Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy sets January 28, 2027 launch for Owlcat's Inquisition cRPG

Owlcat Games has finally put a date on its next Warhammer cRPG: Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy launches January 28, 2027. The twist? You don't start as a world-shaking Rogue Trader this time. You start as a lowly acolyte, and the paperwork is heresy.

If you sank a hundred hours into Rogue Trader, this is the studio's darker, more street-level follow-up, swapping a void ship for a magnifying glass and a very large gun. We went hands-on with the game not that long ago for a sneak peek:

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy key art of the Inquisitor's companions posed before a burning hive city under a black sun — The war band, assembled. Good luck getting them to agree on anything.

Heresy, top to bottom

Dark Heresy is set in the Calixis Sector during the 41st Millennium, where cults, conspiracies and servants of the Archenemy thrive everywhere from the hive slums to the glittering spires of the elite. You join the Inquisition and build a war band of zealots and outcasts to investigate crimes and apostasy before it's too late.

Four Dark Heresy companions stride down a gothic Imperial hall lined with red banners and candelabras — Investigations often start in the Imperium's nicer hallways.

Recruiting is where it gets interesting. Owlcat's roster includes the abhuman Cogg, the psyker Saro, the Pariah Discordance, the Aeldari Corsair Laarthyr and Ra'akhti, a Kroot with a taste for flesh. More human options include Catachan fighter Haymar, bored Rogue Trader Chorda and the inscrutable Touma, each with their own reasons for signing up.

A Kroot companion crouches behind a rock as cultists swarm a scorched bone-strewn camp in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy — A Kroot in the party means a very different dinner conversation.

Every companion brings skills to the cause, whether in the revamped tactical combat or as advice during investigations. How you close a case is up to you. Chase the truth at all costs, or sacrifice innocents for your own gain. Just know every decision has consequences, intended or not.

That's the part I'm most curious about. A detective story only works when your choices matter, and putting an Aeldari, a Kroot and a Catachan in the same interrogation room sounds like a recipe for three very different answers to the same question. At least one of them probably involves eating the suspect.

An armored Ogryn squares off against Kroot warriors in a misty swamp lit by alien machinery in Dark Heresy — Combat is turn-based and tactical, with plenty of room for bad ideas.

When and where

Launch: January 28, 2027
Platforms: PC via Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store, plus PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S
Nintendo Switch 2: details later
Founder's Packs: on sale on the official website until the beginning of January
Beta: open to all founders now, closing January 7 to prepare for launch

Glowing green holographic figures replay a crime scene as the Dark Heresy party investigates a dim underhive floor — Reconstructing a crime scene, Inquisition style.

If you own a Founder's Pack, now's the time to get your beta hours in. After January 7, the Inquisition goes quiet for three weeks before the doors open for everyone.

Haymar Devos, a Catachan jungle fighter with a red bandana and knife, stands in a blood-spattered hall — Meet some of the company you'll be keeping.

Cogg, a hulking abhuman conscript gripping a heavy gun, crouches in a grimy underhive alley — Meet some of the company you'll be keeping.

Want to see the war band in motion? Owlcat's release date trailer is below.

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy arrives on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on January 28, 2027, with Switch 2 news to come. You can find it on Steam here, or grab a Founder's Pack on the official site before January. Stay tuned to GamingTrend.com for our review, and for all your upcoming reviews, previews, and gaming news! Given what we saw in the early beta, this is going to be another big hit from the team.