Game: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2
Developer: Auroch Digital
Publisher: Big Fan Games · Devolver Digital
Genre: Boomer Shooter
Release: October 14, 2026
Price: $24.99
Platforms: PC · PS5 · Xbox Series X|S (Switch 2 later in 2026)
Steam Deck: Verified
🔫 How we reviewed it: we played Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 on PC ahead of its October 14 launch. Our verdict also draws on the experiences of players since release.
Content note: extreme pixelated violence, blood and gore, and daemonic horror imagery throughout.
📜 Know this first: it picks up right where the first game ended. You don’t need to have played Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, but the story continues directly from it. If you missed it, a Boltgun 1 + 2 bundle is available on Steam. The campaign also branches, so choosing one route can lock you out of others on a single playthrough, but an option in the accessibility menu unlocks every level.
🛠️ The Sequel That Fixed What Didn’t Work
The original Boltgun nailed the feel of being a Space Marine in a ’90s shooter: the crunchy gunplay, the movement, the grimdark humour. But players had complaints, including repetitive level design, too many locked arena fights, bullet-sponge enemies, and no map to stop you getting lost.
Boltgun 2 tackles almost all of them. There’s now an optional navigation guide and automap, which one player called their biggest complaint about the first game. One player says the level design has shifted away from DOOM 2016-style arenas toward more traditional retro shooter design. And there’s a much bigger roster of enemies and weapons, plus two playable characters with different abilities and loadouts. Players keep describing it the same way: Boltgun, but more.
Two heroes, four Chaos gods, and zero mercy
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is the sequel to Auroch Digital’s 2023 retro shooter, published by Big Fan Games and Devolver Digital. Ultramarine Malum Caedo and Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath travel to an isolated star system to investigate reports of Chaos activity, only to face Vashtorr the Arkifane, a daemonic demigod who awakens a vast machine at the heart of a planet and destroys much of the Imperial fleet. Now they must race from world to world, cleansing the corruption powering his machinations, to have any chance of banishing him back to the Warp.
It’s out now on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version coming later this year. Our verdict: Boltgun 2 cranks up the retro FPS carnage with relentless demon hordes and satisfying weapon variety that’ll keep you grinning.
Pick Your Purger
Malum Caedo
Ultramarine Sternguard Veteran, back from the first game
An unrelenting, heavy-hitting force on the battlefield
His chainsword lunge can stunlock even Terminators, according to one player
One player found his movement slower than in Boltgun 1
Nyra Veyrath
Sister of Battle Celestian, new to the series
Swift and nimble, built to control the battlefield
Torches enemies with liquid fire from her Flamer
One player says she has better mobility and stronger melee upgrades
Crucially, these aren’t just two character models. Malum and Nyra have different abilities and completely different weapon loadouts, which, combined with the branching campaign, gives the game a lot of replay value. One player summed it up as Boltgun with five times the replayability, doubled again by the Sister of Battle.
⚔️ More Weapons, More Daemons
The arsenal is bigger and nastier: shred with your chainsword, blast foes into a shower of pixels and blood with the shotgun, or hose them down with the Flamer, which one player singled out as a highlight. The gunplay is as crunchy as ever.
The enemy roster has grown too. You’ll fight forces of all four Chaos gods (Nurgle, Tzeentch, Khorne and Slaanesh): charging Bloodletters and their daemonic Juggernauts, leaping Daemonettes, Noise Marines with devastating sonic weapons, and returning favourites like Nurglings and Chaos Cultists. And watch your aim: one player admits to wiping out a group of Krieg guardsmen they’d just freed by reflexively shooting an explosive barrel.
Bigger Worlds, Better Levels
Boltgun 2 takes you across new worlds and biomes, from the colossal heights of a hive city and the mangrove swamps of a jungle world to the heart of the Ark of Omen. The levels feel more expansive, and the branching campaign means each route has its own unique stages. One player counted 33 levels in total, and another was around seven hours in with plenty left to play, before even touching the optional routes or a second run.
The difficulty seems well judged, too. One player found the higher settings (Hard and the brutal Exterminatus) challenging without being frustrating, and that you can take down most enemies with your starter weapon if you’re good enough. Fittingly, the final boss fight is scored by a guest track from Mick Gordon, the composer behind DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal.
Where It Stumbles
⚠️ Minor Heresies1. Malum feels slower than before. One player found Malum’s mobility noticeably slower than in the first game, and felt Nyra’s better movement and melee upgrades make her the obvious pick. A little rebalancing would help.
2. A branching campaign that locks you out. Choosing one route can lock you out of others on a single run. That’s great if you plan to beat it twice, but one player found it a gimmick. Thankfully, the accessibility menu can unlock every level.
3. A rare progression bug. One player hit a bug in the pre-release build that stopped them progressing until they used the unlock-all option. They expect it to be fixed at launch.
♿ Accessibility & Navigation
One player notes more accessibility options than in the first game, including the option to unlock every level. The new optional navigation guide and automap keep you pointed toward the fight, and there’s full controller support.
Things to Know
📋 Before You Buy
• $24.99 on Steam, and also out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with Switch 2 coming later this year
• A Boltgun 1 + 2 bundle is available on Steam, plus bundles with AMID EVIL and ULTRAKILL
• Steam Deck Verified, and one player says it runs buttery smooth
• Single-player only · full controller support · 16 achievements · 13 languages (full English voice)
• Very light requirements: GTX 980 or RX 570 class GPUs, 8 GB RAM and a 13 GB install, targeting 60 fps at 1080p
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
Crunchy GunplayAs satisfying as the original, with a bigger arsenal.
Slower MalumHe feels less mobile than in the first game.
Branch LockoutsSome routes are locked out per playthrough, unless you use the unlock option.
Two Distinct HeroesDifferent abilities and loadouts, not just a skin swap.
Nyra Outclasses HimBetter mobility and melee upgrades make her the default pick.
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A Massive Enemy RosterForces of all four Chaos gods, from Bloodletters to Noise Marines.
A Rare Pre-Release BugProgression could stall in the review build.
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Better Level DesignFewer locked arenas, plus a map and automap.
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Great Value$24.99, Steam Deck Verified, and a Mick Gordon final boss track.
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The Verdict
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 is a textbook example of how to make a sequel. It keeps everything that made the original great (the chunky retro gunplay, the grimdark humour, the joy of turning daemons into pixelated mist) and addresses nearly every complaint, with smarter level design, a map, fewer bullet sponges and a much bigger roster of enemies and weapons.
The second playable character and the branching campaign add plenty of replay value, even if Malum could use a speed boost to keep up with his new partner, and not everyone will love being locked out of routes.
The honest read: if you liked the first Boltgun, you’ll love this, and if you like boomer shooters at all, it’s an easy recommendation at $24.99. The Emperor protects, and so does a Flamer.
I'm a passionate gamer and video game enthusiast. I find immense joy in creating detailed and insightful video game reviews, diving deep into different adventures anytime I can manage. But if there's one thing that truly gets my heart racing, it's the thrill of surviving zombie-infested landscapes. Join me on my gaming journey as I explore and share my thoughts on the undead-filled worlds of gaming! 🎮🧟♂️
