Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV developer King Art Games has released the CGI cinematic trailer for the Necron faction, and it’s got aura written all over it.
This latest trailer shows off the powerful Necron Chronomancer Thothmek, who, like most Necrons who wake after their 60 million year slumber, seems pretty grumpy at the state of the galaxy. Thothmek explains that he’s setting out to reclaim Kronus, which was a Necron Tomb World long before the Space Marines, Orks, and Adeptus Mechanics stepped foot on it.
This is the third of King Art Games’ four in-game CGI narrative trailers for upcoming real-time strategy game Dawn of War IV, and while it perhaps doesn’t beat the wonderful Orks CGI trailer (“CRASH FASTER!”), for me it’s a step up from the disappointing Adeptus Mechanicus CGI trailer, which painted the normally deadly Necrons as worse shots than Star Wars Stormtroopers.
This new trailer, though, makes the Necrons look as imposing and dreadful as they should. I particularly like the Necron bridge, which is dripping with Warhammer 40,000 cool as the xenos march to war. There’s no action here, and I love that. Rather, the Necrons are relying on vibes as they prepare for war. There’s a weight to their presence that helps get that across, I think. That, and plenty of green-hued alien tech you just know will be put to good use out on the battlefield.
Dawn of War IV contains four factions at launch: Space Marines, Adeptus Mechanicus, Necrons, and Orks, which means all we’re waiting for now is the Space Marine CGI trailer. There’s a lot of pressure on that one, given the Dawn of War series’ history with iconic Space Marine CGI trailers.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV launches on PC on September 17, 2026. While you wait, be sure to check out my interview with the developers at King Art Games to find out what to expect.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].