Not many tabletop RPGs can boast the same long, fruitful life, consistently adoring player base, and reputation for reliable good times as Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Well, maybe that one, but since that one features no Skaven, it doesn't count. As addicted aficionados of both TTRPGs and Warhammer, we've covered WFRP quite a bit over the years, and with the game's fifth edition fast approaching, we thought we'd speak to Cubicle 7 about what fans can expect from this shiny new WFRP in 2026, the game's 40th birthday year. Turns out, it's a lot.
We've already strapped C7's CEO, Dominic McDowall, to a chair once this year, and extracted lots of tasty details about WFRP Fifth Edition. He describes it as a "continuation of the line, not a complete reboot" of the 4th edition rules first published in 2018: a careful polish-up with high grade sandpaper, not chainsaw surgery. So we needn't delve back into the nuts and bolts here. After all, a TTRPG releasing a new edition after almost a decade is hardly unusual.
What is unusual is a TTRPG that doesn't rhyme with Grungeons and Flagons even still being alive and kicking after four decades at the table. Let alone one still releasing shelf-fuls of new stuff exploring different areas of a world Games Workshop invented when Carter had just left the White House and Return of the Jedi was new in theaters. That's a much more exclusive club.
So we lassoed poor old Dom again, this time to explore what the next year in WFRP looks like. And, against the odds, 2026 genuinely seems like an enticing time to start throwing dice in Cubicle 7's grimy, dark fantasy World of Legend.
Looking ahead - stacks of new stuff coming
Given WFRP's advanced age, we were somewhat surprised by the sheer force behind Cubicle 7's drive to keep expanding it via 2026's fifth edition. McDowall calls it "the foundational, crucial first step in an exciting new era of content production and support for WFRP."
"We're declaring our commitment to the game," he adds, "guaranteeing a steady stream of new adventures, sourcebooks, and supplementary material that will enrich and expand the game setting for years to come." That's a chunky old promise, but as we talk through what the Dublin based publisher has in the works for next year, it doesn't seem much of an exaggeration.
New campaign - Go East!
First off, there's a whole new campaign coming out. For most TTRPGs, a 'campaign' means one book (or even just part of one) meant to support months of play; for WFRP it can mean a five book set that keeps your group occupied for literal years, as with well loved epic The Enemy Within. That saga rounded up in 2021, but McDowall tells us they've "got a few [new campaigns] in development", with the first inbound next year.
C7 is still keeping schtum about the story details for now, but McDowall assures us it "adds a load of new places, characters and opponents". Exploring the eastern reach of the Empire of Man (a region rarely visited in WFRP as yet), he says it's "a story we've been developing for the past few years, driven by a desire to explore more of the Empire and the world after the events of The Enemy Within. "There's yet more politicking between nobles," he promises, "as well as a greater threat to the Empire itself".
Per C7's usual release strategy, the campaign is paired with a brand new WFRP starter set, whose included adventure "serves as a fantastic prologue to the new campaign". But it's also, of course, "designed to allow players to immediately jump into adventuring with the updated system". Stepping away from the urban underworlds of the Imperial heartlands, it's set in Ostland, a "previously unexplored territory for WFRP fans" that's covered in dense forests, constantly threatened from within by famines, and from the north with incursions by Norscans and Chaos raiders.
That's your recommended first step into the new edition, it seems - whether you're a newbie, a fan returning from the early days of 4th, or an Old Hand from the previous editions stretching back to the 80s. But it's far from all we can expect out of C7 in 2026.
A Delivery of Druchii
A further three new sourcebooks are also on the way. The most unusual is certainly Temple of Spite, releasing in January. McDowall's inspiration on this one is crystal clear: "Dark Elves are cool, and we wanted to give GMs a load of ways to use them." We love to see it.
The insidious and merciless Druchii haven't featured much in WFRP so far, but this book places them center stage using one of the faction's coolest elements: their town sized, living warships, the Black Arks. "Most of the Dark Elves live a long way from the Empire," McDowall explains, "so we've lured a whole load of them into a Black Ark where they can menace players wherever they are!"
The titular Black Ark 'Temple of Spite' is abroad in the world, raiding, infiltrating, and generally doing Dark Deeds - which the players can get caught up in in various ways. "[The Arks'] mobility gives a GM lots of opportunities to deploy them directly," says McDowall, "as well as the ability to maintain networks of spies and saboteurs".
"If things go really badly, players could find themselves captured and brought aboard. Will they find an opportunity to escape before they become a victim of their captors' famed murderous cruelty?" The Dark Elves' dagger sharp internal politics are a feature, too, he says. "We've had great fun describing all the different factions within the Temple of Spite, how they work together where their interests align, but constantly scheme against each other all the while."
"No matter where your game takes place, the Temple of Spite's tendrils will find a way to entangle you."
Marienburg mischief
We're also getting a fully loaded, up to date sourcebook for Marienburg, the Old World's greatest port city and trade hub. "Marienburg is also one of the cities most documented in previous editions of the game," says McDowall, "so we wanted to bring the best of that together and update it, along with a load of fresh new material."
In what he calls "the most in-depth look at Marienburg presented to date", this book looks to offer a meaty lore resource for one of the Old World's most important city states. This sprawling metropolis, crisscrossed by innumerable canals and wharfs, is a remarkable cultural melting pot that's home to fabulously rich shipping barons and shadowy under-folks alike.
"It's a fantastic place to set adventures," McDowall says - and we can believe it. Seafaring gameplay can sometimes be a struggle in TTRPGs, but bustling port cities are as full of story hooks as fishhooks. Especially with the Druchii's pointed black sails on the horizon…
Prepare to get Wrecked
Finally, 2026 sees WFRP's very first setting book entirely focused on a "wilderness area": a full setting guide for Wreckers Point. In Total War, this name refers to a single coastal settlement at the northernmost tip of Nordland, the last light of civilization before the Chaos wasteland begins. But in WFRP, McDowall tells us the book will zoom out to explore a much broader region of "untamed borderland wilderness, ancient forests, and the deep sea coast".
"Adventures in Wreckers Point," he says, "explore the natural world as much as its small inhabited pockets", with ample opportunities to discover new "flora, fauna, hidden ruins, ancient secrets, and unique local cultures" that aren't found in the more developed cities and townships WFRP players may be used to.
Much of the 'meat and potatoes' of this new setting remains a mystery, but McDowall promises it'll be suffused with the "unsettling feeling of being out on the frontier in this isolated part of the Empire, with layers of secrets that reveal just how different it is, was, and may yet be". In our books, some of the most narratively satisfying RPG adventures are ones that take us to the very fringes of the known world and show us how people live and die there - think of Icewind Dale, for example - so this could well be a promising (if bleak) journey for WFRPers to make.
Looking back - eight years of backward compatible Warhammer goodness
So, there's some tasty new stuff coming out, some of which WFRP fans have been excitedly awaiting for some time. But that's only half of what makes 2026 a banner year to get into (or back into) WFRP; we have to look back as well as forward here.
With good reason, TTRPG players get worried when publishers announce a new edition, because it raises the terrifying question: what happens to my shelf full of books? Have you just bricked my entire collection with updated statlines, or balance changes that make dozens of favorite adventures unplayable without cumbersome maths and note taking?
Happily, not this time. Every single 4th edition WFRP book since 2018 is fully, directly compatible with the game's new 2026 edition, without the need for errata, rewrites, or tweaked stats. McDowall says there's "a small list of the places where there might be some confusion, and we'll keep those online to make sure people can access them".
But, unlike some wildly popular tabletop games we could mention, the rules' foundation stones, key facts and figures are staying put. "We've kept the names for game features the same, and the number ranges are the same," McDowall confirms, "so the changes are mostly to do with the specific ways the rules work".
That matters a lot. Existing fans aren't being forced to buy new stuff if they don't want to, of course. But, for new players, it means buying the RPG's fifth edition unlocks not just a handful of new books in 2026, but eight years' worth of tried and tested bangers.
That being the case, we asked McDowall and his team to call out and big up their favorite campaigns, settings, and adventures from the last eight years to create a 'WFRP's greatest hits' playlist for folks to try out. Every game has its hits and misses, after all - so you can see these six recommendations as the products Cubicle 7 reckons are the very best WFRP has to offer, going into its 40th year.
The all stars - don't leave home without them
1. The Ubersreik Saga (2018-2023)
"Starts in the Fourth Edition Starter Set and continues through the three-volume Ubersreik Adventures."
The long-running Ubersreik storyline is a mega popular adventure series that sprouted from Cubicle 7's launch storylines for 4th Edition, but now covers 15 separate adventures, organized into three volumes. It's now a diverse mix of political intrigues, criminal investigations, beast hunts, and more, all drenched in the Empire of Man's medieval European dark fantasy juices. Best of all, it's all modular, and can be played as one offs, short campaigns, long campaigns, modded, and tweaked to your heart's content.
2. Lustria (2023)
"Explore one of the deadliest parts of the setting - how long will you last?"
A departure from the standard human Empire fare of which Cubicle 7 seems very proud, the 2023 Lustria setting book takes you to the lush jungles of Warhammer Fantasy's famed New World (also, ironically, home to its oldest race, the Lizardmen). Here, everything wants to kill you, from poisonous plants to undead pirates, and your chances of survival are slim. But, as a great man once said: "never tell me the odds."
3. The Enemy Within (2019-2021)
"If you haven't already, get stuck into the Enemy Within - it really is one of those classics that everyone should play, trust us!"
The quintessential WFRP campaign. First released in 2012, Cubicle 7 has since revamped and remastered The Enemy Within from a single boxed set into five full books, packed with setting details, story, and adventures. Ask most WFRPers what you absolutely have to try, and this is what they say.
The hidden gems - less famous, but level up the game with tons of content
1. Altdorf: Crown of the Empire (2021)
"Heart of the Empire, Sigmar edition"
A 224-page companion to the capital city of the Empire of Man, its history, geography, politics, and major players, complete with detailed Altdorf maps, 45 named NPCs, and tons more valuable nerd capital. Especially useful for expanding out sections of The Enemy Within with homebrewed Altdorf side quests and stories.
2. Middenheim: City of the White Wolf (2020)
"Heart of the Empire, Ulric edition"
Another major city setting book, Middenheim covers the titular mountaintop fort city in detail, and will suit GMs who want a bit more nordic flavour mixed in with their germanic vibes. Also plugs nicely into other campaign books, especially because it adds new character options for Nordlanders, Midden-heimers and -landers, and worshippers of Ulric, the war, wolf, winter god.
3. Salzenmund: City of Salt and Silver (2022)
"Heart of the Empire, Theoderic Gausser edition"
Completing a trio of Empire cities with a new and different vibe once again, C7 recommends the Salzenmund book as offering a human setting that's a little less firm and fortified, and more a hotbed of commerce, crime, trade, and travel (although scheming nobles, arcane mysteries, and Chaos threats still abound, of course). Pairs very well with Lustria, as explorer parties heading to the New World often set sail from Salzenmund's docks.
So, that's your potential shopping list of Warhammer fantasy adventures for the new year, as chosen by the game's creators themselves. We're sure C7 would prefer you bought everything (and an extra copy of each book for your dog) but - feet to the fire - those are the ones they think will help you have the best possible time playing WFRP fifth edition.
Happy birthday, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay!
We wish we could share more about Cubicle 7's plans for WFRP in 2026, and when you can expect those shiny new books to hit shelves, but we've applied all our resident Witch Hunter's sharpest, hottest, most oddly shaped torture instruments to CEO Dom McDowall and he still refuses to divulge anything further.
Still, he says he and the team at C7 are fixed on "[bringing] a serious boost of fresh life and energy" into WFRP with fifth edition and the other slated releases in 2026. From what we've seen, if you decide to take the plunge on the new core book when it drops in the New Year, well, at the very least your group will have a feast of material, new and old, to chow down on.
The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Fifth Edition core book will be going up for pre-order via Cubicle 7's web store in early 2026, with the campaign and Starter Set coming later in the year.
Oh, and don't worry about that mention of Skaven right at the beginning, that was just a joke. The Skaven aren't real, everyone knows that. Sleep well, and a lovely, restful Mondstille to all!
If you want to chat WFRP, Warhammer, or anything else tabletop games over the holiday break (and maybe even find some party-mates to adventure with) come join the free Wargamer Discord community. We're loyal subjects of Sigmar, all. Well, mostly.