Dawn of War IV vs. the miniatures: how close are the units to the tabletop?

Too colourful, too clean, too far from the source? We put 16 Dawn of War IV units next to their Games Workshop miniatures, from the Intercessors to the Onager Dunecrawler. See for yourself.

Contents [hide show]

Space Marines
Orks
Necrons
Adeptus Mechanicus
Your turn

Too colourful, too clean, not grimdark enough: anyone following the discussion around Dawn of War IV keeps running into this criticism of its art style, including in the Closed Beta feedback. Often a second claim comes along with it: that KING Art has strayed too far from the Warhammer 40,000 original.

Instead of adding another opinion, we give you the side-by-side. We put selected units from the footage released so far right next to the matching Games Workshop miniatures, four per faction: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and Adeptus Mechanicus. Below each pair we list what is worth a closer look: silhouette and proportions, colours, details. The verdict is yours.

One caveat first: Dawn of War IV releases on 3 December 2026 (early access with the Commander Edition from 30 November). So we are comparing pre-release material, not the final game. The game images are stills from the official faction trailers, as in our unit overview, plus one Steam screenshot. The miniatures are shown in Games Workshop's official studio paint jobs.

1. Space Marines

Dawn of War IV features two playable Chapters: the Blood Ravens and the Dark Angels. Our examples show both Chapters. Most of the studio miniatures wear Ultramarines blue, only the Terminators are painted as the Dark Angels' Deathwing.

Primaris Space Marines

Intercessors are the Primaris line infantry: huge pauldrons, broad chest plates, heavy boots.

Worth a closer look:

Proportions: the slightly exaggerated head-to-body ratio typical of Primaris armour.
Wargear: in the trailer they carry bolt rifles, like the squad in the miniature photo. Insignia and details differ by Chapter.
Colours: Dark Angels green instead of Ultramarines blue, under bright desert sun in the game shot.

Deathwing Terminators

Terminator armour turns every Marine into a walking tank: angular pauldrons, a low-set helmet, heavy weapons in both hands. In the Dark Angels, the Deathwing wears it in bone white.

Worth a closer look:

Colours: no change of Chapter here, both sides show the bone-coloured Deathwing scheme. That makes this pair a good one for comparing hue and saturation directly, in the game shot against rust-red ground.
Silhouette: the broad, almost square outline and the helmet sitting low between the shoulders.
Wargear: in the trailer all three carry storm bolters. The miniature photo shows several variants instead, including lightning claws, a hammer and a storm shield.

Invictor Tactical Warsuit

The Invictor is a warsuit with an open cockpit: the pilot sits in plain sight behind a cage, on top of legs like those of a small Dreadnought.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the cockpit cage, the antennas, the slim legs and the mismatched arms with fist and gun.
Colours: Blood Ravens red with black limbs instead of Ultramarines blue. In the game shot, dust and haze mute the red.
Size: Marines walk along in the background of the game shot, which shows how tall the Invictor stands in the game.

Redemptor Dreadnought

The Redemptor is the big Primaris Dreadnought: broad hull, short, sturdy legs, heavy weapons on both arms.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: shoulder armour, front section, the short legs and the weapons on both arms. In the game shot it is shown head-on and in full.
Colours: Blood Ravens red with black and bone accents instead of Ultramarines blue, so a different colour scheme, not a different model.
Impression: a cleanly painted machine against white on the miniature, a colossus on dark volcanic ground in the game.

2. Orks

Ork Boyz

Games Workshop has always exaggerated the greenskins on purpose: huge jaws, broad torsos, short legs and weapons far too big for the ones carrying them.

Worth a closer look:

Proportions: jaws, shoulders, leg length and the size of choppas and sluggas relative to the body.
Colours: Ork green, dark leather, rusty metal. In the game shot the greens are more yellowish and lighter than on the studio paint job.
Variants: there are several model generations and loadouts, so a perfect match of every strap is not to be expected.

Squighog Boyz

Squighog Boyz ride squighogs, hulking squigs with huge maws that look more like an angry rhino than a mount.

Worth a closer look:

Proportions: the size of rider versus squighog and the wide maw with its tusks.
Colours: red squig hide and green riders on both sides. In the game shot the red is darker and browner, against muted grassland.
Wargear: on the miniatures the riders carry lances and banners, in the game shot the squighogs are charging and mostly seen from the front.

Deff Dread

A Deff Dread is a tin can on short legs, with an Ork pilot inside and four arms full of klaws and big shootas.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the barrel-shaped hull, the four arms and the short, splayed legs.
Colours: yellow with black stripes in the game shot, red on the studio miniature. Ork clans paint their machines in their own colours, so the lore allows for both.
Scale: in the trailer several Deff Dreads stomp across the ice at once, while the miniature stands alone against white.

Gorkanaut

The Gorkanaut is no elegant construction but a massive heap of welded armour plates, weapons and machinery.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the bulging hull, the raised klaw, the rotary gun and the gunner on top of the machine.
Colours: the biggest colour difference in the whole comparison, and the exact reverse of the Deff Dread: the studio miniature shines in Bad Moons yellow, while the Gorkanaut in the game shot is rusty, brown and grimy.
Materials: on the miniature, the paint job clearly separates metal, wood and cloth. In the game they blend together more through dust, shadows and explosions.

An interesting read on this is the preview by PC Games Hardware (German), which praises the Orks' look up close but criticises readability in battle: small infantry gets lost on dark ground and effects cover up units.

3. Necrons

Deathmarks

Deathmarks are the Necrons' snipers: slender bodies, hood-like head armour and extra-long synaptic disintegrators.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the long rifles, the shape of the heads and the green energy orbs on the shoulders. In the trailer they kneel in a firing line, while the miniatures stand aiming.
Colours: bronze limbs, dark armour and a pale skull on both sides. On the miniature the bronze is more coppery and glossy, in the game shot browner and more matte, against snow and ice.
Kit: at Games Workshop, Deathmarks and Immortals come from the same kit, with the Deathmarks being the version with the long rifles.

Canoptek Spyder

The Canoptek Spyder is a Necron maintenance construct: a round body on long, curved legs that spawns scarabs and repairs machines.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the spider-like legs, the bulbous body and the glowing eyes.
Colours: black carapace, bronze legs and green energy orbs on both sides. In the game shot, against bright desert sand, it shows up almost only as a dark silhouette.
Camera: the miniature's fine cables and joints are largely lost from the game's perspective.

Canoptek Doomstalker

The Doomstalker has one of the most distinctive Necron silhouettes: a flat body on long, thin legs and a huge gun platform.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: stance, leg length and the exposed weapon. In the trailer, three Doomstalkers stand side by side.
Colours: the Necron formula of dark metal and green glow is there. In the game shot the metal looks darker than the warm bronze-silver of the studio paint job, while the green glows more strongly.
Camera: joints, energy elements and fine metal structures that jump out on the miniature largely disappear from the RTS camera.

Monolith

The Monolith is a floating pyramid of living metal, with a crystal at its peak and an eternity gate through which Necron troops reach the battlefield.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the sloped pyramid shape, the arch holding the crystal and the gate in the front.
Colours: dark metal with green glow on both sides, much brighter and harsher in the game shot because of the fighting.
Effects: in the trailer the Monolith fires in every direction. This is a good place to see how much of the model the effects cover up in the game.

4. Adeptus Mechanicus

Skitarii Rangers

Red hoods, long coats, metal limbs and the typical masks: the Skitarii combine religious garb with cybernetic augmentation.

Worth a closer look:

Materials: the contrast between cloth and metal, a big part of the Mechanicus identity.
Colours: red robes and brass rifles like on the miniature, a little darker and earthier in the game shot.
Wargear: the long galvanic rifles that set the Rangers apart from the Skitarii Vanguard.

Kataphron Breachers

Kataphron servitors are half human, half tracked vehicle: an armoured torso on a heavy track unit, with heavy weapons instead of arms.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the low track unit, the torso mounted on top and the heavy weapon arms.
Colours: Mechanicus red with brass on both sides. In the game shot the red is rustier and darker, in the warm light of a factory hall.
Numbers: in the trailer they roll forward by the dozen in formation, while the miniatures show three individual models.

Kastelan Robots

Kastelan Robots are ancient battle robots: a round dome head, massive shoulders and arms with fists or heavy weapons.

Worth a closer look:

Colours: perhaps the closest pair in the whole comparison: both sides show the same Mechanicus red. In the game shot it is more matte and slightly brownish, on the miniature stronger, with dark joints.
Silhouette: dome head, broad chest and the thick, armoured arms and legs.
Size: Skitarii walk behind the robots in the game shot, which shows how big the Kastelans are.

Onager Dunecrawler

An armoured cabin on four mechanical legs, half spider, half tank: the Onager has one of the most unusual silhouettes in the entire Mechanicus range.

Worth a closer look:

Silhouette: the boxy cabin, the four legs with their joints and the gun on top.
Colours: Mechanicus red with brass legs, rustier and more weathered in the game shot than on the studio miniature.
Scale: in the trailer it stands next to Skitarii, which gives a sense of size.

Your turn

Whether Dawn of War IV is close enough to the tabletop is up to you. If you want a common thread while comparing, these questions might help:

Design: do silhouettes and proportions match the miniatures?
Colours and rendering: does the game look more colourful or more muted than the studio paint jobs? And is that down to the colours themselves or to lighting, materials and effects?
Readability: can you make out the units in the thick of battle, or only up close?

Which unit nails it for you, and where is the grimdark missing? Let us know in the comments.

Image credits: in-game footage © Deep Silver / PLAION, KING Art Games; miniature photos © Games Workshop. Warhammer 40,000 and Dawn of War are trademarks of Games Workshop Ltd. Images are shown for comparison and commentary as part of our coverage.

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Dawn of War IV Dark Angels Intercessors. Source: Still from the Space Marines trailer	Tabletop (Games Workshop) Intercessor Squad (2026 kit). Source: Games Workshop


Dawn of War IV Dark Angels Deathwing Terminators. Source: Still from the Space Marines trailer	Tabletop (Games Workshop) Deathwing Terminator Squad, studio paint job. Source: Games Workshop


Dawn of War IV Ork Boyz in melee, a Blood Raven on the right. Source: Still from the Space Marines trailer	Tabletop (Games Workshop) Ork Boyz (2026 kit). Source: Games Workshop


Dawn of War IV Squighog Boyz charging. Source: Still from the Ork trailer (IGN)	Tabletop (Games Workshop) Squighog Boyz, studio paint job. Source: Games Workshop