Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War

 PC
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release Date: Sep 20, 2004
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 458 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 401 out of 458
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 458
  3. Negative: 13 out of 458
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  1. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 25, 2023
    8
    Very solid RTS. The genre improves with new units and mechanics from the warhammer universe, A lot of factions and options to choose
  2. VLG
    Aug 23, 2023
    8
    A lot of fun for a while, i remember being surprised by all the options available.
  3. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 7, 2023
    7
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  4. supzero
    Mar 3, 2023
    10
    One of the best (if not the best) game I ever played. Got clever design features which make the game really nervous at all stage, where numerous RTS you might stay in your base until you have a big army. Best translation of Warhammer ever. Epic animations who make want to watch replays on and on. 9 factions in total with the extensions. Great in multiplayer or in Skirmish vs IAOne of the best (if not the best) game I ever played. Got clever design features which make the game really nervous at all stage, where numerous RTS you might stay in your base until you have a big army. Best translation of Warhammer ever. Epic animations who make want to watch replays on and on. 9 factions in total with the extensions. Great in multiplayer or in Skirmish vs IA (especially… Expand… Expand
  5. nastyjes
    Jan 23, 2023
    8
    Blood for the blood god. Skulls for the skull throne .
  6. LT_Gruber
    Dec 19, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolute epic game, and the foundation for perfection.

    What can I say about Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War? Well, only that it is one of the best games I have ever played. The lore, tabletop games and comics for the Warhammer 40 000 universe exist for a while now, but so far, we only got some Excellent “Warhammer” games like Dark Omen and Warhammer: Mark of Chaos.

    When the first Warhammer 40 000 game came out, I shat my pants. Finally, a worthy game in the Warhammer 40 000 universe. I could not wait to play it and it did not disappoint. The intro movie starts playing and I was like: “Oh yeah, this is gonna be goood”. And it was.

    The story is as classic as always. You are on Tartarus, which is under attack by vile Orks. You need to wipe them out and secure the planet. The Ork Warboss escapes and you hunt his ass for a few missions. On your pursuit, you discover the presence of Eldar and Chaos aliens in the vicinity and your purge-o-meter is going off the charts.

    The campaign exists of many missions in which you finally kill the Ork warboss from the beginning of the game, attack Eldar settlements and stop Chaos from corrupting the galaxy, like they always try to do. Your glorious conquests in name of the emperor strengthen your Arsenal over time and new units are unlocked in some missions like the Dreadnought and the Predator tank. The game gets harder with every mission and the tension rises.

    The way to win a mission is either by capturing strategic points on the map or by destroying the base of the enemy. The strategic points offer you requisition to purchase more troops and buildings. The more points you have secured, the more dough you get. Of course, the enemy can steal and reclaim those strategic points too. The action is intense and every mission feels like a glorious conquest, it is just epic.

    The game mechanics are easy to understand and work perfectly. You build your base, conquer strategic point, gather some troops and go to war, its that simple.

    The graphics in Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War are still beautiful. They may be a little outdated for todays standards, but when looking back, the effects of the gunfire, the explosions, the craters, the lasers, it is all still very nice to look at. The animations are smooth and the little kill moves some units perform on slain foes gives that Warhammer 40 000 vibe.

    The sound design is also excellent. Explosions from blowing up buildings and vehicles feel rewarding and the grunts of dying foes let you feel invincible sometimes. The voice acting for the story and the units is also really good.

    Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War offers excellent multiplayer in which you battle for domination of the map and trying to win an annihilation or strategic victory. Its also fun to play with friends.

    Although the game is a simple concept, in which you do much of the same, it works and it never bores. The satisfaction you get when you build your base from scratch, train your units and go to war in which sometimes, the struggle is real, is even better than games like Command & Conquer.

    Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War feels and plays in true Warhammer 40 000 style and the expansions that this game produced is a true compliment to its legacy.

    It is an all-time classic and an important part of my gaming history. Definitely recommend this masterpiece to everyone.    … Expand
  7. Chowjust
    Dec 5, 2022
    9
    Easily takes a spot as one of the best RTS games made. Top notch setting and game-play. Do yourself a favour and just play it.
  8. denisc205
    Jun 28, 2022
    10
    Всё потому что это Warhammer Warhammer WarhammerДа здравствует Великий пират
  9. Gorbunov2004
    Oct 15, 2021
    10
    Игра просто топ, как раз из за неё подсел на вселенную WARHAMMER 40,000. В этой игре все отлично то можно добавить еще больше анимаций добивания, и сделать орков более индивидуальней просто они все почти одинаковы и это очень сильно бросается в глаза.Игра просто топ, как раз из за неё подсел на вселенную WARHAMMER 40,000. В этой игре все отлично то можно добавить еще больше анимаций добивания, и сделать орков более индивидуальней просто они все почти одинаковы и это очень сильно бросается в глаза.
  10. Thanatos909
    Jul 14, 2021
    7
    Не думал что ртска сможет заинтересовать меня, но эта игра таки смогла приятно удивить.
    Множество играбельных сторон на выбор, со своим оригинальным геймплеем, а так же замечательный лор настолько завлёк, что я разом установил все дополнения и поочерёдно прошёл их. Имея опыт прохождение всех следующих дополнений, могу сказать что первая часть немного уж плохо сохранилась, поэтому советую    Не думал что ртска сможет заинтересовать меня, но эта игра таки смогла приятно удивить.
    Множество играбельных сторон на выбор, со своим оригинальным геймплеем, а так же замечательный лор настолько завлёк, что я разом установил все дополнения и поочерёдно прошёл их. Имея опыт прохождение всех следующих дополнений, могу сказать что первая часть немного уж плохо сохранилась, поэтому советую начинать играть сразу с последнего дополнения -"Soulstorm". Кардинально игра не меняется, разница лишь в том, что последнее дополнение это та же первая часть, но на максималках. С огромным выбором сторон, интересной сюжеткой, прокачкой командира, нормальной графикой, улучшенным геймплеем и с прочими улучшениями.
    6 "запомни, кольцо выдёргивать, а гранату кидать" из 10    … Expand
  11. dlcatalin
    Mar 6, 2021
    8
    MEh ...very cheesy ...and annoying dialogue. But playable and fun, finished it.
  12. Kotofon
    Jun 6, 2020
    7
    Добро пожаловать в мрачное, темное сорок первое тысячелетие! Здесь идет нескончаемая война за господство в галактике между человечеством и инопланетными расами. В эпической истории о заговоре и предательстве под вашим командованием находится элитный орден Кровавых Воронов. Вы служите императору и защищаете человечество от всех напастей во вселенной Warhammer 40000.Добро пожаловать в мрачное, темное сорок первое тысячелетие! Здесь идет нескончаемая война за господство в галактике между человечеством и инопланетными расами. В эпической истории о заговоре и предательстве под вашим командованием находится элитный орден Кровавых Воронов. Вы служите императору и защищаете человечество от всех напастей во вселенной Warhammer 40000.
  13. nw2010
    May 30, 2020
    7
    16 years after release I finally got round to playing this...

    The in-game graphics have held up in a surprisingly okay way, although textures are of a low quality compared with today (as to be expected). The graphics in the cut scenes is very 2004 :) The sound and voice acting are good throughout, although some of the voices are a bit over-egged (still quite enjoyable). I only    16 years after release I finally got round to playing this...

    The in-game graphics have held up in a surprisingly okay way, although textures are of a low quality compared with today (as to be expected). The graphics in the cut scenes is very 2004 :)

    The sound and voice acting are good throughout, although some of the voices are a bit over-egged (still quite enjoyable).

    I only played the single player campaign and enjoyed it, it was about the right length and there was a nice twist at the end. It took about 11 hours to complete on hard. I say it's about the right length as the missions can all be done in a very similar way - play defensive for a while, build up the strongest army you can and you're then unstoppable.

    Overall I found it fun and will play the expansion packs at some point.    … Expand
  14. Sinmaker
    May 27, 2020
    5
    a ser feita em breve jakjalkahslkdhalkshdlkahslkdahslkdakhldhsaldhaklshdlkahsdklah
  15. Skyware
    Feb 13, 2020
    8
    Dawn of war- это прекрасная игра которая положила начало целой франшизе!
    Именно это игра привела сотни людей в Warhammer, а также возродила ненадолго жанр RTS в глазах людей.Отличный геймплей и сюжет сделали эту игру!
  16. KilledShinigami
    Nov 15, 2019
    9
    I still remember how amazed I was when I played Dawn of War for the first time. Crucial game for the evolution of the RTS genre. It lacks variety found in later add-ons but it is still an awesome introduction to the world of Warhammer 40 000.
  17. Vanco
    Jun 4, 2019
    7
    Good RTS of a tactical level. Features an interesting campaign with great voice acting.
  18. Sandro86
    May 3, 2019
    8
    Guess my love with warhammer 40000 universe started with this game. Really good RTS game.
  19. Lenkors_Wood
    Nov 10, 2018
    10
    the first part of the series "Dawn of war" and in my opinion the best, this part was for me the first of the series 40K. For Players unfamiliar with the books or the desktop version of the game, showed something really interesting and powerful, the game is not just delayed for a good 30 hours of passing the company and online battles, but also gave impetus to dive into the lore of thethe first part of the series "Dawn of war" and in my opinion the best, this part was for me the first of the series 40K. For Players unfamiliar with the books or the desktop version of the game, showed something really interesting and powerful, the game is not just delayed for a good 30 hours of passing the company and online battles, but also gave impetus to dive into the lore of the universe Warhammer 40k… Expand
  20. iddqd4
    Feb 12, 2018
    8
    Мрачные и суровые космодесантники, орды орков, хаоса и эльдаров, красивые спецэффекты, мир вечной войны во всей красе.
  21. Mitya64
    Jan 14, 2018
    9
    Игра шедевр, но мало фракций и русского языка нет. А так шедевр
  22. Terrorblade6495
    Apr 21, 2017
    10
    Biggest RTS game of this year, epic game!!! a lot of fun if you are going to play this game with your friends. Such a good comeback to this dark, bloody and gore world. FOR THE EMPERORRRR!!!
  23. Broyax
    Apr 11, 2017
    2
    Ce serait un jeu très sympathique s'il ne croulait pas sous les bugs (unités qui n'obéissent pas, capacités qui ne s'activent pas) et si l'interface n'était pas aussi perfectible. La vue du champ de bataille n'est pas assez éloignée et l'ensemble exige une micro-gestion permanente particulièrement soûlante. L'environnement est aussi bien trop torturé avec des impasses et des obstaclesCe serait un jeu très sympathique s'il ne croulait pas sous les bugs (unités qui n'obéissent pas, capacités qui ne s'activent pas) et si l'interface n'était pas aussi perfectible. La vue du champ de bataille n'est pas assez éloignée et l'ensemble exige une micro-gestion permanente particulièrement soûlante. L'environnement est aussi bien trop torturé avec des impasses et des obstacles (naturels ou non), ce qui ajoute au bordel ambiant déjà bien assez bordélique comme ça.

    Dommage, car ça n'a pas trop vieilli graphiquement et le principe des points stratégiques à capturer est intéressant mais faute de rigueur suffisante dans la jouabilité et la finition, Dawn of War s'avère être une merde de plus dans le genre surabondant de la stratégie en temps réel. Signalons une musique agréable mais une VF très caricaturale pour ne pas dire ridicule : il faut dire que c'est aussi l'esprit de la licence Warhammer, un jeu de plateau bas de plafond et bas du front.    … Expand
  24. GonzoDiamond
    Nov 1, 2015
    6
    Игра-то хорошая, но на фоне других стратегий в реальном времени смотрится блекло и скучно. Можно отбросить сюжетный режим в сторону, но тогда мы всё равно получим скучные локации, не самое удобное управление, страшненькую картинку и упрощённый геймплей. Такое чувство, будто Warcraft 3 просто неудачно клонировали. Так себе, под пивко на пару вечерков с друзьями.Игра-то хорошая, но на фоне других стратегий в реальном времени смотрится блекло и скучно. Можно отбросить сюжетный режим в сторону, но тогда мы всё равно получим скучные локации, не самое удобное управление, страшненькую картинку и упрощённый геймплей. Такое чувство, будто Warcraft 3 просто неудачно клонировали. Так себе, под пивко на пару вечерков с друзьями.
  25. stefanstevic199
    Aug 30, 2015
    10
    Fantastic game and campaign story ingame, make video game warhammer 40 000 with cards for pc, that will be cool... Dawn of War Warhammer 40 000 is best game ever for me all expansions and patches are great
  26. Zafeer
    Jul 7, 2015
    9
    Solid and balanced game play. Great campaign. Tons of 40k flavour. Only four races though so not a lot of options for multiplayer unless you buy the expansions. It also would've been nice to see a branch of the campaign focus on something other that space marines.
  27. Nepharos
    Feb 2, 2015
    10
    Absolutely a Warhammer fan.
    I've always loved the style of Warhammer Fantasy, painting Wood Elves, High Elves, and other races...
    So when I got this game, I didn't really know what to expect. Eventually it became the game I played for hours and hours on, including all expansions. Playing Single Player campaign, Skirmish and multiplayer skirmishes with friends! Creating many, many army    Absolutely a Warhammer fan.
    I've always loved the style of Warhammer Fantasy, painting Wood Elves, High Elves, and other races...
    So when I got this game, I didn't really know what to expect.
    Eventually it became the game I played for hours and hours on, including all expansions.
    Playing Single Player campaign, Skirmish and multiplayer skirmishes with friends!
    Creating many, many army skins.

    Story
    The story was really fun to play, it uses the great lore Games Workshop created around the Space Marines. Playing with the Blood Raven chapter -I had never seen this chapter in the store- was a delight.
    For the time the cinematics where great and the battle against Chaos was immersive and tense.

    Graphics
    As I noted in the paragraph above, the cinematic graphics where great for that time!
    So where the ingame graphics and animations.
    I truly loved the little animations added to combat, that Space Marine sticking it's chainsaw up into an Orcs face and ripping it appart. The Bloodseeker bashing enemies with it's great axe and cast them aside if it's nothing, etc.

    Gameplay
    This is a squad based RTS, which makes it easy to command your troops and keep a great overview of your army.
    Furthermore I loved the unique resource gain, capturing points and needing to hold them.
    There always was that tense moment when you have a relic and need to keep it!

    Another plus is the easy design on the user interface, very clear and consistent throughout the game and it's expansions.

    Conclusion
    I have played this game for so many hours, with and without friends.
    Playing all races, creating army skins and fighting against every possible threat with that army.
    It was so much fun, for me this is one of the best games ever.

    10/10!    … Expand
  28. MichMart
    Mar 5, 2014
    6
    Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a good strategy game, but you can't choose many civilizations and I miss the Imperial Army - my favourite civilization.
  29. kingthenoob
    Mar 18, 2013
    10
    This is the 2nd BEST rts game i´ve ever played( Company Of Heroes being my favorite). The whole game feels balanced and i have never seen a single bug in the time i´ve been playing it. The story is great, the skirmish is fantastic and with the other expansion packs you will never want to leave it. As it is an old game it is very cheap and easy to get hold of for less than 10 pounds. i amThis is the 2nd BEST rts game i´ve ever played( Company Of Heroes being my favorite). The whole game feels balanced and i have never seen a single bug in the time i´ve been playing it. The story is great, the skirmish is fantastic and with the other expansion packs you will never want to leave it. As it is an old game it is very cheap and easy to get hold of for less than 10 pounds. i am really recommending this for anyone how have played or like rts games.… Expand
  30. faceless-1
    Sep 9, 2012
    10
    As a fun of table Warhammer 40K i am really happy that Warhammer finally god great PC game. This is one of the best RTS games for sure. Esp. in multiplayer or Skirmish.
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PC Game of 2004
14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
11
#11 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. GameCritics
    75
    Everything that Dawn of War does it does exceptionally well. The only real problem is that everything it does has already been done a hundred times before.
    Read full review
  2. PALGN
    85
    The best real-time strategy for a long time. If you have been searching for a real-time strategy game your search is over, whether you are a Warhammer 40,000 fan or not.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Target
    93
    A few minor camera flaws are easily overshadowed by the visceral combat experience that Dawn of War offers.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »