All Warhammer 40k Codex release dates in 2025

Which Warhammer 40k codex releases are coming in 2025? 18 armies have now received their 10th edition codex (or at least an index update) – but there are ten more we know will get a rulebook before the next edition. We’re keeping this guide stocked with all the 10th edition codex release dates we know are coming in 2025 and beyond, and the latest new releases too. There’s also handy info on how to use your codexes and links to our army guides.

If you’re new to Games Workshop’s premier sci-fi miniature wargame, our expert guides to the Warhammer 40k factions will help you get oriented in this huge sci-fi world – there’s more than just Space Marine chapters.

For now, though, let’s run through the latest official codex rulebooks – some already released, some scheduled, and others as yet mired in mystery. You can click the links below to find the info you need:

Confirmed 10th edition codex release dates

Of the at least 24 10th edition codexes we expect to arrive over the (roughly) three years of the edition, 18 factions now have either a codex or an updated index, with three more books due in mid 2025. There was also a re-release of Index Deathwatch, after it was deprecated by Codex Imperial Agents.

Here’s a table showing all the codexes (and updates) released so far:

If you’re wondering when a particular codex released during 9th edition 40k, check out our guide to 9th edition codexes.

Chaos Daemons Rules Update

Games Workshop released a free, updated Chaos Daemons 10th edition index on March 12, 2025 – you can download the free PDF Index here. Though it dashes fans’ hopes for a standalone codex this edition, we’re encouraged by the decision – the more free rules in the game, the better.

There are a raft of small changes in the rules, with GW highlighting a few themed buffs for the different gods:

• “Bloodthirsters, Skarbrand and Bloodcrushers all get a 3+ Armour Save”
• “Daemonettes and Tranceweavers now have Fights First all the time”
• “Great Unclean Ones now increase the Toughness of nearby Nurgle units”

On the whole, it means that Chaos Daemons remain a fully supported standalone army – but not likely a mainstream choice. Your Plaguebearers, Nurglings, Bloodletters, Horrors, Flamers, and other gribbly nasties are more likely to see play as allies to their favorite Chaos Space Marines, using their rules in the Emperor’s Children codex and the similar sections we expect in the upcoming Death Guard, World Eaters, and Thousand Sons ‘dexes.

This arrangement, with daemons and mortal followers of a specific god in one army list, is similar to how chaos forces are organised in Warhammer Age of Sigmar armies – and Age of Sigmar does not have a standalone battletome for Chaos Daemons as a whole.

Emperor’s Children codex release date

The brand new Emperor’s Children codex was released as part of the Emperor’s Children army set on Saturday, March 15, 2025. It went to pre-order two weeks before the release date, on Saturday, March 1. Codex: Emperor’s Children is the newest 10th edition codex to be released, and 18th so far in this edition (if you count the Chaos Daemons index overhaul).

We’ve thoroughly tested the new codex and army set thanks to Games Workshop – read the full details in our Codex Emperor’s Children review.

Games Workshop will release the codex as a standalone book very soon – but it hasn’t yet confirmed exactly when we’ll be getting it. As per other recent army launches, though, we can expect the codex alongside further model kits for the Emperor’s Children – most prominently the new Fulgrim model, the third traitor primarch to rejoin the game.

Warhammer 40k codex roadmap

The next Warhammer 40k codex army book to release will be Codex World Eaters, Death Guard, or Thousand Sons – all three scheduled for mid 2025.

Games Workshop revealed a new Warhammer 40k 10th edition codex roadmap at the Las Vegas Open on January 16 2025. Astra Militarum, Aeldari, and Emperor’s Children were scheduled as the first three 10th edition codexes to release in 2025 – and, as of March, all three are now out.

The World Eaters, Death Guard, and Thousand Sons will receive their new codexes next, in what’s sure to be a very chaotic Spring and Summer. Even though they don’t appear on the roadmap, Games Workshop revealed back in 2024 that the Imperial Knights would receive an updated codex this year.

The four other factions marked as “on the horizon” in the 2025 roadmap aren’t named, but are easy to identify from the imagery: the Grey Knights, Salamanders, Black Templars, and Chaos Knights.

Here’s our run-down of the upcoming codexes we’re still expecting and their estimated release windows:

Of those, the Salamanders are the most surprising, as they last had a standalone codex supplement during Warhammer 40k 8th edition.

The surprise release of Codex Imperial Agents in 2024, which collected the rules for Inquisitors, Rogue Traders, Imperial Assassins, and the Deathwatch, seems to bode well for further new (or resurrected) factions to be added to the tabletop game – we’ll keep praying to the Emperor of Mankind…

Will Space Wolves have a standalone Warhammer 40k codex?

With fellow non codex compliant chapters the Black Templars and Dark Angels now fully integrated into 10th edition as standalone factions, speculation is rife that the Space Wolves – ferocious sons of Leman Russ – will be next for that treatment.

Given that the Salamanders – a Space Marine chapter that’s historically been far less of an individual force, supported by rules and models, than the Space Wolves – are getting a codex supplement in 2025, it seems very reasonably to expect the Wolves to get a book in time before Warhammer 40k 11th edition launches in (almost certainly) Summer 2026.

GW has given no hint just yet about Space Wolves codex or releases for 10th edition, but we’re keeping our ear pressed to the ground!

Which armies have free PDF expansions?

In December 2024, Games Workshop released one new, free, one-off expansion PDF for each army as part of its ‘Grotmas Calendar’ promotion.

Each PDF adds a full Warhammer 40k detachment, complete with detachment rule, four Enhancements, and six Stratagems, to offer a new way to play each faction. These detachments are available to use in games alongside the ones provided in your faction’s codex (or Index, if you don’t have one yet).

You can download the detachment PDFs below:

How do I redeem Warhammer 40k codex codes?

You’ll find a unique Warhammer 40k codex code in the back of each printed Codex. You can register this code on your MyWarhammer account, which will in turn unlock all the datasheets and Detachments from the Codex in the Warhammer 40k app.

You can then use that data in the Battle Forge army builder. You will be limited to just one army list at a time in the app, unless you also have a Warhammer+ subscription.

What are Warhammer 40k codex books?

Codexes are the traditional home for the rules for each Warhammer 40k faction, though Warhammer 40k 10th edition launched with a full set of free ‘Index’ rules for each army.

As Codexes are released, they supercede the Index, updating rules and points, and adding new Warhammer 40k detachments that give you alternative ways to build your army that will reward you with new abilities, enhancements, and 40k Stratagems.

We also have a rundown of the best Warhammer 40k starter set for your needs, too. You’ll find lots more at our Warhammer 40k homepage.

Source: Wargamer