Highlights

  • Warhammer 40K's popularity extends into video games outside the franchise, with modders constantly adding new content to existing titles.
  • Men Of War: Assault Squad 2 and XCOM 2 are examples of games enhanced by innovative Warhammer 40K mods.
  • From Stellaris to Ravenfield, the Warhammer 40K universe continues to be a major source of inspiration for modders across different genres.

Warhammer 40K is an immensely popular franchise. While Warhammer has its roots squarely in the war game and board game space, video games contributed to the IP's popularity. The last few years have been especially prolific for Warhammer 40K and Warhammer Fantasy, at least in terms of games released. Even that doesn't seem to be enough, as fans keep modding Orks and Space Marines into their favorite video games.

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Common wisdom says that mods exist to fill a hole in the hearts of fans, but that's not always the case. Even if there are plenty of Warhammer 40K games spanning (almost) any genre imaginable, modders are still hard at work. One has to conclude that they just like making games. Playing a Warhammer game, after all, is quite different from making one. Either way, this means that players have quite a lot of choice when looking for a great Warhammer 40K mod to play.

1 Men Of War: Assault Squad 2

With The Total Conversion Mod ASV UMW 40K

The ASV UMW 40K mod for Men of War: Assault Squad 2

Men of War: Assault Squad 2 isn't a game everyone remembers, being a 2014 World War 2 strategy game with average review scores. Still, the game remained popular among some competitive players and even attracted the attention of modders. For our purposes, the fact that Men of War: Assault Squad 2 isn't very popular means that it's cheap enough to buy just to try out a mod.

If there's one Warhammer 40K mod for Men of War: Assault Squad 2 that fans of the series must try, it's ASV UMW 40k. What's interesting about this mod is that it's one of the most popular mods for Men of War: Assault Squad 2, but it was only published in 2018, years after the game's release. What's even more impressive is that it's still receiving updates, and players (occasionally) populate the online servers.

2 Stellaris

With The Total Conversion Mod Warhammer 35M

The Warhammer 35M mod for Stellaris
Stellaris

Platform(s)
PC , PS4 , Xbox One
Released
May 9, 2016
Genre(s)
4X , Grand Strategy

Stellaris is probably the most popular strategy game set in space, a surprisingly popular setting among fans of the genre. It's only natural that the mix of setting and genre would attract Warhammer 40K mods. Even so, Warhammer 35M, a total conversion for Stellaris themed after Warhammer 40K, is an impressive achievement.

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Stellaris also has plenty of regular mods that change the game to fit the setting or the tone of Warhammer 40K without completely changing the game the way a total conversion does. A compilation of smaller mods can serve some players better, especially those who don't want to complicate their game with too much extra stuff.

3 OpenXcom

With The Total Conversion Mod Rosigma

The Rosigma mod for OpenXcom

OpenXcom is an open-source clone of the original XCOM game, UFO: Enemy Unknown. Compared to the original, OpenXcom has far fewer bugs, it's easier to port to other platforms and new machines, and, most importantly, it's easy to mod. Of the many total conversion mods available, Rosigma is one of the biggest.

Rosigma is a total conversion mod for OpenXcom based on the Warhammer 40K setting. It's the union of two older OpenXcom mods, Rose and Igma. It features a plethora of fully realized factions, from Orks to the Imperial Guard and even some sub-factions like the Adepta Sororitas.

4 XCOM 2

With ZoranTheBear's Warhammer 40k Mod Collection

The ZoranTheBear's Warhammer 40k Mod Collection for XCOM 2
XCOM 2

Platform(s)
PS4 , Xbox One , Switch , PC , Android , iOS
Released
February 5, 2016
Developer(s)
Firaxis Games
Genre(s)
Strategy , RPG

XCOM 2 is the 2016 sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the game that rebooted the classic series and gave it a new life. It's also one of the most popular games in the series with modders, which says a lot, considering the popularity of OpenXcom mods. Mods like the ones found in ZoranTheBear's Warhammer 40k Mod Collection, a project that unites many Warhammer 40k mods under one banner.

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While there is no massive Warhammer 40K total conversion mod for XCOM 2, the dystopic sci-fi series is very popular among the game's modding community. Keen players can browse the game's Steam Workshop page and select which Warhammer 40K-themed mods they want. Alternatively, they can select a trusty mod collection.

5 Ravenfield

With Warhammer 40K: Overhaul Collection

The Warhammer 40K Overhaul Collection mod for RavenField

Ravenfield is an early access game that emulates large-scale conflicts in a modern war setting, not unlike the much more popular Battlefield series. Even though it entered early access way back in 2017, Ravenfield is still being regularly updated and has since added better vehicle combat and improved modding tools.

Those modding tools are what make things like the Warhammer 40K: Overhaul Collection possible. This collection includes a staggering number of smaller mods, mostly created by just two fan developers. The mods range from character models to weapons and vehicles and even some maps inspired by the Warhammer 40K universe.

6 RimWorld

With Phonicmas' Warhammer 40.000 Total Conversion Mod

The Phonicmas’ Warhammer 40.000 Total Conversion Mod for RimWorld
RimWorld

Platform(s)
PC , PS4 , Xbox One
Released
October 17, 2018
Developer(s)
Ludeon Studios
Genre(s)
Simulation

There's something about RimWorld that makes it a magnet for modders. It might be the low-fidelity assets, making it quick to prototype a cool mod idea, or the extensive mod support rolled out through the years. Whichever it is, fans of the top-down colony simulator know that somewhere, there's a mod made just to their tastes.

This includes Warhammer 40K fans: a franchise so popular, especially one so ubiquitous in the modding scene, couldn't be absent. The most beloved Warhammer 40K mod for RimWorld seems to be Phonicmas' Warhammer 40.000. This mod is divided into modules, and players don't have to install the entire thing if they don't want the base game to be completely unrecognizable.

7 Arma 3

Too Many Great Mods To Count

The Imperial Conquest mod for Arma 3
Arma 3

Platform(s)
PC
Released
September 12, 2013
Developer(s)
Bohemia Interactive
Genre(s)
FPS , Tactical

Arma 3 is the latest installment of one of the most popular multiplayer tactical shooter series. This "military simulator," as the game is usually called, puts a lot of emphasis on cooperation and teamwork. This might not seem like the best foundation to build a Warhammer 40K mod, but the game is extremely popular with fans of the series.

One of the most popular Warhammer 40K mods for Arma 3 is Imperial Conquest, also called ICP. This is not quite a total conversion mod, but it attempts to switch every item and character model in the game with a Warhammer 40K equivalent. Other popular mods include Kullervo's Warhammer 40.000 Factions, which adds a lot of new armies to the game, and Departmento Munitorum, which adds new sub-factions to ICP.

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