Warhammer 40,000 (also known as WH40K or 40K), is a British miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, the eleventh and current edition was released in June 2026. As in other miniature wargames, players enact battles using miniature models of warriors and fighting vehicles. The playing area is a tabletop model of a battlefield, comprising models of buildings, hills, trees, and other terrain features. Each player takes turns moving their model warriors around the battlefield and fighting their opponent's warriors. These fights are resolved using dice and simple arithmetic. Warhammer 40,000 is set in the distant future, where a stagnant human civilisation is beset by hostile aliens and supernatural creatures. The models in the game are a mixture of humans, aliens, and supernatural monsters wielding futuristic weaponry and supernatural powers. The fictional setting of the game has been developed through a large body of novels published by Black Library, Games Workshop's publishing division. Warhammer 40,000 was initially conceived as a sci-fi counterpart to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a medieval fantasy wargame also produced by Games Workshop. Warhammer Fantasy shares some themes and characters with Warhammer 40,000 but the two settings are independent of each other. The game has received widespread praise for the tone and depth of its setting, and is considered the foundational work of the grimdark genre of speculative fiction, the word grimdark itself derived from the series' tagline: "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war". Warhammer 40,000 has spawned many spin-off media. Games Workshop has produced a number of other tabletop or board games connected to the brand, including extrapolations of the mechanics and scale of the base game to simulate unique situations, as with Space Hulk, Necromunda, Kill Team, and other wargames simulating vastly different scales and aspects of warfare within the same fictional setting, as with Battlefleet Gothic, Adeptus Titanicus or Warhammer Epic. With a partnership with Fantasy Flight Games and later Cubicle 7, there was a line of Warhammer 40,000 Role-playing games. Video game spin-offs, such as Dawn of War, the Space Marine series, Darktide, the Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader role-playing video game, and others have been released. The setting has been adapted into film and animated productions, including the 2010 animated CGI movie Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie and a number of animated web series produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer+ streaming service.
Overview Note: The overview here refers to the 10th edition of the rules. The rulebooks and miniature models required to play Warhammer 40,000 are subject to copyright and sold exclusively by Games Workshop and its subsidiaries. These miniatures, in combination with other materials (dice, measuring tools, glue, paints, etc.), are generally more expensive than other tabletop games. A new player can expect to spend at least £200 to assemble enough materials for a regular game, and the armies that appear in tournaments can be many times more.
Miniature models
Games Workshop sells a large variety of gaming models for Warhammer 40,000, but no ready-to-play models. Rather, it sells boxes of model parts, which players are expected to assemble and paint themselves. Each miniature model represents an individual soldier, vehicle, or monster. Most Warhammer 40,000 models are made of polystyrene but certain models, which are made and sold in small volumes, are made of lead-free pewter or epoxy resin. Games Workshop also sells glue, tools, and acrylic paints for finishing models. The assembly and painting of the models is a major aspect of the hobby, and many customers of Games Workshop buy models simply to paint and display them. A player might spend weeks assembling and painting models before they have a playable army.
Playing field The current official rulebook recommends a table width of 44 inches (1.1 m), and table length varies based on the size of the armies being used (discussed below). In contrast to board games, Warhammer 40,000 does not have a fixed playing field. Players construct their own custom-made battlefield using modular terrain models. Games Workshop sells a variety of proprietary terrain models, but players often use generic or homemade ones. Unlike certain other miniature wargames such as BattleTech, Warhammer 40,000 does not use a grid system, so players must use a measuring tape to measure distances, which are measured in inches.
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