Dawn of War 4 got a new gameplay trailer over the weekend, and while excitement continues generally for the upcoming real-time strategy game, the video has sparked a number of complaints from some within the Warhammer 40,000 community.
Let’s start with the voice acting, which some are saying sounds flat. The complaints here stem from comparisons to Relic’s much-loved Dawn of War, which came out in 2004. Based on the new video, the chatter from the Space Marines especially doesn’t have enough oomph, and lacks the metallic ‘vox’ texture the Space Marines usually have when speaking through their helmets.
My best guess here is that the developers at King Art Games needed the Space Marines to sound sufficiently different to the Adeptus Mechanics, one of Dawn of War 4’s brand new factions. The Ad Mech are the fanatical worshippers of the Machine God of Mars, tech priests who have discarded their humanity in favor of cybernetics. Their voices have that metallic vox-ness to them by default, which may have forced King Art’s hand when it came to the Space Marines’ audio. After all, on chaotic battlefield, the player needs to know which faction is saying what.
Here’s your official look into the next evolution of the iconic real-time strategy franchise with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV!
First revealed during PC Gaming Show: Tokyo Direct, this new trailer has been captured entirely from in-engine gameplay.https://t.co/Tdy6sZQTof pic.twitter.com/SJGiQWy6g3
— Dawn of War IV (@PlayDoW4) September 28, 2025
“Voices for Space Marines aren’t good, compared to DOW1 or DOW2,” said the wonderfully named redditor KillerKanka. “You know it’s missing that ZEAL, the mechanical filter, the ‘COME. SHOW ME WHAT PASSES FOR FURY AMONG YOUR MISBEGOTTEN KIND’ or ‘SPESS MEHRINESS ATTAAAAACK’ or ‘STRIKE FROM THE SKIES, BROTHERS.’ It’s much easier to correct, tho, but still.”
“Looks promising, but please fix the Space Marine voice acting,” added ImSorryOkGeez. “That dude does not sound like he is ready to burn heretics, kill mutants, or purge the unclean.”
As for the Orks in Dawn of War 4, the voice work we hear in the video is nowhere near as over-the-top cockney as Warhammer 40,000 Orks traditionally sound, and indeed how they sound in Dawn of War 1.
And then there’s a growing row about the inclusion of Primaris Marines, which, well, if you’re not in the weeds on Warhammer 40,000, this one may prove to be a head-scratcher.
“Firstborn” Space Marines, as they’re known, were essentially replaced within the setting by Primaris Marines. They’re bigger, tougher, stronger, and faster than the OGs, but some within the fandom absolutely hate them for their softer redesign.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but essentially this debate about the Primaris Marines boils down to a feeling that Games Workshop has “toned down” the Space Marines over the years so that they look a little less like the religious fanatics the lore suggests they are, and more like the poster boys Warhammer 40,000 needs to attract new fans.
Dawn of War, which came out over 20 years ago now, leaned into the Warhammer 40,000 of that time, and so its Blood Ravens (the Space Marines chapter at the heart of the Dawn of War games) delivered on that fanaticism. Dawn of War was based on Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition (we’re now on the 10th), and so the Astra Militarum were called the Imperial Guard, the Aeldari were called the Eldar, and the Necrons didn’t speak.
Dawn of War 4, due out 2026, was always going to have a different feel in keeping with the Warhammer 40,000 of today, the grimdark far future we see in Amazon animations, in video games like the record-breaking Space Marine 2, and perhaps (hopefully!) in Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40,000 Cinematic Universe. Dawn of War 4 was always going to feature Primaris Marines, which have been the default Space Marines for almost a decade now.
I’m not surprised by complaints around the voice work, which probably could do with a shot in the arm, or the complaints about the Primaris Marines (this is an ongoing complaint about all things Space Marines). The Warhammer 40,000 fandom, perhaps more than any other, is big on tradition. But I am surprised to see complaints about the game’s visuals, which I think look pretty detailed. King Art has spoken about going hard on sync kills, which Dawn of War 1 was famous for, and we see those in action here. Some are saying Dawn of War 4 looks too colorful, but to me it looks fine.
There are more extreme reactions online, some of which compare Dawn of War 4 to the critical and commercial flop that was Dawn of War 3. It’s impossible to make such a comparison based on what we’ve seen of Dawn of War 4 so far, and King Art has made it clear from the start that it’s using Dawn of War 1 as its reference point for the game with base building and big armies the focus.
Of course, with each new video, Warhammer 40,000 fans will continue to have their say on Dawn of War 4, right up until launch and beyond. Heresy is at the heart of the Imperium, and so perhaps King Art knew full well it was going to have to deal with a healthy dose itself.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
