Previews and Reception

Dawn of War 4 has no reviews and no Metacritic or OpenCritic score as of Oct 31, 2026; the game is out Dec 3, 2026. What exists are previews of a pre-release build with two full campaigns, mostly warm, with Gameswelt among those naming problems.

Dawn of War 4 has no reviews yet: as of Oct 31, 2026 it has no Metacritic score, no OpenCritic score and no Steam reviews, because it comes out on Dec 3, 2026. What exists are previews from a three-week press build holding the Astra Militarum and Space Marine prologues, the full Ork and Adeptus Mechanicus campaigns and 1v1 Skirmish. Most are warm, with reservations about what could not be tried. Treat all of them as impressions of an unfinished game, and note that several reached this page only as KING Art quoted them.

Quick facts

Reviews	None as of Oct 31, 2026
Metacritic	No score
OpenCritic	No score
Steam reviews	None; the game is not out
Preview build	Oct 2026, three full weeks
Not in that build	Necron and full Space Marine campaigns, multiplayer, Last Stand
Review date	Not announced in KING Art's posts

Sources: KING Art, Oct 23, 2026; Press Start, Oct 21, 2026.

What the outlets say

Outlet	Line of its preview	How this page knows it
Press Start	Warm on the campaigns; holds judgment on balance, multiplayer and depth	Full article
ComicBook	A return to form for the series; AI almost unfairly hard on medium in Skirmish	Full article
Gameswelt	Expects a genre highlight, with real complaints (below)	Full article
Polygon	Sees potential to be the best Warhammer 40,000 game	Only as KING Art quotes it
PC Gamer	Its writer played two campaigns and got what they hoped for	Only as KING Art quotes it
TechRadar	Reminded its writer of early 2000s LAN parties	Only as KING Art quotes it
GameSpot	Every mechanic matters to winning	Only as KING Art quotes it

Sources: KING Art's quote list, Oct 23, 2026; Press Start, Oct 21, 2026; ComicBook, Oct 21, 2026; Gameswelt, Oct 23, 2026.

A publisher's list of quotes is chosen to flatter, so treat those four lines as the most favorable part of each piece. KING Art's list also has creators Zade, milkandcookiesTW, Turin and Lionheartx10.

The criticism so far

The fullest complaints come from Gameswelt, which found battles hard to read, infantry getting stuck on obstacles, limited zoom-out and technical issues remaining, and warns that fans of slower strategy may find the game hectic. It still expects a genre highlight.

ComicBook misses Flayed Ones among the Necrons but calls the lineup strong without Chaos and Eldar, and it found the Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus harder to learn. Press Start's reservations are what it could not see: the Necron campaign, balance, multiplayer and long-term depth. None of this has been tested by reviewers against the finished game, and the Skirmish AI complaint cuts both ways, since KING Art's creator list includes praise for that AI.

What previewers praised

Press Start describes the economy of Requisition and Power and to controls such as the Attack Rectangle, a right-drag that pairs units with targets, plus configurable hotkeys and a resizable HUD. Its faction notes cover the Ork Waaagh! and the Adeptus Mechanicus network. ComicBook praises campaign missions that teach factions without constant punishment. KING Art itself highlights base building, campaign scale and faction variety as the themes of the coverage. The mechanics are on Base Building and Combat, Cover and Retreat.

Older hands-on previews

0:00 IGN's Jan 2026 hands-on with the Ork campaign is the fullest earlier account and is the basis of Ork Campaign. PCGamesN's Aug 2025 preview of a pre-alpha build and TheGamer's Aug 2025 preview are older still, from a build more than a year before launch. None should be taken as a report on what ships.

A conflict about the build

ComicBook says it played all four factions and their campaigns. KING Art and Press Start list only two full campaigns and two prologues. This page follows KING Art. Gameswelt also counts five factions, where KING Art has four, because the Dark Angels are a Space Marine sub-faction (Factions Compared).

How the earlier games did

For scale, Dark Crusade holds the series' top Metascore, 87. Dawn of War 3's weak reception is the background to this game; see Dawn of War 3. KING Art's own stated yardstick is a modern version of the first game. The comparison will only mean something after launch.

After launch

This page will add the Metacritic and OpenCritic scores, Steam's review figure and named reviews when they exist. Until then, any score attached to Dawn of War 4 is not real. The pre-launch tests themselves are on Closed Beta and Playtests, and no closed beta impression is reported here because of its NDA.

Frequently asked questions

Are there Dawn of War 4 reviews yet? No. Dawn of War 4 is out on Dec 3, 2026, and no reviews exist as of Oct 31, 2026, only previews of a pre-release build.

What is Dawn of War 4's Metacritic score? Dawn of War 4 has no Metacritic score as of Oct 31, 2026, and no OpenCritic score either.

Are Dawn of War 4 previews good? Mostly yes. Press Start and ComicBook are warm, and KING Art quotes praise from Polygon, PC Gamer, TechRadar and GameSpot, while Gameswelt reports hard-to-read battles, pathing trouble and technical issues in the build.

What was in the Dawn of War 4 preview build? The Astra Militarum and Space Marine prologues, the full Ork and Adeptus Mechanicus campaigns and 1v1 Skirmish, per KING Art's Oct 23, 2026 post.

When will Dawn of War 4 reviews come out? KING Art's posts give no review date as of Oct 31, 2026. The game launches on Dec 3, with the Commander Edition from Nov 30.