What is Warhammer 40k 11th Edition? It’s the new core edition of Games Workshop’s flagship wargame, launching in June 2026 alongside the Armageddon boxed set, the biggest 40k launch box ever made. It overhauls how detachments, stratagems, cover, and objectives work, while keeping your existing codexes legal. Here is everything that’s confirmed so far, what’s still rumored, and what it means for your army.
This is our living hub for the new edition. We’ll update it as Games Workshop reveals more, and it links out to deeper dives on the full rules changes and the Armageddon starter set.
When Does Warhammer 40k 11th Edition Launch?
11th Edition arrives in June 2026, and the headline release is the Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon boxed set.
- Pre-orders: opened Saturday, June 6, 2026
- In stores: Saturday, June 20, 2026
- Free Core Rules: released digitally in early-to-mid June 2026, ahead of the box, via the Warhammer 40,000 app and a free PDF download
Games Workshop is following its now-familiar pattern: the full rules go out free so anyone can play, while the boxed set bundles the physical rulebook with two armies. So you do not need to buy the box to start playing 11th Edition; you only need the free Core Rules and your existing models.
Some outlets pin the digital Core Rules drop to June 17, while others simply say “early June, ahead of the box.” The rules were live before the June 20 box release; treat the precise day as the soft spot here and check warhammer-community.com for the official timestamp.
Want the wider picture? Our Warhammer release schedule for 2026 tracks every confirmed and rumored drop for the rest of the year.
What Is the Armageddon Box?
Armageddon is the 11th Edition launch set, and Games Workshop is billing it as the biggest 40k launch box yet. It pits a Space Marine strike force against an Ork Waaagh!, the classic poster-child matchup for a new edition.
What’s in the box
- 23 push-fit Space Marines across multiple kits, including a Captain with Relic Shield (a launch-box centerpiece), a Librarian, a Chaplain with Jump Pack, an Ancient bearing the Armageddon banner, 10 Intercessors, 5 Vanguard Veterans, 3 Eradicators in Gravis armour, and an updated Land Speeder
- 38 push-fit Orks, including the brand-new Big Mek Dakkarig (an Ork walker / weapon platform centerpiece), a Warboss, a Weirdboy, a Painboy, 20 Ork Boyz, 10 Gretchin, and supporting characters
- Core Rules booklet (88 pages)
- Armageddon: Operation Imperator hardcover lore book
- Chapter Approved 2026–27 Mission Deck for matched play
- Dominatus Narrative Campaign Deck for casual/narrative games
- Datasheet cards and a large transfer sheet
That’s 61 push-fit miniatures across roughly 12 kits, plus the rules and decks.
The widely reported price is ~$295 USD. A couple of outlets estimated closer to $310 / £185 before pre-orders went live; lock the regional MSRP to your local GW store page before publishing the final number.
The 23 Marines are generic Space Marines you can paint as any Chapter (official “what’s in the box” coverage does not tie them to one Chapter). One guide referred to them as Blood Angels, which appears to conflate the box contents with the Blood-Angels-led story; we treat the minis as Chapter-agnostic unless GW says otherwise.
The two forces clock in around ~750 points each, making the box an instant two-army starting point.
New to the hobby and weighing your options? Compare it against the field in our best Warhammer 40k starter sets guide.
The Biggest 11th Edition Rules Changes
11th Edition is an evolution of 10th, not a ground-up rewrite, but several of the changes are big enough to reshape how games feel. Here are the confirmed headliners. For the full breakdown, see our dedicated 40k 11th Edition rules changes article.
Multiple detachments via Detachment Points
This is the single biggest list-building shift. Detachments now have a cost of 1–3 points, and you spend from a Detachment Point (DP) pool to run more than one detachment in the same army:
- 2 DP at 1,000 points
- 3 DP at 2,000 points
A broad, powerful detachment might cost 3 DP (so it’s your whole army’s theme), while narrower ones cost 1 DP and can be mixed together. There are 70+ new and updated detachments available at launch.
In practice this means a 2,000-point list could run a single sweeping 3 DP detachment for a focused, thematic force, or split its points across a 2 DP and a 1 DP detachment to blend two playstyles. It’s a meaningful jump in flexibility from 10th, where you committed to one detachment for the whole game, and it rewards players who understand how their faction’s options interact. Expect early competitive lists to experiment heavily here as the community works out the strongest combinations.
One stratagem per unit, per phase
Stratagem stacking is gone. A unit can only be affected by one stratagem per phase, and a given stratagem can’t be fired twice in the same phase. This curbs the “buff a single unit into a death star” turns that defined parts of 10th.
Cover now hits your hit rolls
Cover no longer just improves saves. In 11th, being in cover imposes −1 to hit on incoming ranged attacks. Crucially, Monsters and Vehicles no longer get cover just for standing in a terrain footprint, they need to actually be obscured. This makes terrain matter more and protects infantry without making big models un-killable behind a single ruin.
Terrain features become the objectives
Instead of dropping 40mm objective markers onto bare table, physical terrain features themselves act as objectives in many missions. Mission generation is also tied to your Force Disposition (linked to your detachment choices), and each player can end up with their own primary objectives, so two opponents may be chasing slightly different goals on the same battlefield. The upshot is that terrain placement now carries real strategic weight rather than being scenery you shoot around.
Concealment and longer-range shooting
Another knock-on effect of the cover and terrain changes: units in terrain can effectively hide from long-range fire until they shoot or an enemy closes within roughly 15 inches. That blunts the old “delete a key unit from across the table on turn one” opening and rewards careful, aggressive deployment into cover. Confirm the precise distance against the final Core Rules, as pre-launch coverage cited figures in the 12–15 inch band.
10th vs 11th at a glance
| Area | 10th Edition | 11th Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Detachments | One detachment per army | Multiple, paid for with Detachment Points (2 at 1,000pts / 3 at 2,000pts) |
| Detachment cost | Free pick | 1–3 points each |
| Stratagem stacking | Multiple strats could stack on a unit | One stratagem per unit per phase |
| Cover | Improved armour save | −1 to hit on ranged attacks |
| Vehicles/Monsters in terrain | Cover for being in footprint | Must be genuinely obscured |
| Objectives | 40mm markers on the table | Terrain features act as objectives |
| Codex pool at launch | Existing 10th codexes | 70+ new/updated detachments; old codexes still valid |
What’s Happening to My Army?
Good news: your codex still works. At launch, factions without a new 11th Edition codex simply keep using their 10th Edition codex rules in matched play. Recent campaign supplements remain valid too. You don’t throw anything away on day one.
The catch is the transition: as each faction receives its 11th Edition codex, that book replaces the old one for matched play, and the previous version becomes obsolete. So your army stays legal now, but expect to update to the new codex when it’s your faction’s turn.
Coverage suggests Legends rules move into the 40k app over time (added as each faction’s new codex lands, not all at launch), and Crusade narrative content is shifting out of codexes into separate releases. Confirm the current status against the official FAQ before relying on specifics.
Do I need to rebuy my models?
No. 11th Edition does not invalidate your miniatures. The same models you field today are legal in the new edition; what changes over time is the rules text in each faction’s updated codex, not the physical army.
Should Beginners Start Now?
Honestly, yes, this is one of the best moments to jump in. A new edition resets everyone’s knowledge of the meta, the Core Rules are free, and the Armageddon box gives you two painted-ready armies at a meaningful discount versus buying the kits separately.
A few caveats:
- The box is great value, but it isn’t cheap in absolute terms (~$295). If that’s steep, the smaller, single-faction Combat Patrol boxes are a gentler on-ramp.
- If you already know which faction you love, a Combat Patrol plus the free rules may beat the box.
Start here if you’re brand new: what is Warhammer 40k? and how to play Warhammer 40k. Then pick a Combat Patrol for one of the launch factions: Space Marines, Orks, or Blood Angels.
The Armageddon Story (Brief)
11th Edition picks up the thread from 10th’s Return of Yarrick arc and detonates it into a world-spanning war.
The legendary Commissar Yarrick stands once more against the greenskin tide. The Ork warlord Wazdakka Gutsmek leads a vanguard Waaagh! onto the war world, with Ghazghkull Thraka’s main force looming behind it. As the situation collapses, Yarrick’s plea for aid is answered by Operation Imperator, a coalition relief effort led by the Blood Angels and reinforced by Salamanders, Ultramarines, Space Wolves, and a dozen more Chapters.
The campaign book, Armageddon: Operation Imperator, frames the early battles and then opens out into the wider war for the planet. It’s a deliberate callback: Armageddon is one of 40k’s most storied warzones, and pitting the Blood Angels and their allies against Ghazghkull’s Waaagh! gives the new edition an instantly recognisable, high-stakes backdrop. For long-time fans, the return of Yarrick is the emotional hook; for newcomers, it’s a clean, classic Marines-versus-Orks setup that needs no prior reading.
The narrative positions Wazdakka’s vanguard first with Ghazghkull’s main force “incoming.” Whether Ghazghkull himself features as a model or rules in the launch wave (versus later releases) is worth confirming against the official campaign materials.
Dig into the key figures in our lore profiles for Commissar Yarrick and Ghazghkull Thraka.
Release Roadmap After Launch
The launch wave centers on the box’s two armies, then expands.
- First codexes: Space Marines and Orks are the first 11th Edition codexes, since both anchor the Armageddon box.
- Standalone kits: the Armageddon models, plus supporting products like a Combat Patrol Companion, mission decks, and pre-painted terrain, follow shortly after the box.
- Subsequent codexes: Games Workshop will roll out 11th Edition codexes faction by faction over the edition’s lifespan.
Early rumors point to factions like Adeptus Custodes and T’au Empire as strong candidates to follow, with several codexes possible before the end of 2026. Treat any specific order as rumor until GW confirms it.
We maintain a dedicated, continually updated 40k codex release order page; check it for the latest confirmed slots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10th Edition dead?
For matched play, yes, 11th Edition replaces it as the current edition from June 2026. But your 10th Edition codex rules stay legal until your faction gets its 11th Edition codex, so the transition is gradual rather than a hard cutoff.
Do I need to rebuy my models?
No. Your existing miniatures are fully legal in 11th Edition. Only the rules in each faction’s updated codex change over time, never a requirement to repurchase the models themselves.
Is now a good time to start Warhammer 40k?
It’s one of the best times. The Core Rules are free, the meta resets for everyone, and the Armageddon box offers two armies at a discount. If the box price is too high, start with a single-faction Combat Patrol plus the free rules.
How much is the Armageddon box?
Around $295 USD. It includes 61 push-fit miniatures, the Core Rules booklet, the Operation Imperator lore book, two mission/campaign decks, datasheet cards, and transfers, making it the biggest 40k launch box to date.
Are the Core Rules free?
Yes. Like 10th Edition, the 11th Edition Core Rules are available as a free PDF and in the Warhammer 40,000 app. You only pay for models, codexes, and optional physical products like the boxed set.
Which factions get codexes first?
Space Marines and Orks, the two armies in the Armageddon box, are first. After that, Games Workshop releases 11th Edition codexes faction by faction; the exact order beyond the launch pair is currently rumor rather than confirmed.
Last updated: June 11, 2026. We’ll keep this hub current as Games Workshop reveals more about 11th Edition, new codexes, and the Armageddon campaign. For the rules in depth, read our 40k 11th Edition rules changes breakdown; for the box itself, see our Armageddon starter set review.
New (August 2026): New Orks Codex (2026): Ghazghkull, the Waaagh! Rule & Every Big Change — the first faction codex of the edition, fully broken down.
Deep dive: Warhammer 40k Detachment Points Explained (With Examples) — how the new Detachment Points army-building system works, with examples.