Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition
Game
Game2026
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II
Developer Bulwark Studios
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II is a turn-based tactics video game developed by Bulwark Studios and published by Kasedo Games. It is a sequel to the 2018 game, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, and was announced in May 2024. The game was released on 21 May 2026. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
426 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
47
Mixed
134 positive · 151 negative
95% range 41–53%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 134 | 151 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 19 | 1 | 86 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 14 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
899 of 1,670 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Split audience: some love the tactical depth, others mourn lost customization.
Many players appreciate the shift toward more tactical, difficult battles and streamlined progression, comparing it favorably to Darkest Dungeon 2. They argue the game improves on the first by removing monotony and offering a fresh experience. [3][6][9][12]
Critics strongly dislike the removal of tech-priest customization, free exploration, and the iconic soundtrack, calling the game linear and stripped of what made the original special. Performance issues and lack of player agency are also common complaints. [17][18][22][27][29]
Praised tactical depth · difficulty · streamlined battles
Criticised lost customization · linear campaign · poor performance · missing soundtrack
Summary drafted by an AI model from the 36 reactions it cites ([n] links open each post), then checked by code: every paragraph cites real posts and every quote is verbatim. Written Oct 8, 2026. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II sits at 47% positive across 285 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The PC version of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 50% of critics.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 426 · most liked firstFeels like they took the first game, took away everything that made it unique/fun, and called it a sequel. it lacks the fully customizable characters from the first game, the ability to freely navigate the tomb/map, as well as making all the missions a single linear story instead of a mostly open ended collection of missions you had to complete while racing against the clock the game is passable as a standard 40k turn based strategy game like all the others, but that's not what mechanicus 1…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →you sometimes forget just how much WW1 fucked up Britain until you, uh, look at any of their art, watch any of their shows, read any of their poems, or play a single game of Warhammer 40,000
neutral · AI labelView post →What happened? Im a big 40k fan and loved the first Mechanicus game. So when they announced the 2nd part, i was beyond excited. But now that i have played some houres, something just feels off. It does not recapture the athmosphere and flair of the first game at all. For some reason the developers have taken out all the defining parts, that made the first game so special. - The Soundtrack falls very flat compared to the first one and even sounds weirdly warped at times. I listened to both…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a fake game. The more I play the game the more its extrem linearity and complete lack of player agency is sucking any enjoyement I could have got out of it. It feels like the person in charge had as a personal goal to ensure the player had as little agency and control over the game as possible. The game LOOK like it will offer you a specific experience, but it's all for show, all to look good in a powerpoint presentation to an investor and in a trailer for the players. It's boredering…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Normally I would give a memey recommendation for this type of thing, but I figure I should explain a few things. The first and most obvious point is that this game is not Mechanicus, it doesn't play like Mechanicus. If I were to describe the jump I would say it feels a bit like going from Frostpunk to Frostpunk 2. A lot of the themeing is the same, but it's changed a lot. The biggest difference is that rather than a batch of several customizable tech priests you now control a single 'Leader'…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I have it an honest try, and no. I don't like this one and I can't recommend it. TL;DR - It gave up too much to add too little. The biggest problem with Mechanicus 2 (M2) is the name. Because it's a sequel, it's going to invite comparisons to Mechanicus 1 (M1). If this game were called "Warhammer 40,000: Cohort" or something, I would probably rate it much higher, but due to M2 having some pretty big shoes to fill following M1, it just doesn't compare. It makes me realize in hindsight…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To preface this review, I loved the first Mechanicus game and the varied challenges it presented while trying to complete all 100% of its achievements. I was ecstatic when I heard that Mechanicus 2 was coming out and that it was from the same studio. I was looking for more of the same kind of gameplay, with meaningful depth and upgrades. This was because, as a 40K and Warhammer fan in general, the games tend to be middling throughout the history of the franchise. To have a sequel to one of the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We ask for so little, and they delivered even less. Mission choice stripped out, mission route planning stripped out, tech-priest customization stripped out. This is not an improvement on the first game, and I would have been happier with a new campaign DLC instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like so many others, I trusted this game with the fate I had in the first one. I had also read the negative critics but I believed I could still find some enjoyment with this game. After completing the campaign, I can say this: it was a long, dull slog. The story is not interesting. The missions are repetitive, the units few. Everything feels... rushed. The third faction has like, three units. It's always the same maps. No real choices are to be made. It's all off balance, and the mask…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for March includes: 🛡️ Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 🏈 EA Sports Madden NFL 26 🃏 Persona 5 Royal 🩸 Blasphemous 2 …and more. The full lineup play.st/4rqomTq
neutral · AI labelView post →*PROGRESS CARRIES OVER FROM THE DEMO. REAL PLAYTIME IS ~2 HOURS* *I appreciate the dev response! I look forward to trying this game again when everything is worked out.* Refunding until performance issues are worked out. I can't get more than 40fps in game at 1440p with everything on Low or Off, with DLSS on Performance. I haven't played a 1.0 this unoptimized in a long time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR, most of the reviews are by people who didn't complete the tutorial (5ish hours)... but the game does give up more than it adds. Unless you're a massive fan of warhammer and/or the Necrons just go play the first game again. Ultimately Mechanicus 2 is almost the perfect idea for me. The Necrons and Ad Mech are some of my favorite factions in warhammer, and their dichotomy makes for some excellent narrative. I liked the game enough to beat the mechanicus, and am early on in a Necron…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is much worse than the previous one. It's unfortunate because I was very much looking forward to it ever since finishing the first one back when it came out. But there's just very little here to recommend over mechanicus one. it isn't even really "Mechanicus 1+" it is mechanically a different squad strategy game. - The Macro Layer is a lie I was so confused by this. From the trailers it looked like there would be an engaging macro layer. Maybe some kind of war to managed from the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mechanicus 2’s problem is the lack of player agency. This is supposed to be a tactical game, yet the campaign is so linear that you can’t even choose your own missions. What if I want to focus on upgrading my forges before chasing hero augments? The game constantly funnels you down a predefined path, more like a platformer than a strategy game. Add to that the softlocks, poor optimization, weak music, and underwhelming sound design, and the overall experience falls flat. Mechanicus 2 is a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wait for a performance patch, even with specs way above the recommended this game runs awful. 9-10 FPS on Max settings and an unstable 30-40 on everything set to low.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Happy Cirno Sunday! The current vibe is thinking about Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun! ngl Boltgun was a tough game 😤 the game was filled to the brim with thrilling combat, and the levels were fun to explore, it was an awesome game! I hope you have a wonderful day, I send love and positivity your way 💛☺️
positive · AI labelView post →introducing Warhammer Survivors, created by @aurochdigital.bsky.social using the official Vampire Survivors engine 🔥 get ready to see the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar universes together in a standalone game that's part of our official Survivors lineage! Coming 2026 😈
neutral · AI labelView post →It's like the first Mechanicus game, except without all the parts that made it enjoyable, such as the character customization, exploration, and an epic soundtrack. The fact that you have to buy the OST from the first game to get any kind of music to play in the sequel is telling; otherwise, you get mostly low ambient *boop*.....*beeeep*....*whrrrp* noise. Also, 35 FPS with a 5090. I have recited the Litany of Refunding to beg my PC's machine spirits for forgiveness for installing this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →(EDIT: AD MECH CAM REVIEW AT THE BOTTOM) I don't leave many reviews but this game is getting more flak than it should. if I hadn't played the demo of the game before the game had dropped, these comments would have made me second guess my purchase. I hope I can make this review as honest as I can. Firstly, I have biases to wargames, turn based games, hex games and strategy - Especially if there is RPG elements, like there is in this game. naturally this is a 10 out of 10 game for me.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game feels like someone killed your best friend and is wearing their face, pretending they're them.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Developers, please return the confirmation click to the movement commands in an option. Misclicks are ruinous now that we have to click enemies for tooltips so often. Mechanicus 2 is ridiculously worse than the original, which is intensely disappointing to me. Every feature changed or removed has made the game experience feel like a tedious, sloppy mess. The machine spirit of the original was nearly flushed away. But I hopped into the toilet bowl chasing after it anyway, my wife taking the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From the first minute I played the first Mechanicus game, I was drawn into the world of Warhammer 40,000. The music, the atmosphere, the gameplay. This game is my favorite game from this universe. I couldn't wait for the second one. I bought the game on the first day. I've already played it several times, but I can't get into it. I'm forcing myself to give it another try, but it's difficult. Everything that was great in the first game is gone. This game is simply weak. Weak gameplay, weak…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wish I knew exactly how they screwed this one up, because I can't even really put words to it. The original Mechanicus was deeply mechanically flawed in ways that trivialized its gameplay if you were even slightly observant, but by and large it was still extremely satisfying, moody and felt good. You wanted to play, you felt a rush when you devised a strategy that let you chain through action boosters and demolish the enemies in short order, it was fun unlocking new abilities and all the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall a negative review, if I could choose "mixed" I would. The good: The game still has above average turn-based strategy gameplay, it is exceptionally predictable compared to most of its peers, which allows for more complex, pixel-perfect strategies. The music and artwork are both fantastic, the writing is solid especially for a 40k game. The plot goes out of its way to highlight the mechanicus unique quirks and stupidity as a faction (in a good way!) The Bad: The game is extremely on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One thing I love about Warhammer 40,000 is that it always starts with playing a wonderful game, 'Who is Your Warlord and What Does He Do?'
positive · AI labelView post →Some of the worst Tooltip-Gore I've ever seen in anything. - You can't check Unit Types before you unlock them, so no idea if you prefer unlocking said Units or spend your resources somewhere else. - Some abilities literally dont show what they do. "Battleware Override" says it grants said override to your units... but doesnt say what it does. - One of the first upgrades you can buy is "Rush" for your Servitors. What does rush do? No idea. - Oh there is a glowy blue puddle on the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →there’s a sci fi game/expanded universe called Warhammer 40,000 where people called “blanks” have no soul and everyone else reacts to them with an instinctive disgust before they even know what they are. It’s probably the same feeling seeing people on here talk about their Claude prompts
neutral · AI labelView post →A sidegrade is praising this game. Its not even a sidegrade to the original game, it is just worse in every way. Leaders cannot die or you lose the battle and have to restart. You can't even meaningfully upgrade them to be tankier (At most you get +1hp and +1 defense) You cannot self-heal despite being able to in the first game. Flayers can do up to 6 dmg in a single attack, the average leader has 10-12. So you end up playing protect-the-president in every fight. This could be an…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Titles leaving Game Pass in 2 weeks: -Yakuza 3 & 4 Remastered -Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun -Maneater -GRIS -Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty -Space Engineers -Paw Patrol World
neutral · AI labelView post →The music — OH MY GOD, the music. Or rather: the lack of it. One of the main reasons I was even looking forward to the sequel was the announcement that Guillaume David would once again be composing the soundtrack. The OST of Mechanicus 1 was absolutely top-tier for me, atmospheric, unique and a huge part of what made the game so special. Honestly, it was probably the aspect I was most excited about. As for the gameplay, I thought: “It’ll probably be fine, how much can they really mess up?”…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First off, if you have not played the first title. Stop thinking about this game and go pick up that one instead right now. Now for the actual review. I'll start with the pros as there aren't that many unfortunately. I enjoyed the Necron campaign. The different lords (commanders) having preset army compositions and thus different specializations was interesting and I really enjoyed the customization that the relics and command protocols provided. As an Admech fan, I loved the inclusion of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After the first game, this is a bloddy disappointment. Pros: - music is fine - graphics is better and animations look sweet - many new weapons mechanics and special skills - definitely more complex combat - playing as Necrons is fun change after kicking their asses - added environmental destruction Cons: - plot is boring as hell - tomb exploration, THE MOST FUN MECHANIC FROM FIRST GAME, is completely gone - missions are completely linear - barely any choices, only one path - maps ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ suck…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (2023) is presently 60% off on Steam!
neutral · AI labelView post →We're excited to share the new artwork for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2🔥 Nyra takes takes centre stage alongside Malum on a battlefield of Chaos factions. Thank you @wire.xbox.com for revealing the new artwork, which was created by Johan Grenier who also made the original Boltgun art too!
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't usually do Steam reviews. Me writing one here should tell you a lot about just how painfully bad Mechanicus II is. We're talking Game of Thrones season 8 levels of, "How did you take something so good and mess it up THIS badly?" The first game was fantastic, genuinely one of the best Warhammer games period. Fantastic pacing makes it feel satisfying to learn the core mechanics and build your tech-priests into death machines. You can try out different classes, weapons and equipment to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Is it identical to the first game? No. The sequel is better in some ways, worse in others, but overall very very good. If all you liked about the first game was the tech priest customization, maybe you won't like this one, as the focus has shifted towards the troops, but I always loved the troops, and I'm loving the game! Be warned though, I also believe it is *much* more difficult. Not being able to spam out minmaxed techpriests that can tank tons of damage means you have to think a lot more…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To keep it short, this is not an awful game when it works. This is an aggressively mediocre game that must have had some pretty severe issues during development to leave it in its current state. Beyond all the technical faults, the biggest problem with Mechanicus II is that it simply doesn't have enough content to go around, and what stuff is there, looks and feels noticeably half baked. This is a game that can easily go over 40 hours of playtime with around 10 hours of actual content. You…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately I feel like this game is a significant downgrade from Mechanicus 1. The game plays in exactly the same way, so there has been near zero development time given to that. That in of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, as the original game was a tonne of fun. However the game mechanics were made to be as fun as they were (in my opinion) from the eventual customisation and building of a group of Tech Priests that could all be unique of one another. Learning how to maximise your…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000 Imperial Knight video game. Requires Steel Battalion controller
neutral · AI labelView post →Game is full of bad decisions. Everything that made first game great is abandoned. No more making your custom super soldiers, now there is extremely restrictive barely existent customization. Tech Priests don't speak the cool machine language, they still sometimes default to English even if you pick the halfassed toggle option they added. But worst part is story. It is abysmal. They do this stupid "Oh there is one story you experience it from different parts" we had a working system since ages…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Xbox Game Pass continues strong. • May 29 | Metaphor ReFantazio • June 10 | Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition • June 13 | The Alters • June 17 | FBC: Firebreak • June 17 | Lost in Random: The Eternal Dice • June 19 | Rematch
neutral · AI labelView post →To be honest, the optimization in this game is terrible. It turns my computer into a portable heater, something that neither Space Marine 2, Helldivers 2, nor Forza 6 can do so yeah
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Coming to Game Pass news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/0... Today -Avowed 2/20 -EA Sports F1 24 -Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (Standard) 2/25 -Watch Dogs: Legion (Standard)
neutral · AI labelView post →"I know for the sequel lets take every cool and defining element of the first game and throw it out and replace it with ♥♥♥♥♥♥ railroading and no choices or customization!" Seriously what the actual ♥♥♥♥? They removed unit customization, simplified your cohort customization in general, and removed the ability to chose your path on missions. AND just to spit in the face of making your forces your own, YOU CANT EVEN PICK WHAT LEADERS YOU HAVE ON A DEPLOYMENT! WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ IS WRONG WITH THESE…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Uninstalled after finishing Mechanicus campaign -Seem rushed to the finish line, atleast one skill on each hero does not work as intended or at all. -Maps are super cramped making 4 square enemies and your own units get stuck on bushes and small barricades, nothing speaks giant robot war machine more then being unable to pass a ankle high wall. -Map manegment is all fake, you get one critical mission and some side missions but game waits for you until u complete main mission so there are…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best Warhammer 40,000. The best Codex. The best game. #Warhammer40000
positive · AI labelView post →Everything great in the first game is gone. Missions are linear, customisation is gone. It's such a disappointment.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love how insanely board games stretch fictional time. We played this five hour game of Warhammer 40,000 (Kill Team). Epic, thrilling, full of suspense. My brother in christ, in reality it would be like 30 seconds.
positive · AI labelView post →THE GAME: Warhammer 40,000 is a squad-level minatures game, which means it is about moving little men across a table which represents part of a planet and pretending that the little men are shooting and punching each other. Jules Verne did this too, so it's intellectual
positive · AI labelView post →I really want to like this game, because the first game was so good, but there are a lot of issues (besides just the technical issues others are mentioning.) This game feels like a worse game than its predecessor, made with less passion than its predecessor, pitched as a sequel solely for the sake of making a sequel. The story feels a little more fleshed out, like they actually hired a writer this time, but that's just about the only improvement. -No techpriest customization -Lingua Technis…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really, really wanted to like this game, as I'd been hyped for it since the release trailer came out. If you like turn based strategy games, you'll probably have a reasonable time with this, but it will ultimately disappoint fans of the first game. THE GOOD: •Most, if not all, units have unique abilities that make each one valuable on the battlefield •Random access to units means that, as you unlock more units, you will have to vary your strategy •Focus on named Tech-Priest Leaders with…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a lesson to never purchase something before looking at reviews because the first game was very good. They dropped the ball on this one is so many ways.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best way to describe this is as a misdelivered pizza. If you are familiar with the experience of ordering pizza only to receive an incorrect order, then that's what explains the reception to this game. HOWEVER, that does not mean that the pizza is inherently bad. For instance, you may call the pizza place and ask them to send you another pizza, BUT secretly you WILL still eat the misdelivered pizza. Don't lie. You know why? Because it is still a good pizza. Mechanicus 2 suffers from…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First things first, this game is not Mechanicus 1. It has removed elements from the first game and added new ones. So if you're expecting the same experience as Mechanicus 1, you're not going to get it, but I don't mean that as a bad thing, since the developers have reinvented the game's formula and the new experience is really good. The roguelike elements from the first game and the Tech Priest customization have been replaced by a more immersive, linear story, with two different faction…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While not perfect and fully true to the spirit of the first game, Mechanicus 2 reminds me of Darkest Dungeon 2- a game heavily connected to the first game, but vastly different with many changes that make it a sidegrade instead of upgrade. Which is not really a bad thing itself, but you have to be prepared for it. Playing the beginning of the Necron campaign, I have to say that I dig the new upgrade system for them- more linear, focusing on equipping Relics and improving their cohort. This…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More about our next game, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy - store.steampowered.com/news/app/371...
neutral · AI labelView post →Honestly the game is fun, unfortunately you can get soft locked super easily, since auto-saves overwrite themselves. I lost ~6hrs of progress cause I went into a mission underequipped, and there is no way to abort or lower difficulty. So I'm just stuck.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here'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 →I'm not sure why the overworld map even exists, the game is seemingly entirely linear the exact same missions play out the exact same way every time. Difficulty spikes wildly through out a mission and can sometimes just throw an extra "last" battle at you, customization is unsatisfying. I wish I hadn't played it over the refund limit.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is $19.79 on Steam buff.ly/j37Ajyf $27.99 US PSN buff.ly/JBNcMVa PS5/XSX $29.99 Amazon amzn.to/3OKFmDl #ad Deck playable also on Game Pass Premium
neutral · AI labelView post →
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