, shoves, dodges, hits that land with real force — fused with equally solid gunplay. The magic is in the blend and in coordination: the waves will overwhelm you if everyone goes their own way, and special enemies — snipers, hounds, gunners, mobs that grab and pin you — force the squad to cover and communicate. Reflexes matter here, but teamwork matters more.
Classes, weapons and progression
You pick from sharply different classes — the ranged Veteran, the melee-fanatic Zealot, the Psyker who boils heads with psychic powers, and the hulking Ogryn, a tank that plows through everything — with new operatives added by Fatshark over time. Between missions you progress by upgrading weapons and talents: each class has its own tree and feel, and much of the game's longevity lies in tuning a build and mastering a huge arsenal. Missions run at various difficulties, and the higher ones are a genuine test of coordination.
But its strongest suit is atmosphere. Darktide is one of the finest renderings of the 40k setting in any game: an oppressive, grimy, industrial hive with sound and art design that drag you deep into that hopeless future. The setting isn't dressing; it's part of what makes coming back worthwhile.
What you pay for and what you don't
Darktide is Buy to Play: you buy it once and there's no subscription. The standard edition runs about US$39.99 and the Imperial Edition about US$59.99 (it adds Aquilas and cosmetics). The key point: all gameplay content — missions, modes, enemies and events — arrives free for everyone; only some new classes are offered as optional paid DLC. Post-launch monetization is purely cosmetic: Aquilas are bought with real money and spent in the Mourningstar's shop (the Commodore's Vestures), whose stock rotates. There are no loot boxes and no pay-to-win. It's also frequently discounted and shows up in bundles with other Fatshark games and with Space Marine 2. You can check editions and prices on its Steam page.
Where it stands now
As of 2026, Darktide is alive and actively supported. It launched on PC on November 30, 2022, reached Xbox Series X|S in 2023 and PS5 on December 3, 2024. The launch was rocky — technical problems, weak progression, half-finished crafting — but a run of updates turned perception around, above all Unlocked and Loaded (September 2024), which rebuilt itemization around the Mastery and Power systems. It now sits at Mostly Positive on Steam across some 135,000 reviews, with recent reviews trending positive.
Fatshark keeps up a steady content cadence: the Havoc endgame mode, the Expeditions mode, regular events and new classes (Arbites and Hive Scum in 2025, Skitarii in 2026, with another announced for that year). The population stays healthy though it fluctuates: it peaked at around 56,000 concurrent players on Steam in mid-2026 and typically hovers near 15,000 not long after. You can start today without feeling like you missed the boat.
Who it's for
Darktide is built to be played in sessions with friends, run after run, rather than as a solo campaign: if you want a story with a beginning and an end, this isn't it. It shines when four people coordinate on high difficulties and the gunplay and melee feel second to none. The honest downsides: it's repetitive by design — you run similar missions to improve your build — the narrative is barely a frame, and while progression is vastly better than at launch, it still asks for hours. If you like demanding co-op shooters and the Warhammer 40,000 universe appeals to you even a little, it's among the best in its genre. If you'd rather play solo or expect a narrative campaign, look elsewhere.