Owlcat Games has officially announced their next big project: Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, a computer role-playing game based on the well-known tabletop RPG of the same name. The announcement came with a trailer featuring both cinematic sequences and gameplay snippets, showing off the game’s focus on the activities of the Inquisition within the grim darkness of the 41st millennium.
This new title marks Owlcat’s second jump into Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40K universe, following their successful Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader release. While Rogue Trader put players in charge of a powerful merchant family with their own ships and trading business, Dark Heresy promises a different kind of experience altogether.
In Dark Heresy, players will lead an Inquisitorial warband, acting as agents investigating threats to the Imperium of Man from the inside. The game will aim more at investigation, politics, and sneaking around rather than the all-out battles seen in Rogue Trader. This fits right in with the tabletop version, where players take on the roles of Acolytes working for an Inquisitor, rooting out heresy, chaos corruption, and alien infiltration.
The trailer teases a range of companion options, including both human Imperial agents and xenos allies like a Kroot mercenary. According to the Steam description, all companions will have fully voiced lines, each bringing their own gameplay style and a fresh take on the story.
This announcement doesn’t mean Owlcat is dropping their earlier Warhammer title. The studio has also announced a second season pass for Rogue Trader, with more expansions lined up through 2026. Thanks to Owlcat’s growth to over 400 staff, they’re able to tackle multiple big projects at once.
The Dark Heresy tabletop game is famous for its grittier tone and focus on investigation compared to other Warhammer 40K games. Players usually have to deal with tough odds, political scheming, and terrifying discoveries that can mess with both their bodies and minds. It looks like the video game adaptation is leaning into these elements, maybe giving players a story-driven experience with fewer but more intense fights.
From bolters to breadcrumbs
There’s no release date yet, only pre-orders, but Dark Heresy is shaping up to be a new direction for Warhammer 40K video games. Most 40K adaptations focus on big battles or Space Marine action, so a game about investigation and sneaking around explores a part of the lore that’s been pretty much left alone. For CRPG fans, this news lands at a perfect time after the huge popularity of games like Baldur’s Gate 3.
Owlcat has built a name for themselves by turning complex tabletop RPG systems into hit video games—they did it with Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous before jumping into the Warhammer world. Their know-how with deep RPG mechanics and branching stories means they’re probably in a great spot to bring Dark Heresy’s investigative gameplay to life.
