Warhammer 40:000 Rogue Trader, an enormous CRPG set in the grim dark Warhammer 40k universe, has sold over one million copies since it was released in winter 2023, according to publisher Owlcat Games. To celebrate, the game is currently on sale via GOG at a whopping 45% discount – but if you want to take advantage you need to hurry, as the sale isn’t going to last!
Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader is available for $27.49 (£23.69) from GOG until 12am PST / 3am EST / 8am GMT on January 22. If you already have the base game you can get the DLC Void Shadows at a 20% discount.
Despite the Warhammer 40k setting having so much juicy lore, most of the best Warhammer 40k games ever released have been action games or strategy titles, not RPGs. Rogue Trader is the first traditional isometric CRPG set in the 40k universe, and it is mind-bogglingly huge – a regular playthrough lasts 100 hours, and a completionist run will take you more like 150. That’s not counting the first DLC, and ignoring the fact that there’s another DLC in development.
The game does a fantastic job establishing the 40k setting for newcomers, while being rich in detail and deep lore cuts for veterans. Your custom character is a potential heir to a Rogue Trader’s merchant dynasty, plucked from their old life and thrust into a position of power and authority on a void ship the size of a small city.
So it makes sense for your character to ask all sorts of awkward questions. They’re a fish out of water in this scenario, but they’re so high-ranking that nobody is going to gainsay the – perfect for players new to the universe who can’t tell the Space Marine chapters from the Sisters of Battle.
The game has a very crunchy turn-based combat system, backed up with excellent sound design that gives every weapon a real kick. As well as a central mystery narrative, over the course of the game you’ll interact with other Warhammer 40k factions through trade, diplomacy, and extreme violence.
Your personal quest starts with the assassination of your mentor and the revelation of a conspiracy, and escalates from there. While you try and keep that in hand, you’ll build a trade empire that spans multiple star systems. There are many options to twist the narrative in substantial ways, as you deal both with 40k Xenos and with the servants of the 40k Chaos gods. And we haven’t even mentioned the ten companion characters, with stories of their own…
If you want to learn more, our Rogue Trader review goes into much more detail. We noted quite buggy performance in the review build, but Owlcat has implemented a lot of fixes in the year and a bit since the game launched.
Did you know that Rogue Trader is actually an adaptation of a pen and paper RPG of the same name? You can learn more about the tabletop game in our guide to Warhammer 40k RPGs. The team at Owlcat played TTRPG sessions as a way to introduce all team members to the 40k setting – you can read more about what they got up to in this feature.
Source: Wargamer
