What's the best Warhammer 40k starter set to get in 2026? In this guide, we'll explain the differences between all the current Warhammer 40,000 starter sets from Games Workshop, comparing their prices, value, and contents to recommend which set is right for you.
If you're getting into the game, our guides to the Warhammer 40k factions will teach you more about the lore of each army, and what they offer on the tabletop.
For now, though, let's explore which Warhammer 40k starter set is ideal first step into the game. Some let you dip your toes into the shallow end of the hobby, others are more of a 'dive in head first' deal - it just depends on what you want to do, and what your budget is.
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Warhammer 40k Starter Set
The best 'all-rounder' starter set.
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US: Games Workshop Warhammer 40K 2023 Starter Game Set / UK: Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000: Starter SetWidget Style: simplified
| Tyranid models | 27 |
| Space Marine models | 12 |
| Other notable contents | None |
- Contains two fun starter armies
- A manageable hobby project for first-timers
- No hobby supplies or paints included
- Included armies are too small to play Combat Patrol
The Warhammer 40k starter set costs $110 (£65) and provides two small armies for the Tyranids and Space Marines, as well as dice, measuring ruler, the game's core rules, a cardboard gaming board, and a handbook. It contains these 39 models:
- Space Marine Infernus marines x 5
- Space Marine terminators x 5
- Space Marine terminator teleport homer beacon x1
- Space Marine terminator captain x 1
- Tyranid termagants x 20
- Tyranid ripper swarm x 2
- Tyranid Von Ryman's Leapers x 3
- Tryanid Psychovore x 1
- Tyranid Winged Tyranid Prime x 1
These two forces will let you play a satisfying game. Each force can also be expanded into a "Combat Patrol" by purchasing one additional model box, a game mode that uses fixed armies and is designed to be quick and satisfying to play.
Warhammer 40k Introductory Set
Perfect for trying out the hobby. Today's best deals 
US: Warhammer 40,000: Introductory Set / UK: Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000: Introductory SetWidget Style: simplified
| Tyranid models | 11 |
| Space Marine models | 5 |
| Other notable contents | Paints and tools needed to construct and paint the models |
- Comes with tools and paints to get started
- Lets you test out both modeling and gaming
- A self-contained hobby project
- Included brush is low quality
- Modest selection of models
The Warhammer 40k Introductory set is a low-cost way to get started with the hobby. Inside, you get five paints a brush, model clippers, dice, 16 models, and a handbook.
The tools included in this set are intended to get new hobbyists building and painting miniatures right out of the box. This makes it a self-contained product, unlike the other starter sets. The brush is very basic, which won't matter for younger kids still developing hand-eye coordination, but teens and adults may find their painting experience hindered by the tool.
Introductory rules also let you get a feel for the game. The low number of models means you won't have much gameplay variety, so this is a basic demo of Warhammer 40k - a good way to dip your toes, but not the full experience.
Available only in official Warhammer stores, there is also Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2: Recruit Edition. This has all the same contents, but replaces the five Infernus marines with a single model of Lieutenant Titus, the hero of Space Marine 2.
Warhammer 40k Ultimate Starter Set
Two starter armies and scenery. Today's best deals 
US: Warhammer 40K Ultimate Starter Set / UK: Games Workshop - Warhammer 40,000: Ultimate Starter SetWidget Style: simplified
| Tryanid models | 32 |
| Space Marine models | 13 |
| Other notable contents | Wargames terrain |
- Contains two full Combat Patrol forces
- Comes with plastic gaming terrain to battle over
- A huge project for a first time hobbyist
- No included tools or paints
The Warhammer 40k Ultimate Starter Set is the one to get if you're ready to go all in on the hobby. At over $200 (£100), it has two full combat patrol armies of Tyranids and Space Marines, as well as dice, a measuring ruler, the game's core rules, a handbook, two cardboard gaming mats, and a set of wargames terrain for your forces to battle over.
Warhammer 40k Paints and Tools set
The best for starting to paint Today's best deals 
US: Warhammer 40K Paints and Tools Set / UK: Warhammer 40,000: Paints and Tools SetWidget Style: full
| Paints | 13 |
| Tools | 3 |
| Other notable contents | No sharp blades |
- The best value bundle for Games Workshop paints
- Paints selected to work with Space Marines and Tyranids
- You can get cheaper starter sets from other paint manufacturers
- The paintbrush is very basic
- Paint sold separately
The Warhammer 40k paints and tools set is a great one-stop shop to enable a new hobbyist to build and paint the miniatures from any of the Warhammer 40k starter sets. It contains:
- Clippers
- A mould line scraper tool
- Citadel paintbrush
- Corax White base paint
- Wraithbone base paint
- Leadbelcher base paint
- Abaddon Black base paint
- Bugman's Glow base paint
- Mephiston Red base paint
- Balthasar Gold base paint
- Macragge Blue base paint
- Naggaroth Night base paint
- Armageddon Dust technical paint
- Agrax Earthshade shade paint
- Thunderhawk blue layer paint
- Magos purple contrast paint
It's a selection intended to work well with the models in the other Warhammer 40k starter sets. Clippers can remove models from sprues, and while the mould line remover is not as effective for tidying up mould lines as a hobby knife, it does mean you can buy this pack as a gift without worrying about handing someone a blade!
There's no model glue, which isn't a problem with the clip together models in the 40k starter sets, but you will need to buy some polystyrene cement separately before you can build any other kits.
The included paintbrush is acceptable, but if you want to really enjoy painting, we do recommend you look for a better brush - see our guide to the best miniature paintbrushes for some recommendations.
There are other brands of paints for miniatures, most of which are cheaper than Games Workshop's Citadel Colour Paints. But they are good, reliable paints, and nobody else provides as many painting tutorial videos.
Warhammer 40k 11th edition starter set
A new edition of Warhammer 40k is going to release in the summer of 2026, most likely in mid June. GW has already revealed a lot of what's coming in the Warhammer 40k 11th edition launch box set, Armageddon - with exciting new miniatures for the Space Marines and the alien Orks.
In most ways, it's much like its predecessor launch boxes, with a plastic mountain of 61 new minis, plus their rules datasheet cards. But there's a shift here: instead of bundling in the massive, hardback core rulebook, Armageddon only has a compact softback rules booklet, plus a dedicated lore book for "Operation Imperator", the huge anti-Ork offensive at the center of the 11th Edition launch storyline.
We're also getting two decks of mission cards: the official 'Chapter Approved' mission deck that'll be used in tournaments through to the end of 2027, and a new Dominus Narrative Campaign deck, for playing story focused games. As expected, that little lot makes Armageddon a superb two player starter set for new players, if you can snaffle a copy. It won't be the last chance, though - we can expect new 11th edition versions of the current big, medium, and small starter sets to arrive, with various combos of the same new Space Marine and Ork models.
Games Workshop never reveals the order of Warhammer 40k Codex releases very far in advance but as Space Marines and Orks are the two armies in the new launch box set, they'll get the first new army books - so even if you pick up one of the outgoing 10th edition starter sets because you like the minis, don't grab either of those Codexes..
Past Warhammer 40k starter sets
These are the past Warhammer 40k starter sets from previous editions of the game. Every Warhammer player feels nostalgic for the first starter set they ever opened!
Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader starter set
There was no Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader starter set! Released in 1987, the very first edition of Warhammer 40k came before Games Workshop started making game-in-a-box wargames. The first such product was Adeptus Titanicus, which launched in 1988
Warhammer 40k second edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k Second Edition starter set featured iconic cover art by John Blanche, depicting Blood Angels Space Marines facing off against hordes of Orks. In fact it's the inspiration for the 11th edition Armageddon launch box set!
The second edition box contained 20 monopose Space Marines, 20 monopose Orks, 40 monopose Gretchin, and a cardboard Ork dreadnought standee (now called a Deffdread). The rules were split into three softback rulebooks, and the box contained a tidal wave of cardboard tokens, data cards, and cardboard terrain.
Warhammer 40k third edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k third edition starter set once again used John Blanche cover art, this time a montage of Black Templars space marines. The models included were 10 multipart Space Marines, a Space Marine Land Speeder, 20 Dark Eldar raiders, and terrain. This box introduced the see-through blast and flamer templates still used today, and consolidated all the rules into a single softback rulebook.
Warhammer 40k fourth edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k fourth edition starter set was the first named starter set, 'Battle for Macragge', and even had a matching narrative about the Tyranid invasion of the Ultramarines homeworld.
The box contained monopose figures once again: 10 Space Marines, 10 Tyranid termagants, six Tyranid genestealers, eight Tyranid spore mines, a stranded Imperial navy pilot, and terrain representing his crashed Aquila shuttle. The rules were shrunk into a digest A5 format.
Warhammer 40k fifth edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k fifth edition starter set was 'Assault on Black Reach', pitting the Orks against the Ultramarines. The box contained complete (if small) armies for the first time: 10 Space Marine tactical marines, a Space Marine captain, a Space Marine Dreadnought, against 20 Ork Boyz, five Ork Nobz, an Ork Warboss, and three Ork Deffkoptas.
Warhammer 40k sixth edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k sixth edition starter set was 'Dark Vengeance'. This box again featured two armies, the Dark Angels and the Chaos Space Marines. The Dark Angels force contained 10 Space Marine tactical marines, five Deathwing terminators, three Ravenwing bikers, a Librarian, and a Captain, while the Chaos Space Marines fielded a Helbrute, six Chaos Chosen, twenty Chaos Cultists, and a Chaos Lord. The first wave of the box also contained a Dark Angels Interrogator Chaplain.
Warhammer 40k seventh edition starter set
The Warhammer 40k seventh edition starter set was also 'Dark Vengeance', with the same miniatures as the sixth edition box set but updated rules.
Warhammer 40k eighth edition starter set
The first Warhammer 40k eighth edition starter set was Dark Imperium. This contained two sizeable armies, one introducing the Primaris Space Marines, and the other launching a new range of Death Guard. It also contained a hardback rulebook.
Two smaller starter sets were also sold, First Strike, which had a handful of models and basic getting started rules, and Know No Fear, which had about half the models of Dark Imperium and a slightly more involved beginners rulebook.
Warhammer 40k ninth edition starter sets
There were four Warhammer 40k ninth edition starter sets in total, starting with the limited edition launch box set Indomitus. This introduced two large armies of monopose figures, expanding the Primaris Space Marines range and launching a refreshed Necrons line. It also contained a full hardback rulebook.
The launch box set was followed by three tiers of starter set: Recruit edition, which had very basic rules and a few miniatures; Elite edition, which had more substantial armies for both sides; and Command edition, which had the same models as Elite edition but added a full rulebook and gaming terrain.
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