When did ‘Warhammer 40K’ come out?

The world of Warhammer is much larger than many people realize. On top of the miniatures that started a decades-long craze, fans can immerse themselves in the franchise via games, books, and even animations, all set within the sprawling Warhammer universe.

That’s all on top of the eventual Prime Video attempt at Warhammer 40K, which — following the sweeping success of Fallout — is looking thoroughly promising. With rabid Warhammer fan Henry Cavill at the helm (and in the starring role), the series has a great chance at succeeding, particularly as it’s helped along by the utterly massive potential provided by this unique approach to gaming.

Warhammer‘s had a long time to refine its approach, after first launching as a fantasy game with limited science fiction elements and later introducing a fully sci-fi-themed version of the miniature wargame. Those sci-fi elements proved massively popular, and eventually earned Warhammer 40K its status as the most popular of its kind. Back when the game was first developed, it was intended as little more than a side dish for Dungeons and Dragons, but over its decades on the market, Warhammer has become so much more.

How long has Warhammer 40K been in circulation?

The very first Warhammer game, which released in 1983, was fantasy themed. It was intended as a means to boost sales of fantasy miniatures, and was an almost instant success upon its release. Warhammer Fantasy Battle took elements from our favorite fantasy stories — courageous knights facing off against vicious dragons, hordes of Orcs, and the daemonic forces of Chaos — and laced a few tantalizing science fiction elements in as a treat. Those sci-fi elements proved just as popular as the fantasy elements, and helped prompted the birth of Warhammer 40K.

The space-themed Warhammer iteration — initially titled Rogue Trader but later changed to Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader — was released in October of 1987 to instant popularity. Within months it was considered the best of its kind, and by the time Cavill’s big adaptation rolled around, it was well-established gaming gold. Its inspired nine more additions over the years, the second of which launched in 1993 and the most recent of which — the tenth edition — released in 2023.