Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2's grimdark goodness is so moreish I'll gladly give Games Workshop more money

By the Emperor, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a triumph worthy of Saint Katherine, and a celebration of all things set in a grimdark universe.

The video game adaptations of Warhammer are hit-or-miss for me. I regret to say that I only tend to be interested if Space Marines are involved, but that’s mainly because I play that faction on the tabletop.

While Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun was a fun romp, it didn’t blow me away. I enjoyed my time with it, but the later levels got repetitive fast. Its sequel feels leagues better.

Scalpel and (War)Hammer

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 doubles the fun of its predecessor by having two playable characters instead of one. The Ultramarine Malum Caedo returns to purge more heretics, and is joined by the Sister of Battle Nyla Veyrath.

The pair are tasked with thwarting heresy across several planets, with the chaos demigod and Soul Forge King Vashtorr the Arkifane pulling the strings. Vashtorr quickly realises he’s genuinely not built for this though, as characters that have names in the Warhammer 40,000 universe are often wrapped in a dense layer of plot armour - and this time, he’s fighting two of them.

Malum Caedo plays almost exactly the same as he did in the first game. His hulking frame is perfectly-equipped for charging through hordes and his arsenal of heavy weapons are useful in any encounter.

It’s Nyla Veyrath who shines brightest though. She’s by far my favourite character in the game and I’d highly recommend you play the game with her first and Caedo second.

When a Warhammer character has me browsing a new army online, you know they’ve ticked every box.

While Caedo is like a hammer, Nyla is like a scalpel. Her approach to combat is agile and precise. Her Power Sword finely slices her enemies to ribbons or skewers them at awesome speed, while her unique array of ranged weapons are built for enemies of all shapes and sizes.

The Ministorum Flamer for example is primed for melting a unit of marines or cultists, whereas a Plasma Pistol packs a punch better-suited for armoured foes like the Helbrute or Maulerfiend.

Combat is an immensely satisfying experience. While difficulty spikes were a common complaint regarding the first game, it felt like there was a natural progression this time around.

Your carnage is also back-tracked by another banging soundtrack, including a song by the legendary Mick Gordon who provides Vashtorr’s theme.

Devolver Digital

I’m also thrilled the infamous ‘taunt’ button has returned. I was spamming this non-stop as Nyra to hear all of her voice lines.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the way Caedo and Nyra feel in this game. They share the same basic principles of combat whilst still being functionally different. I only wish you could switch between them from level-to-level rather than having to start a separate campaign for each one. That said, I can understand why Auroch Digital did this.

I’m also gutted that a multiplayer component wasn’t included. I’d have loved to have played this with a friend via online or local co-op and we’ve seen how well it can work in similar games. Hopefully, it’s something that’s being considered for a post-launch update, or maybe even a third game in this spin-off series.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 fixes my biggest gripe with the first game

As I said before, the first game’s levels could get quite repetitive, especially when nearing the end of the game.

The sequel fixes that by giving you options. While some levels are mandatory, you’re often given the choice between two paths. This makes getting two playthroughs in either character easy as you can simply play the level you skipped on your first run.

This fixes the repetitive arenas and corridors of the first game immediately as each planet would have its own unique look, feel and hazards. The Warhammer 40,000 universe is vast, so why limit the game to just one location?

For even more variety, each planet is themed around a different foe, and I’m thrilled with how well the different enemy factions translate from their tabletop counterparts.

One planet saw me tangle with the World Eaters, a Chaos faction known for its berserkers and another army I play regularly. Aside from having their own unique enemy types, many could also call upon a rage-state after sustaining enough damage, which made them far more aggressive. This encourages you to focus your fire rather than try to pepper a large group.

Another planet would have me face the Emperor’s Children, whose Noise Marines would disorientate me with supersonic blaster fire as duelling sabers would cut into me from all sides.

The Chaos Space Marine factions were also reinforced by their respective daemons, who possess their own unique fighting styles and abilities.

Devolver Digital

They say variety is the spice of life and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 has nailed that sentiment. Chaos Space Marines, World Eaters, Emperor’s Children, Deathguard and the Thousand Sons are all represented beautifully and were a genuine pleasure to fight for how different they were.

I’d recommend Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 to anyone, even those who aren’t fans of boomer shooters

While Doom, Quake, Ultrakill and other such games all have homes in my game libraries, I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of the boomer shooter genre.

It was the Warhammer IP that sparked my interest in the first Boltgun game - and it’s the same story for the sequel.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is obviously going to cater most to those who love the franchise, but like the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine games, it doesn’t alienate those who might be brand-new, nor does it alienate those unaccustomed to the brutality of boomer shooters.

I only played on medium difficulty and while I did my fair-share of exploring, I didn’t go out of my way to find every secret in every level. Despite this, I thought the challenge was both moderate and fitting. Health and ammo was plentiful and while you’re consistently introduced to new weapons, you have plenty of time to put your new toy to the test before you pick up the next one.

You also don’t need the super-human reflexes of a Space Marine to tackle its toughest challenges. All of my deaths felt fair and deserved, and the game saved often enough where losing too much progress was never a concern for me.

Final thoughts

Warhammer 40:000: Boltgun 2 was a bombastic, fun-filled romp from start-to-finish and unlike the first game, I’m actually likely to replay it a few times.

I was thrilled to see Malum Caedo return, but surprised by how quickly Nyra outshines him as a playable character. It’s fine though; there’s room for two badass super soldiers in this series.

The only gripe I have is how the game could have gone a tad further with its dual-character narrative. No co-op feels like a missed trick and it would have been nice to have an easier way of switching characters in-between levels rather than reverting to the Main Menu.

However, I’d still highly-recommend it to casual or hardcore Warhammer fans, and even those who are completely new to the IP. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to buy a Sisters of Battle Combat Patrol…

Pros: Nyra is an excellent new addition and even outshines Caedo, combat is as chunky ans satisfying as ever, fixes the first game’s biggest problem by adding more varied environments/enemies, glorious visuals and a soundtrack that slaps.

Cons: Two awesome characters to play as, but no easy way of switching between or co-op mode.

For fans of: Doom, Quake, Warhammer 40k

9/10: Exceptional

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is out now as of October 14 2026, for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 (version tested) and PC. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.