The Emperor's pixelated finest are back on duty. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, Auroch Digital's sequel to its 2023 retro shooter, launches today, October 14, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. Big Fan Games, the Devolver Digital label that publishes it, has also promised a Nintendo Switch 2 version, though that one still has no date. On Steam the game lists at $24.99, with a 10% launch discount bringing it to $22.49 for now.
Picking up where Boltgun left off
Boltgun 2 continues straight on from the ending of the first game. This time the story centres on an isolated star system where Chaos activity has drawn Imperial attention, and on Vashtorr the Arkifane, a daemonic demigod who sets off a daemon-powered machine that tears through much of the Imperial fleet. What is left of the response falls to two heroes, and the campaign sends them from world to world to burn out the corruption feeding Vashtorr's plan before they can try to banish him back to the Warp.
The biggest structural change is that the campaign now branches. Auroch Digital says there are more than 30 levels spread across a range of planets, and you choose which region to hit next. That also means you will not see every level in a single run: picking one route gives up another, which gives the game some built-in reason to be played twice.
Two heroes, two play styles
The original Boltgun put you in the armour of one Space Marine. The sequel gives you a choice. Malum Caedo returns, now described as a Sternguard Veteran, the heavy and relentless option. Alongside him is Nyra Veyrath, a Sister of Battle built around speed and flame, who trades the Ultramarine's brute force for mobility and the ability to set whole crowds alight. Each character has their own weapons and abilities, so the choice changes how you approach a fight, not just the player model.
All four Chaos gods, finally
Players of the first game asked for all four Chaos powers, and the sequel delivers. Boltgun 2 adds more than 40 new enemy types drawn from the followers of Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh, and the developer says the boss fights are more complex than before. Some of the line-up, as previewed by the studio in the run-up to launch:
Khorne sends World Eaters and their daemons, including Bloodletters that leap in with hellblades and Bloodcrushers, Bloodletters riding brass Juggernauts that split into two separate threats when badly damaged. Nurgle brings regenerating swarms of Poxwalkers, ranged Plague Marines whose slime volleys leave hazardous zones, and armoured Blightlord Terminators. Tzeentch fields Thousand Sons Rubric Marines alongside Scarab Occult Terminators that phase-shift and redeploy when you take aim at them. Slaanesh's warriors round out the set.
Same retro feel, bigger arsenal
The fundamentals are deliberately unchanged. Boltgun 2 keeps the fast, strafing combat and chunky sprite-meets-3D style of the original, with enemies bursting into showers of square pixels. On top of the returning chainsword and boltgun there are new weapons to unlock as the campaign goes on, and the new locations push beyond the first game's settings, from the heights of a hive city to jungle mangrove swamps and a Nurgle-infested death world. A new navigation guide is meant to stop you getting lost in bigger levels and keep you heading toward the fighting.
The soundtrack has a notable new name attached. Mick Gordon, the composer behind DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal and Wolfenstein: The New Order, is credited as a guest composer, with an original track first teased in the release date trailer back in August.
PC specs and file size
The PC requirements are modest. The game needs 13 GB of storage and DirectX 12 on a 64-bit version of Windows. The minimum spec targets 60 fps at 1080p on Low settings, and the recommended spec targets the same frame rate at High.
- Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, Intel Core i5-8600K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 980 / Radeon R9 Fury / Arc A580 (4 GB)
- Recommended: Windows 11 64-bit, Intel Core i7-7700K or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1650 / Radeon RX 570 (4 GB)
Boltgun 2 is also rated Steam Deck Verified, so it should run on Valve's handheld with no tweaking needed. The Switch 2 port remains the only announced version still without a date.
