Warhammer 40K: Dark Heresy launches January 28, and its founders' beta ends January 7

Owlcat Games will release Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy on January 28, 2027 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The studio announced the date on November 9 from its Cyprus headquarters with a new release-date trailer. A Switch 2 version is still coming, but Owlcat says its date will follow later.

If you already own a Founder's Pack, note the other date: the PC beta closes on January 7, three weeks before launch.

What's confirmed

Platforms and stores. Owlcat's press release, published on Games Press, lists PC through Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store, plus PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, all on January 28, 2027. Steam lists the PC version for Windows only. Owlcat also told reviewers that Steam keys will go out before console keys.

The beta and Founder's Packs. The beta is PC-only and open to Founder's Pack owners. FullCleared reports it has been running since Warhammer Skulls in May 2026, and Eurogamer says it contains the complete first act. It shuts on January 7 so Owlcat can prepare the launch build. Founder's Packs stay on sale on the official site until "the beginning of January", with no exact cut-off date. FullCleared adds that Collector's Edition buyers should check their shipping address on Owlcat's site, because shipping starts shortly after release.

What kind of game it is. Dark Heresy is a party-based, turn-based cRPG in which you start as an acolyte of the Inquisition in the Calixis Sector. The Steam page describes investigations where you interrogate suspects and piece together conspiracies, and combat in which each party member has their own morale, which affects how well they fight. Polygon notes that this morale system is more detailed than the one in Rogue Trader.

The companions named so far. The press release names Cogg (an abhuman), the psyker Saro, the Pariah Discordance, the Aeldari Corsair Laarthyr, the Kroot Ra'akhti, the Catachan fighter Haymar, the Rogue Trader Chorda and Touma. Steam says every companion has fully voiced dialogue.

PC specs. Steam's recommended specification is Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-12600 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600, 16GB of RAM, a GeForce RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT, DirectX 12 and 40GB of storage. No minimum specification is listed yet.

Languages. Full audio is in English. Text also covers Russian, French, German, Spanish and Simplified Chinese.

Price. Steam does not show a price yet, and we have not seen a confirmed standard-edition price for any region.

Background

Owlcat built its name on licensed tabletop adaptations: Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and then Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, which launched in December 2023. PC Gamer notes that Rogue Trader's final expansion, Processional of the Damned, arrives on December 8, almost three years after the base game. Dark Heresy was revealed at Warhammer Skulls 2025, according to FullCleared. Owlcat, which says it now has more than 450 staff, is also making The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a Mass Effect-style project that Eurogamer reports has former Dragon Age writer David Gaider helping out. The name comes from tabletop history too: Dark Heresy was the 2008 Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game about Inquisition acolytes in the same Calixis Sector.

My take: what it means for players

I love that Owlcat has picked the Inquisition this time. Rogue Trader made you a merchant prince with a fleet, and like Kingmaker in 2018, it was a game about ruling. Dark Heresy puts you at the bottom of the ladder as an acolyte and asks you to solve cases. That is a real change of fantasy, and Polygon's comparison with Disco Elysium makes sense if the investigations hold up beyond the first act.

My worry is the same one PC Gamer raises. Owlcat's games have launched rough before. Eurogamer's own Rogue Trader review praised the setting but said bugs and poor performance held it back, and PC Gamer's staff recall progress loss in the review period. Owlcat's record after launch is excellent, with years of patches and big story expansions. Even so, players should not have to wait a year for the version that works.

So here is my advice. If you are in the beta, spend your last weeks with it reporting bugs, not chasing achievements. If you are waiting on console, keep an eye on PC reviews first, since PC keys go out earlier. And if you loved the 2008 tabletop book, the Calixis Sector is back. That alone has me more excited than any Warhammer RPG since Rogue Trader.

What we don't know yet

• Price. Owlcat has not published a standard-edition price on Steam or console stores.
• Switch 2 date. Owlcat only says it will share details "at a later date".
• Founder's Pack cut-off. The packs are on sale until "early January", but there is no exact day.
• Minimum PC spec. Steam lists only the recommended specification so far.
• Launch stability. Nobody outside the beta has played the full game, and Owlcat has not said how much of the beta feedback has changed it.

Quick facts

FAQ

When does Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy come out?

January 28, 2027 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A Switch 2 version will be dated later.

Is Dark Heresy a sequel to Rogue Trader?

Not a direct story sequel. It is Owlcat's next Warhammer 40,000 cRPG, with turn-based combat like Rogue Trader but focused on investigations as an Inquisition acolyte.

Can I play Dark Heresy before launch?

Yes, on PC, if you buy a Founder's Pack from Owlcat's website. The beta closes on January 7, 2027.

Will Dark Heresy be on Game Pass?

Owlcat has not announced Game Pass availability. The confirmed stores are Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation and Xbox.

More: the 2027 release slate.

Sources: Owlcat Games (press release via Games Press); Steam store page; Eurogamer; PC Gamer; Polygon; FullCleared. Image: Owlcat Games / Games Workshop, official Dark Heresy screenshot via Steam.