It may have come out during the end of 2023, but no game released in 2024 has hooked me as much as Owlcat Games’ Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. This CRPG is one of the best video game adaptations of Warhammer 40,000 I’ve ever played for its engrossing turn-based combat systems, intriguing characters, and well-written story that serves as a fun introduction to the franchise’s complex universe and lore.
The PC version of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader normally runs for a steep MSRP of $50.99. However, CDKeys is getting into the Christmas spirit early as it is hosting a mammoth-sized 67% discount for this game, so it’s now at a much more affordable price tag of $16.59.
Why should you buy Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader?
Warhammer 40,000 has been exploding in popularity in recent times. Amazon has begun production on a Warhammer 40,000 TV Show, the long-awaited Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has finally launched after over a decade-long wait to much applause, and the franchise received its first-ever CRPG adaptation in 2023 called Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
In this game, you play as a Rogue Trader, the ruler of a galaxy-spanning trading empire in service to the Imperium of Man and its God Emperor. Your goal is to explore a chaotic frontier that has yet to be conquered by the Imperium called the Koronus Expanse and bring order to it by purging it of Xenos, mutants, and heretics. Will you serve the Imperium’s wishes, or will you be tempted by the Ruinous Powers of Chaos to sacrifice everything, even your soul, for ultimate power?
I have experienced many Warhammer 40,000 games over the years, but Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader may be the best PC game based on the franchise I’ve played since Relic Entertainment’s classic Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series.
It features a well-written story that serves as a great introduction for newcomers wishing to learn about the complex lore of the Warhammer 40,000 as it delves into the inner workings of Imperium’s (as well as other factions’) history, politics, and ideologies through organic gameplay and story-telling.
In addition, the story also has tons of replay value as it features mountains of meaningful dialogue choices that can completely change how your journey unfolds with multiple endings and alignment-specific quests to unlock. This also applies to the characters you meet along the way from potential party members to mortal enemies as they have fascinating personalities and engrossing character arcs that can go in multiple directions based on your choices.
Gameplay-wise, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is packed to the brim with engaging content that will last you hundreds of worth of playtime. You will be exploring all kinds of planets, from populated city-states to war-torn ruins filled with quests to complete and lucrative loot to pillage. You will also be spending dozens of hours experimenting with this game’s robust character customization system, where you can outfit your party with various classes, weapons, and armor to turn them into ultimate Xenos-slayers worthy of the Emperor’s praise.
Speaking of slaying, the icing on this Imperial cake is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’s turn-based combat systems. This game’s features XCOM-like ground battles where you will need to utilize cover and your party’s mixture of ranged and melee abilities to destroy your enemies in a brutal, satisfyingly gorey fashion. Additionally, it also has space battles where you will need to out-maneuver enemy vessels and blow them out of the sky using your Voidship’s arsenal.
Unfortunately, this game isn’t entirely flawless, as it contains a myriad of game-breaking bugs that encourage quick saving and reloading to your save file from being ruined (especially when it first launched). Thankfully though, 90% of these bugs have been squashed thanks to recently released content updates such as the 15-hour long DLC expansion, Void Shadows released back in September 2024, and the gigantic 1.3 free update released on December 10, 2024, which contains over 1,000 gameplay improvements, bug fixes, and balance changes.
Despite these bugs, I loved everything about Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, and I would highly recommend it to any Warhammer 40,000 fan or fans of story-rich CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Wasteland 3.
If what you have seen here has piqued your interest then now’s the perfect time to jump into this grim-dark universe because the PC version of Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is currently on sale for a gigantic 67% discount, reducing its MSRP from $50.99 to $16.59 at CDKeys.
