Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III
Game
Game2009
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition (Classic)
Developer Relic Entertainment, Feral Interactive (Mac/Linux)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is a real-time tactics and tactical role-playing video game based on Games Workshop's fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. Dawn of War II was released in North America on February 19, 2009, and in Europe on February 20, 2009, with two expansions Chaos Rising… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
288 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
73
Fresh
177 positive · 67 negative
95% range 67–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 177 | 67 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 6 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
6,880 of 7,961 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
71% recommend · 158 yes, 64 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 222 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (12,274 of 14,019 positive).
Players praise the tactical squad-based gameplay and RPG progression, calling it a refreshing twist on RTS. [1][2][3] Some reviewers warn the game has compatibility issues on modern PCs, making it unplayable for some. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the lack of base-building and the high price for an old game. [7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Be warned, Dawn of War 2 is incompatible with some modern modern hardware. On my i9-14900KF and RTS 4080 SUPER the game won't launch at all. I've tried setting the game on administrator mode and various other system tweaks to no avail. The best I've gotten in a black screen. This is a VERY common issue found in the forums and there's a host of YouTube videos about this issue. The more modern your hardware, the worse …
- [1]
When I first purchased this game back in 2009, I didnt know what to make of it - it felt really jarring from what I experienced with DOW1 and its many expansions, which allowed you to build a base, do research and amass a large army to overpower your opponents. They scrubbed the entire base building/technology aspect and made it more tactical squad-based, more similar to XCOM, albeit in real-time. Your squad …
- [3]
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, takes a bold turn away from base building and focused on small-scale, squad based tactics. At first it feels strange compared to the orginal, but once it clics, it´s incredibly fun and intense. Pros: (+) Strong tactical gameplay with focus on squads and abilities (+) No base building = faster, more action focused matches (+) RPG style progression and gear system in the campaign (+) …
- [2]
I don't normally weigh in, but seeing the mixed reviews on this game is prompting me to jump in. DoW II is such a breath of fresh air, if you're expecting a standard 4x type rts you're going to be disappointed. If you come in expecting an rpg flavored squad based (like company of heroes) type game, you're going to really enjoy it. I love the leveling up, gear upgrades, squad selection before missions, the whole game …
- [9]
Started with four Space Marines. Apparently that's enough to save an entire planet. The gameplay is different from the first Dawn of War. Less base building, more tactical combat. Take cover. Flank the enemy. Use abilities. Blow something up. Then repeat until the Emperor is satisfied. The campaign is basically four heavily armed men solving every problem by shooting it. Need to clear a building? Shoot it. Need to …
Summarised from 26 of the 222 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
71% of the 222 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition (Classic). The complaint that keeps coming up: no base-building or large armies like Dawn of War 1. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Dawn of War II has received a highly positive reception, scoring an average of 85% on Metacritic. Most reviewers have praised it for its fast-paced tactical gameplay and impressive graphics, while criticizing its small number of multiplayer maps, and lack of variety in single-player campaign missions. GameSpy praised its removal of base building and its "seemingly unlikely hybrid" of real-time strategy and role-playing genres. However it did criticise the single player campaign that having the missions occurring on the same maps "make[s] the missions feel pretty same-y by the end of the campaign." Criticism was also aimed at the use of the Tyranids in the game as "actually fighting them…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 288 · most liked firstHere's a quick list of recently released and upcoming games developed/published by them: > - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 > - Exploding Kittens VR > - A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead > - MudRunner VR > - Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered > - RoadCraft > - World War Z VR > - The Knightling > - Docked > - John Carpenter's Toxic Commando > - Bus Bound > - Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival > - Road Kings > - Hitman Classic Trilogy Remastered > - Jurassic Park Survival > - Rails of Fury: Train…
neutral · AI labelView post →Love this game and decided to look at the store page for it. I've got to say.... $50 for a game that was released in 2009? For a digital copy? How do you justify that? It's truly ridiculous.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Total War: Warhammer 40,000 wins best PC game at Gamescom.
neutral · AI labelView post →Be warned, Dawn of War 2 is incompatible with some modern modern hardware. On my i9-14900KF and RTS 4080 SUPER the game won't launch at all. I've tried setting the game on administrator mode and various other system tweaks to no avail. The best I've gotten in a black screen. This is a VERY common issue found in the forums and there's a host of YouTube videos about this issue. The more modern your hardware, the worse it seems to get. There's a 3rd party patch that may fix this issue but I'm…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's been one week since launch and we've just hit overwhelmingly positive on Steam 🎉 A big thank you to everyone who's played and reviewed Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 so far! We're so happy to see the tremendous response from our community.
neutral · AI labelView post →Ep. 465 - It’s Not Called Peacehammer Only the Insert Credit panel could cover the fan response to Bioware’s closure, explain all of Warhammer 40,000 in six minutes, and design a Nathan Fielder video game. insertcredit.com/show/465
neutral · AI labelView post →As usual i cannot recommend getting this unless you already purchased the previous version and got this one for free. If you have a newer PC the game will most likely not work. and if youre playing on higher resolutions, some of the menu UI elements will be outright broken/obscured behind black bars (goes especially for Ultrawide monitors and such) There are ways to potentially get this game working, as i have, luckily for me it was a simple dll file i had to add due to me having a 32 core…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who else is playing this in anticipation of IV? Good game btw, even tho it's old.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Use to play it and the epxansions all the time when they originally came out. Recently reinstalled to play the campaigns again and it doesn't work. Whatever they've done for the Anniversary Edition has broken the game for modern PCs
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's not a bad game, but as someone that finally found a RTS that liked on DoW 1, this game is disappointing: -No basebuilding -No army -No ingame cutscenes, and the ones here are barely animated -Just you and other 3 heroes. Feels more like that you're playing XCOM -Loot with level and rarity -Boss fights, and they suck -The maps keep repeating with those random defense missions with time limit -Lots of bugs, like one of my heroes simply not moving anymore during a mission Chaos Rising was a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Read this before buying or installing if you already bought it: The truth is though the game will not work on modern pc's and no fix on the internet helped me to start the game, and yet this game is still being SOLD in the store... I had it for years and now I cannot play it, current owners and steam have idgaf attitude. Anyways do not buy it unless you have old pc. PS: GOG version somehow has no problem for me and I can play it without troubles.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I first purchased this game back in 2009, I didnt know what to make of it - it felt really jarring from what I experienced with DOW1 and its many expansions, which allowed you to build a base, do research and amass a large army to overpower your opponents. They scrubbed the entire base building/technology aspect and made it more tactical squad-based, more similar to XCOM, albeit in real-time. Your squad commanders/elites earn XP and level up, which allow you to spec into various percs…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →> It’s been the biggest mystery of the year: What video game publisher will have the guts to go up against Grand Theft Auto this November? An empty fall release date schedule left some major questions as players waited to see where anticipated games like Marvel’s Wolverine and Control Resonant would land. After today’s PlayStation State of Play, we finally have our answer to that question: No one. November remains wide open for GTA 6 as it appears that every major holiday video game will…
neutral · AI labelView post →Maybe, just *maybe,* I use a lighter to light half a dozen candles, so I can get to the right headspace to play Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader?
neutral · AI labelView post →Sorry, I saw an opportunity to sing the praises of crunchy hand-made shootbang software Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and had to take it. It's a beautiful game filled with real voice acting that periodically breaks for inscrutable reasons that always have this distinct human-error flavor to them.
positive · AI labelView post →THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE RETRIBUTION! This product is deceptively named as there is no packaged version for Dawn of War 2 which includes all expansions. If you buy this, you will not be able to play as the Imperial Guard. If you want to play with all content for this game it is best to just get the latest one: Dawn of War II Retribution.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This Review is for anyone looking for the Retribution DLC in the anniversary edition or having issues playing on a modern PC. This is what I have found that works for both DoW 1&2.( Check my DoW review for help with that one as it has way more issues to actually run) To play the DLC you have to install it as a total separate game (Specifically Retribution as Chaos Rising is somehow in the anniversary edition). I have no idea why it doesn't show up when you run the anniversary edition. You have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, takes a bold turn away from base building and focused on small-scale, squad based tactics. At first it feels strange compared to the orginal, but once it clics, it´s incredibly fun and intense. Pros: (+) Strong tactical gameplay with focus on squads and abilities (+) No base building = faster, more action focused matches (+) RPG style progression and gear system in the campaign (+) Great co-op campaign experiance (+) Excellent voice acting and atmosphere…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't normally weigh in, but seeing the mixed reviews on this game is prompting me to jump in. DoW II is such a breath of fresh air, if you're expecting a standard 4x type rts you're going to be disappointed. If you come in expecting an rpg flavored squad based (like company of heroes) type game, you're going to really enjoy it. I love the leveling up, gear upgrades, squad selection before missions, the whole game just scratches an itch I never knew I had. One of my top 5 games, for sure.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite a great choice if you’ve always wanted to try RTS games but found most of them too overwhelming. The pace here is leagues slower than something like Starcraft. Since you only control a few squads with their abilities, it feels much more manageable - closer to Real Time Tactics than a pure RTS. The retreat mechanic is genuinely unique, haven’t really seen anything like it in other rts. The campaign also includes a system with loot accuisition reminiscent of Diablo, which adds a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love Dawn of War 1 Hate this one It's so insanely slow There's some good ideas, yes, but the lack of races, unit diversity and the insane slow pace of the game make it unplayable for me edit : I learned you can accelerate a game using cheat engine. After just a tiny bit of testing, the game is so so much better now. I will give a final review after more testing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New review up on YouTube! @bigfangames.com sent me a code for @aurochdigital.bsky.social's Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2! I was a big fan of the first Boltgun, and Boltgun 2 builds on the original's already great foundation! Find out more in my latest video: youtu.be/gbb2brYMmJw?...
neutral · AI labelView post →It took me three separate attempts to get into this game. I bought it back in 2018 because people kept comparing it to Company of Heroes. Let me be very clear: This game is not Company of Heroes. If you go in expecting base-building, traditional RTS pacing, or wide battlefields, you will walk away frustrated like I did. Twice. I also came in with zero knowledge of Warhammer 40K, and I can confidently say: This is not a gateway into 40K lore. The game assumes you already understand…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II (2026) Pretty much fixed every complaint that I had with the first game. Great sense of scale, greater enemy and level variety, two different play styles, and a boss track composed by Mick Gordon. What's not to love? 5/5
positive · AI labelView post →Not sure why there are a lot of reviews saying this doesn't work etc. Works just fine so far on my laptop. People mention getting kicked to the Main Menu but I have no issues, I've even closed my laptop to go into sleep mode and come back to finish missions. There is a message saying I am offline and cloud sync isn't enabled until I close the game and reload, which is fine as long as I complete the mission then save & exit game. Runs fine, looks good, no issues on and offline.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game no longer launches on my latest PC. I don't think a game that doesn't work with the latest software and hardware should be available on the steam store. Purchase at your own risk.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, Hammer of Tertium is available now from @cubicle7games.bsky.social Get it here: tinyurl.com/yrtda9sx Packed with new Archetypes and Talents that let you bring your Characters from the Darktide video game to your roleplaying adventures. #ttrpg #warhammer40k
neutral · AI labelView post →Purchased Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition (Classic) but it does not start. Throws up a crash report. Very sad they released a game which does not run!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a masterpiece of an era that loved games as much as we do. writing 10/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Orcs: GET OFF MY SHIP SPACE MARINE/10 Extra: ♥♥♥♥ the eldar/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just buy DOW 1 unless you are partial to more hero and squad oriented RTS games. I came into this game with expectations of DOW 1 which did effect my enjoyment of the game even as I tried to adjust expectations, since it switches from an army oriented RTS to focusing on heroes and squad tactics which became tedious to micromanage as it relies on you using abilities to get through encounters. I cant even label this as a possible upside for helping tell a more linear story since the first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deep Silver has uploaded new footage for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, providing the most coverage of its gameplay yet, with details on its campaign, game modes, multiplayer, and more.
neutral · AI labelView post →A bit steep to repackage this at $50 considering this game is almost old enough to drink in Europe, but that doesn't detract from it being a good game. You'll get three products with this in your steam library: DoW 2, Chaos Rising, and Retribution. Be aware Retribution must be launched separately to access its content (including the Imperial Guard). That aside, this is a fun twist on the RTS genre that takes a lot from games like Company of Heroes (same developer) and some RPG inspiration.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Two games actually. Biggest Warhammer 40k titels this year, at least one is. [Dawn of war 4](https://youtu.be/lAPm8fIy5mg), planned release date 17.sept 2026. Hopefully a good successor to DOW 1 and 2. Though odd that they skipped 3. Second one is [Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000](https://youtu.be/QeCItSg-wmI) unknown release date as of yet. It's total war game with 40k skin, not much more needed for a good game.
neutral · AI labelView post →Does not start Maybe a Problem with Windows 11 or my CPU Tried all workarounds but nothing works and Publisher/Developer does not care.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000 for me. I haven’t painted or purchased a model in decades but I still love looking at the new releases. I still play the video games here and there though
neutral · AI labelView post →Can't even open the game - just immediately goes into 'fail to respond' and the game never opens, locks up my whole PC until I shut it down again in task manager
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Seems like a fun game at first but there are zero options for altering controls. So you get a guy with abilities that trigger with Q W and E but they are put in the order of Q E W. You get two guys with the same ability, but on one of them it's Q and one it's E to trigger. It adds so much unnecessary confusion which would be easily avoidable if you were allowed to adjust the keyboard hotkeys. They game expects you to be able to react almost instantaneously to changes, but gives you no help with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've played the original DOW2 back when it was first released, and it was my first introduction to the WH40k universe. Now, I still consider the original DOW2 campaign with Anniversary Edition improvements to be the most fun campaign of DOW2, combining the tactical gameplay with the light strategic choices between the story and the time-limited optional missions. I also still see it as one of the better introductions to the Warhammer 40000 universe, presenting the lore of the factions…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →**Explanation:** In the popular tabletop game Warhammer 40,000, many creatures of the bug-aliens of the 'Tyranids' are given Latin names or titles to reflect their positions. Mostly they eat things, though. Here, they finally do their actual jobs!
neutral · AI labelView post →I not too long ago, like a year or so ago became a fanatic about Warhammer and i definitely will be there the day it finally get's on the big screen if done the right way. But i never thought i actually would be into RTS games but because of Dawn of War it's become another favorite game genre of mine. While having become one of my favorite games of all time, definitely finding a physical copy for this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really Different from the first series of games, but in a good way. You don't control a base anymore, just squads, but the squads level up. I don't know why I never played this until now, but I'm glad I bought it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I previewed Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 for @polygon.com! It not only is shaping up to be one of the best Warhammer games yet, but I also think it's exactly the kind of AAA game the RTS genre needs right now: www.polygon.com/dawn-of-war-...
positive · AI labelView post →Huge thank yous to @bigfangames.com for providing me with a key for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 💜 I can't wait to dive into the game right now, live on stream (link in bio)! And you guys should check it out too! Which you can here: devolver.link/bg2
neutral · AI labelView post →Started with four Space Marines. Apparently that's enough to save an entire planet. The gameplay is different from the first Dawn of War. Less base building, more tactical combat. Take cover. Flank the enemy. Use abilities. Blow something up. Then repeat until the Emperor is satisfied. The campaign is basically four heavily armed men solving every problem by shooting it. Need to clear a building? Shoot it. Need to stop an Ork horde? Shoot them. Need to destroy a tank? Shoot it with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unlike many other RTS games of the time, I genuinely believe that this game has only gotten better with age. This game is much slower paced than most other RTS games, allowing me precious moments to read what's happening on the battlefield and react accordingly. Not only that but I do really appreciate the different approach this game offers to how units are managed. The result makes it feel like it's more of a real time tactical strategy game with ARPG elements. As a fan of both tactics and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not like the earlier games. Not fun at all.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Use Chaos Rising. This version will constantly kick you to the main menu while you play because it wants to be connected to the internet 100% of the time. Even alt-tabbing can break this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →bought game hated game immeditly. while later tried again and low and behold i felt something. so completed another mission and started enjoying it. still wishing it was like first one rts. but beggers cant be......well now adays they are
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shame! Was just starting to have fun on the campaign when I came up against a game breaking bug - the interface on the squad deployment screen doesn't work on wide screen monitors! All I wanted to do was select my jumpy boys for the Eldar mission. WAAAAGGGH!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even after all these years the game still suffers from graphic issues. No matter what I do I cannot play the game on medium, high or ultra settings at all. Despite having more than the required specs to run the game. The game refuses to change graphics from low to medium, high, or ultra. It is forever stuck on low settings no matter what I do.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is incredible. I hope the fourth installment is similar... because we don't talk about the third one.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game for its age. Story is top notch. RPG elements make you wanna try different combinations and tactics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →horribly broken on newer pcs, the stuff ive tried as workarounds for it to still not work is ridiculous, would love to see this updated or a version like DoW enhanced.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun and engaging. The storyline is good and being able to unlock new charcters and upgrade them makes it even funner
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This absolute garbage ass trash rerelease! Can't even get it to run because it locks up the graphics on start up. Guess what works just fine... The original,
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →10 years ago, this game was peak. 10 years later, still peak lol. Am playing this because I am playing SM 2 and I forgot what this game was about Back then I didnt know wtf Im playing but now, at least I know what is what. That said, there are some game breaking bugs that makes your controls buggy. Overall 8/10 game. Its fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game will not launch and locks up my PC, windows 11. It's insane the game can be sold in this state without any testing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hard-locks my machine at launch, and the best help I could find was "download this file." No thanks. I'll just wait for DoW4.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best DoW. Period.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Missions done well and a story to go with it , good details to the warhammer franchise . units can customized and boosted and two coop campains
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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