Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is Owlcat Games’ 2023 party-based RPG, and the first CRPG ever set in the grimdark far future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. You play a newly appointed Rogue Trader, a chartered explorer and merchant lord with near-total authority across a stretch of the Koronus Expanse, commanding a ship and crew through a galaxy of religious fanaticism, alien threats, and the crushing bureaucracy of the Imperium.
Owlcat built it on the same tactical, turn-based foundation as their Pathfinder games, but shifted the tone entirely: less high-fantasy excess, more oppressive sci-fi dystopia, and dialogue that treats every choice as a shade of tyranny, pragmatism, or survival rather than simple good and evil.
It’s widely praised for genuinely nailing the 40K setting, and just as consistently flagged for combat that doesn’t always live up to the writing around it.
Curious how it stacks up against the rest of the genre? See where it lands in our ranking of the best party-based RPG games you can play right now.
Is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Worth It?
Yes, particularly for fans of the setting or strong narrative RPGs, with one consistent caveat. Reviews land in a fairly tight positive band, 8/10 from IGN, Screenrant, and TheGamer, a “Generally Favorable” 7.8 user score on Metacritic, and Steam reviews trending strongly positive. Critics repeatedly single out the writing as some of Owlcat’s best work, sharper and more personal than their Pathfinder games, backed by genuinely strong voice acting and a cast of companions that capture the setting’s mix of dark humor and religious fanaticism convincingly.
The recurring criticism is just as consistent across outlets: combat pacing. Multiple reviewers note that individual fights are engaging early on but grow repetitive over a long campaign, enemies turning into “damage sponges” in the back half, and the game’s separate ship-to-ship naval combat is called out repeatedly as slow and sluggish, closer to a chore than a highlight. PC Gamer was the outlier with a notably low 59/100 specifically over this, calling the combat “a drag,” while most other outlets scored it well despite raising the same concern less severely. The game is also very text-heavy and more linear than a typical CRPG, worth knowing if you came in expecting Baldur’s Gate 3’s scale of open exploration.
Gameplay & Features
You build a crew of companions drawn from across the Imperium’s factions, then explore the Koronus Expanse through turn-based tactical combat, ground battles built around limited action and movement points, plus a distinct ship-to-ship naval combat layer for void encounters. A management system lets you develop colony worlds under your control, researching projects and shaping how your holdings grow, echoing the Crusade system from Owlcat’s earlier Pathfinder games but reworked for this setting.
Dialogue and story choices lean heavily on moral ambiguity rather than clear-cut alignment, and a romance system lets you build relationships with your companions across the campaign. The whole thing is delivered with an unusually large amount of full voice acting for a game this text-dense.
- The first CRPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, built by a team of clear franchise fans
- Turn-based tactical ground combat alongside separate ship-to-ship naval battles
- A colony management system for developing worlds under your control
- Extensive full voice acting across companions and major story beats
- Around 100-130 hours for a full playthrough
If you enjoy Owlcat’s approach to deep, systems-heavy CRPGs, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is their other major title, same studio, high-fantasy setting instead.
PC System Requirements
Rogue Trader asks for reasonably modern hardware, more demanding than Owlcat’s earlier Pathfinder games, but still approachable for most current gaming PCs.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4590T | Intel Core i5-6400 |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 or Intel HD Graphics 630 | AMD Radeon RX 570 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 40 GB available | 40 GB available |
It’s also officially supported on macOS (including native Apple Silicon) and Linux, and it’s Steam Deck Verified. Console players can find it on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; a Nintendo Switch 2 version has been discussed but wasn’t confirmed as of this writing.
How to Buy & Play Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
The base game is priced at $49.99, though it goes on sale frequently, often dropping to around $19.99 during major Steam sales.
- Buy Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader on Steam, for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Also available on GOG, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
After purchase, install through your chosen storefront. If you’re not already familiar with Warhammer 40,000’s setting, the game explains what you need as you go, though some background reading on the universe beforehand doesn’t hurt given how text-heavy the writing is. For a smoother, more guided party RPG, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 are worth comparing against, and our full RPG catalog covers more options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader worth buying?
Yes, especially for fans of the 40K setting or strong narrative RPGs. The writing and atmosphere are consistently praised; combat pacing, particularly in the back half and during naval battles, is the most common complaint.
Do I need to know Warhammer 40,000 lore to play?
No, though some familiarity helps. The game explains key concepts as you go, but it is genuinely text-heavy and assumes some patience with reading, regardless of prior lore knowledge.
Is the combat actually bad?
Not bad exactly, individual encounters are generally well-regarded, but reviewers consistently note it grows repetitive over the campaign’s length, and the separate naval combat is widely considered the weakest part of the game.
How does it compare to Owlcat’s Pathfinder games?
Same tactical, systems-heavy foundation, but a very different tone, grimdark sci-fi dystopia instead of high fantasy, with sharper, more personal writing according to multiple reviewers.
How long does it take to finish?
A full playthrough typically runs 100-130 hours depending on how much side content you engage with.
Who made Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader?
Owlcat Games developed and published it under license from Games Workshop, releasing on December 7, 2023.
