Top Warhammer 40k strategy games under a fiver in Steam Sale

The Steam Autumn sale is upon us, and that means bargains, bargains, bargains! Ahem. As gamers with utterly huge Steam backlogs, Wargamer urges caution when confronted with the scintillating value a Steam Sale offers – but we’ve found five classic Warhammer 40k strategy games that cost less than a footlong sub to tempt you.

Much of the list here is also found on our guide to the best Warhammer 40k games on PC and console, since so many adaptations of the Warhammer 40k setting are either turn-based or real time strategy games.

You’ll also find moderate discounts on both Warhammer 40k Darktide and Warhammer 40k Boltgun – both very much worth checking out – but the savings aren’t big enough to make this bargain-only list.

We’ve also compared the Steam prices against Fanatical, as it often has the same items on sale, sometimes at a superior discount.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War

Gladius: Relics of War is a 4X game that puts a massive emphasis on the eXterminate part. It’s extremely asymmetrical, with each faction having unique units, technologies, and economies – more like Endless Legend than Civilization.

The base game includes Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Orks, and Necrons, while DLC has added five more, and the villainous Drukhari are set to arrive soon.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Game of the Year Edition

The OG. The GOAT. The original, and (to some) the best, Warhammer 40k RTS. Not the first ever Warhammer 40k strategy game, but by a long distance the most influential; Dawn of War introduced thousands of new gamers to the world of Warhammer 40k.

A landmark game, supported by many excellent expansions, and a lively modding scene that’s active to this day – YouTuber Zade gives a retrospective in the video above.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Dawn of War II is an iconoclastic sequel, breaking with much of the identity of the original Dawn of War and RTS design in general. Base-building is gone, in favour of highly detailed unit-by-unit customisation, and a new focus on unit abilities. The video above by Indrid Casts shows you the multiplayer experience.

While Dawn of War II divided the fandom, many regard it as a high-point in the series. As with it’s older brother, it’s supported by several extensive expansion packs.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2

A colossal game about war on a colossal scale. Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is all about unimaginably huge star-faring vessels  blowing one another to burning wreckage in the uncaring void of space.

Three narrative campaigns follow the haughty Imperial Navy, the upstart Tau Empire, and the ravenous Tyranids, each of them with fully featured and distinctive campaign mechanics, and twelve Warhammer 40k factions are playable in multiplayer.

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus is one of the best games like XCOM: you control a team of Adeptus Mechanicus explorators in turn-based expeditions into a Necron tomb world, attempting to plunder its knowledge and secrets before its guardians awaken.

Though it can be a little easy on normal difficulty, the gameplay is great fun, the writing – by Warhammer 40k book author Ben Counter – is top notch, and the soundtrack is peerless.

Perhaps something from this list will distract you from the ache in your soul now that the Space Marine 2 release date has been pushed back?

If you fancy something a little more modern and don’t mind switching to fantasy, we heartily recommend Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin – but read our Realms of Ruin review first. We like how the game has streamlined many aspects of RTS design, but it will not be for everyone.