As someone who has sunk far too many hours into Vermintide 2, to the point where it’s fairly embarrassing, Warhammer 40k: Darktide is an absolutely brilliant spiritual successor. Developed by Fatshark, which created both Vermintide games, Darktide’s brutal sci-fi action is exciting and engaging, even after I’ve spent more than fifty hours playing. If you’re yet to give it a go, now’s the perfect time to do so, as the chaotic looter shooter has hit its lowest price to celebrate Warhammer Day 2025.
Much like Vermintide, Warhammer 40k: Darktide offers a brutalist sci-fi twist on the best FPS games formula with a focus on co-op action and hordes of enemies to defeat. Admittedly, it wasn’t always this way – the game launched with performance woes and balance issues that made it hard to recommend. But now, well… it’s a different story.
Looking back at our 7/10 Warhammer 40k: Darktide review is a testament to how much has changed, with Ian saying that “all of Darktide’s fantastic worldbuilding and dynamic, teamplay-based violence often gets sidelined by the host of technical issues still storming around like a rogue plague ogryn.” That core excellence is still there, but now it’s actually playable, which is always nice.
It helps that it’s also one of the best co-op games for non-stop horde-slaying action, feeling similar to games like Left 4 Dead. You play as one of four classes: Veteran, Zealot, Psyker, and Ogryn (there’s the fifth Arbites class, but it’s paywalled), which fall into different roles for your squad. Ogryn is the standard tank-style colossus that hits as hard as he looks, while the comparatively frail Psyker dishes out damage with the Warp, using melee weapons to strike hard while casting spells with staves.
I could go on and on about how good the action is, with each level completion filling up your loot library, making subsequent (and more challenging) runs easier. However, it’s all in the feel, and Fatshark uses Vermintide 2’s solid loop to make Darktide’s melee and ranged combat extremely satisfying.
After plenty of updates, Warhammer 40k: Darktide is better than ever, and you can grab it for just $15.99 / £13.19 at Fanatical, its lowest price yet. Alternatively, the Imperial Edition – which includes some skins, class outfits, and premium currency – is just $20.99 / £17.49, making it an equally tempting offer.
However, you’ll need to be quick, as this deal ends on October 30, 2025, at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 6 pm GMT.
If you’re looking for something similar to Darktide that’s set in the same brutal universe, you should check out our list of the best Warhammer 40k games. Alternatively, you can take a look at the more fantasy-focused vibes of the Vermintide duology, as well as other entries in our best Warhammer games list.
