The Warhammer Skulls Festival, a major annual event in the Warhammer gaming community, has launched the 2025 summer expo season with unprecedented success. This year’s showcase shattered previous records, with the main broadcast surpassing 30 million views and trailers across platforms exceeding 15 million plays.
This grand celebration featured one of the strongest lineups in the series’ history, including titles such as Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War – Ultimate Edition, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2, and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine – Master Edition. Over the following weeks, players can look forward to various promotions including discounts and free trials.
During the week-long festival, four games achieved six-figure wishlist additions and ranked prominently on GameDiscoverCo’s Steam seven-day new interest chart:
- #2: Warhammer 40K: Darktide (Owlcat CRPG)
- #5: Dawn of War – Ultimate Edition
- #11: Space Marine – Master Edition
- #12: Boltgun 2
Following the release of Darktide, Owlcat simultaneously launched a new DLC for Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader titled “Imperial Codex,” introducing an Inquisitor companion and 15 hours of fresh story content.
Anatoly Shestov, Executive Producer at Owlcat, commented, “Now is the perfect time for players to dive into Rogue Trader. Our upcoming major project, Darktide, has garnered tremendous attention, with feedback and inquiries exceeding expectations. We will be revealing more details in the coming months, so stay tuned.”
Additionally, Warhammer 40K: Darktide introduced a new class, the Arbiter, featuring a unique intelligent warhound support system. This marks the first new class added since the game’s launch.
The announcement of the Arbiter class was met with enthusiastic community response, with players quickly devising innovative playstyles. The overwhelming positive feedback confirmed that this class aligns well with player preferences.
The Skulls Festival will culminate with an update for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 on June 26, introducing a free PvE “Siege Mode.” Season pass holders will also receive new cosmetic packs themed around the White Scars and Blood Angels chapters.
Other highlights include the release of Space Marine – Master Edition on PC, Xbox, and Game Pass, and the launch of Blood Bowl 3’s ninth season featuring the Bloodthirsty Berserkers (Khorne team).
Looking ahead, the Warhammer Skulls Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2026 with a special edition event.
