Strategy · February 18, 2009

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Anniversary Edition (2009)

calendar_todayAge 17+trophy73 achievementslocal_offer-80% current discountgroup1M–10M ownerstrending_up152 peak concurrentrecommend7.6k recommendations
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition is the definitive Dawn of War II experience, featuring the original Dawn of War II, Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising, Dawn of War II - Retribution, Dawn of War II - The Last Stand, as well as all DLCs and cosmetic items. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II With a focus on fast-action RTS gameplay, Dawn of War II brings to life the science fiction universe of Warhammer 40,000 like never before. Experience the intimate brutality of battle as you play through your chosen race’s epic campaign. Clash with the enemies on battlefield ablaze with visceral melee and ranged combat. Lead and develop your squads from raw recruits into the most battle hardened veterans in the galaxy. Brutal Frontline Action & Tactics Get straight into the action to experience intense melee and devastating ranged combat. Use vicious melee sync-kills to obliterate your enemies. Outsmart your opponents using dynamic and destructible environments to suppress, flank and destroy your foes. Non-Linear Single Player Campaign Command an elite strike force, developing the skills and abilities of your squads and commander as you progress through the game. Co-Op Multiplayer Play through the entire single player campaign co-operatively with a friend, at any point in the game, anytime. Bespoke RTS Engine Utilizing Relic's proprietary Essence Engine 2.0 Dawn of War II delivers cinematic visuals, detailed graphics and amazing special effects. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising In Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising you will take command of the Blood Ravens and defend the sector against the Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion. Purge the Chaos filth and hold the chapter together as traitorous forces work from within to try bring down the Blood Ravens. New Single Player Missions Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your squads’ wargear, abilities, and experience to battle against Chaos in 15 new missions New Multiplayer Race Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II owners New Units New multiplayer units join the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies. 2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless horde as either the Chaos Sorcerer or Tyranid Hive Tyrant Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution Command any of the six unique factions in the next standalone expansion of the critically acclaimed Dawn of War real-time strategy franchise. Choose to build a massive army or lead a small squad of elite heroes into battle and experience a single player campaign customized to your favorite race. Multi-Race Campaign For the first time in the Dawn of War II series, players will be able to experience a single player campaign with any of the six available races. Build your Army Upgrade your heroes and unlock new buildable units as you progress through the single player campaign. 6 Playable Races Choose from six multiplayer races, each with their own unique super heavy units.

Position in Strategy

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume12.8k Steam reviewsTop 35% in Strategy
Positive rating88% positiveGenre average: 84% — this title sits in top 50%
Metacritic85/100Genre average 79 — top 23% of Strategy titles
Concurrent peak152 playersTop 52% in Strategy by live player count
Engagement hours18 h averageTop 48% for session depth among Strategy

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Warhammer 40K · 549
  • Strategy · 413
  • RTS · 326
  • Sci-fi · 206
  • Multiplayer · 166
  • Games Workshop · 155
  • Tactical · 154
  • Singleplayer · 124
  • Co-op · 114
  • Gore · 101
  • Futuristic · 81
  • Online Co-Op · 79
  • RPG · 67
  • Co-op Campaign · 63
  • Real-Time · 58

Peer Strategy titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Strategy releases from 2009

11 Strategy titles launched in 2009 — top 6 by review volume.

Reception Metrics

Steam community

88%Very Positive · 12.8k reviews

11.2k positive · 1.5k negative

Metacritic

85/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Curator recommendations

7.6k

Peak concurrent players

152

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

18h

moderate (15–40 hours)

Median

7h

Typical completion time

2-week avg

0h

Current engagement

Achievements

73

Steam unlocks available

Release & Availability

Release dateFeb 18, 2009
DeveloperRelic Entertainment, Feral Interactive (Mac/Linux)
Base price$9.99 -80%
Required age17+
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux
Estimated owners1M–10M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support

Features & Capabilities

Multiplayer

  • Multi-player
  • Co-op

Community

  • Steam Trading Cards
  • Steam Cloud

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (5)

  • English
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Spanish - Spain

Content Notes

Frequent grizzly deaths of both humanoid and non-humanoid entities. Blood and gore are prominent.

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition