I didn’t expect to love Space Marine 2.
I’m a Warhammer 40K fanatic. I’ve obsessed over the lore for years and run multiple 40K gaming websites including 40kgames.com and GrimdarkFuture.tv. I played some of the original Space Marine in 2011 but didn’t finish it—third-person shooters aren’t usually my genre. When Space Marine 2 launched in September 2024, I assumed it would be another competent but unremarkable entry in Games Workshop’s long history of mediocre digital adaptations. I was spectacularly wrong. Space Marine 2 is amazeballs. More importantly, it’s the first game in 40K’s chequered digital history that makes you genuinely feel like a Space Marine. An unstoppable force of nature, a demi-god amongst mortals, superhuman in ways that previous games only talked about but never delivered.
Games Workshop’s Digital Graveyard
Games Workshop’s approach to video game licensing has historically been catastrophic. The company adopted a shotgun strategy in the mid-2000s where anyone willing to pay licensing fees could make a Warhammer game regardless of competency or track record. The philosophy was simple: bad games would be forgotten whilst good games would expand the brand. The theory was commercially sound. The execution created a wasteland of abandoned projects, broken releases, and cynical cash grabs that damaged the IP’s reputation amongst gamers who’d never touched the lore.
The numbers tell the story. Steam hosts over 80 Warhammer 40K titles. Most are mediocre to terrible. Space Hulk: Deathwing looked gorgeous but featured floppy Tyranids and po-faced tone-deaf storytelling that missed the black humour essential to 40K’s identity. Fire Warrior was forgettable shooter that nobody remembers fondly. Storm of Vengeance was mobile game ported to PC that became shorthand for “worst Warhammer game ever.” Even Eisenhorn: XENOS, based on Dan Abnett’s excellent novels, was buggy mess that couldn’t translate great fiction into functional gameplay.
Dawn of War represented the exception proving the rule. Relic Entertainment’s original Dawn of War and its expansions, particularly Dark Crusade, captured tactical depth and faction variety that made tabletop compelling whilst adding RTS mechanics that worked brilliantly. The series peaked creatively and commercially before Dawn of War III catastrophically misread its audience by adding MOBA elements nobody requested. The game was abandoned by developers and players within months, killing franchise that had been Games Workshop’s most reliable digital revenue stream. That abandonment—walking away from established franchise after single failed experiment—epitomised the carelessness characterising most 40K digital adaptations.
The licensing chaos stemmed from Games Workshop’s tabletop focus. The company makes miniatures. Digital games were side revenue requiring minimal effort beyond signing licensing agreements and collecting royalty cheques. This mercenary approach meant quality control was non-existent. If developers wanted to make 40K chess game (Regicide), text adventure (Legacy of Dorn), or turn-based tactical game where you couldn’t play past first few levels due to bugs (Chaos Gate), Games Workshop cashed the cheques regardless of outcomes. The strategy maximised short-term revenue whilst creating long-term perception that 40K games were reliably disappointing.
What Space Marine 2 Gets Right
Space Marine 2 understands that Warhammer 40,000 is absurd power fantasy wrapped in fascist aesthetic and genuinely horrifying cosmic nihilism. You’re genetically enhanced superhuman in powered armour serving theocratic empire spanning million worlds. The Imperium is unambiguously terrible—xenophobic, authoritarian, sacrificing thousands daily to maintain corrupt bureaucracy that barely functions. However, the alternatives are worse. Chaos wants to torture reality into screaming meat sculptures. Tyranids want to consume all biomass. Necrons want to kill everything living. There are no good guys in the grim darkness of the far future—just varying degrees of awful fighting for survival.
Most 40K games fuck this up by going too serious or too silly. Serious games treat Space Marines as unironic heroes without acknowledging the Imperium’s monstrousness. Silly games lean into memes without respecting the horror beneath camp aesthetic. Space Marine 2 nails the balance by showing you’re powerful whilst surrounded by ordinary humans you’re protecting from extinction. The Imperial Guard soldiers fighting alongside you die in droves whilst you carve through Tyranid swarms like walking tank. The disparity communicates that you’re exceptional but the universe doesn’t care—the swarm keeps coming regardless of individual heroism.
The critical achievement is making you feel like actual Space Marine for the first time in any game. You’re not just soldier with bigger health bar. You’re unstoppable force of nature. A demi-god. Superhuman in ways that fundamentally separate you from mortals fighting beside you. When you activate abilities and charge into Tyranid swarm, you feel the weight and power of transhuman physiology. The melee combat captures this perfectly—chainsword cuts through enemies like scythe through wheat whilst your armour shrugs off attacks that would kill ordinary humans instantly. You don’t take cover and peek out carefully. You stride into battle knowing you’re physically superior to almost everything you’ll face.
The combat rhythm also captures this superhuman feeling through execution mechanic. Rather than hiding when armour breaks, you charge forward and rip enemies apart with bare hands to restore it. Aggression is rewarded. Hesitation is punished. This matches the lore where Space Marines win through overwhelming offensive power rather than defensive tactics. You dominate encounters through physical superiority that makes you legitimate threat to armies rather than just individual soldier. Previous 40K games made you feel competent. Space Marine 2 makes you feel godlike.
The scale reinforces this. Operations mode throws hundreds of enemies at three-player teams. You kill dozens before needing to reload. Corpses pile around you. The enemy numbers that would overwhelm normal soldiers just create target-rich environment for Space Marines. The game communicates power through volume—not by making you invincible but by making your lethality so overwhelming that only endless swarms can threaten you. This is how Space Marines should feel. Not struggling to survive but struggling to kill fast enough before reinforcements arrive.
The Crossplay Paradox
Space Marine 2 supports full crossplay for campaign and Operations across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This represents substantial technical achievement enabling friend groups scattered across platforms to actually play together. The implementation works seamlessly through code-sharing system requiring no platform-specific friends lists or account linking. You generate code, friends enter code, everyone’s on same Battle Barge ready to purge xenos together.
However, I’ve been kicked from Operations lobbies three or four times when joining teams of two PlayStation 5 players. Never happens with two Xbox players, two PC players, or mixed platform squads. Always—exclusively—when joining two PS5 players specifically. The pattern is too consistent to be coincidence. I’m not low level. I’m not playing poorly. I’m not making mistakes that would justify kicks. The only distinguishing factor is platform.
The reasons remain unclear because nobody communicates why kicks happen. The most likely explanation is PS5 players can’t see PC chat, creating perception that PC player isn’t communicating. Console players may also harbour suspicions about PC cheating despite Operations being cooperative PvE where cheating doesn’t affect other players negatively. Platform tribalism might also play role where console players distrust PC players on principle. Whatever the reason, the behaviour reveals interesting social dynamics where crossplay’s technical success doesn’t automatically translate to cross-platform community acceptance.
The PvP Eternal War mode deliberately excludes PC vs console crossplay to maintain competitive balance. PC players compete only against other PC players whilst console players fight only other console users. The separation makes sense given mouse and keyboard advantages in competitive shooting. However, it creates situation where platform segregation exists in competitive mode whilst cooperative modes theoretically unite all platforms—except PS5 players apparently don’t want PC players in their lobbies regardless of cooperation’s non-competitive nature.
The kicking behaviour demonstrates that crossplay requires cultural acceptance beyond just technical implementation. The feature works perfectly. The community hasn’t universally embraced it. PlayStation players specifically seem resistant to PC integration in ways Xbox players aren’t. This might reflect PlayStation’s historically more closed ecosystem creating cultural expectation that platform exclusivity is normal and desirable. Xbox’s push toward PC integration through Microsoft’s unified ecosystem may have created more accepting cross-platform culture amongst Xbox players. Pure speculation, but the kicking pattern is real and unexplained by gameplay factors.
Microtransactions Done Right
Space Marine 2 is heavily monetised through cosmetic microtransactions. Armour customisation, weapon skins, and chapter-specific heraldry all cost real money beyond base game purchase. The cosmetics are tempting for 40K fans who want to represent favourite chapters or create unique colour schemes. However—and this is critical—all microtransactions are purely cosmetic. Zero pay-to-win mechanics. No gameplay advantages. No exclusive weapons or abilities. Just visual customisation for players who want it.
This represents proper implementation of post-launch monetisation in premium-priced games. You purchase complete gameplay experience. Cosmetics are optional extras for players wanting additional customisation without affecting balance or creating advantage for spending players. The model is honest: pay for game, get full game, optionally pay more for customisation. This is how microtransactions should work rather than gameplay-affecting purchases that create tiered experiences where paying players have competitive advantages over non-paying players.
The contrast with typical industry practice is stark. Most games with aggressive monetisation hide power behind paywalls or create grinds so tedious that paying becomes practical necessity. Space Marine 2 doesn’t do this. The progression systems for weapons and classes are reasonable grinds that feel rewarding rather than designed to frustrate players into spending. The cosmetics are genuinely optional luxuries rather than psychological manipulation through FOMO or competitive disadvantage. Criticising the microtransactions’ existence is fair, but their implementation deserves acknowledgement as non-exploitative approach that respects players.
Space Marine 3 and Franchise Future
Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment announced Space Marine 3 in March 2025, merely six months after Space Marine 2 launched. The timing seems premature—announcing games years from release often backfires when development problems force delays or cancellations. However, the announcement signals confidence that Space Marine 2’s success wasn’t fluke but foundation for ongoing franchise. The developers stated that Space Marine 3 aims to be “even bigger and more spectacular” whilst continuing Titus’ story and introducing innovations redefining third-person action standards.
The announcement also confirmed ongoing support for Space Marine 2 with years of additional content planned including new Operations, weapons, enemies, and potentially new PvP modes. This resembles Saber’s approach to World War Z, which received updates for years after launch and continues receiving content in 2025. The long-term support model fits Space Marine 2’s design as replayable co-op experience rather than play-once campaign. The Operations mode particularly benefits from new missions maintaining variety and giving players reasons to return.
Space Marine 3’s expected 2028-2029 release window reflects realistic development timeline given Space Marine 2 required approximately four years. The gap also allows building Space Marine 2’s audience through continued support and sales whilst development proceeds on sequel. The franchise trajectory—assuming Space Marine 3 maintains quality—positions Warhammer 40K to finally have reliable video game series matching Dawn of War’s legacy whilst surpassing it through modern production values and expanded scope.
The timing also matters for Games Workshop’s broader digital strategy. The company shifted from shotgun licensing to more curated partnerships with proven developers. Space Marine 2’s success from partnership with Saber validates this approach. Future 40K games will likely follow similar model: established developers with track records working on larger-budget projects rather than flooding market with cheap adaptations from untested studios. This should improve average quality whilst reducing quantity of terrible games damaging brand.
Why This Matters Beyond One Game
Space Marine 2’s success demonstrates that Warhammer 40,000 can support AAA video games when developers actually understand source material and receive resources to execute vision properly. The game sold over 4.5 million copies by October 2024 with numbers likely exceeding 5 million currently. These are substantial figures proving market exists for well-made 40K games beyond niche audience of tabletop players. The success also shows that grimdark aesthetic and morally ambiguous setting don’t prevent mainstream appeal when executed competently.
The game’s achievement is vindicating for 40K fans who’ve endured decades of disappointing digital adaptations. We finally have game that captures why we love this absurd, horrifying, darkly funny universe. The feeling of being transhuman warrior—unstoppable, superhuman, genuinely superior to mortals around you. The desperate defence against overwhelming swarm where your power is matched only by enemy numbers. The grimdark setting where you’re enforcer for fascist theocracy that’s probably doomed anyway but fighting is still worthwhile because alternatives are worse. Space Marine 2 gets it in ways previous games never did.
For gaming broadly, Space Marine 2 also demonstrates value of AA+ budget games filling space between indie titles and $200 million AAA blockbusters. The game had substantial budget enabling polish and scope but wasn’t chasing Call of Duty numbers. This middle ground creates room for games serving specific audiences really well rather than chasing everyone and pleasing nobody. The model deserves emulation beyond just Warhammer games.
Does Space Marine 2 represent turning point where Warhammer 40,000 finally has sustainable video game presence matching its tabletop legacy, or will Games Workshop revert to licensing chaos once current success fades?
Also, seriously, why do PlayStation players keep kicking me? I’m good at this game.
