Popular Warhammer 40,000 strategy game free for a short time, otherwise costs $40

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War is a turn-based 4x strategy game in which players control one of four factions (Astra Militarum, Space Marines, Orks, Necrons). 4x stands for eXplore (explore), eXpand (expand), eXplpoit (exploit) and eXerminate (destroy). Each faction has unique units, buildings and technologies. Players explore a procedurally generated map, collect resources and relics, build cities and outposts and fight against enemy factions to gain supremacy on the battlefield. The aim is to defeat all opposing factions and gain control of the planet Gladius Prime.

Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War was developed by Proxy Studios and published by Slitherine Ltd. in July 2018. 80 percent of the approximately 11,000 reviews on Steam are positive. At Metacritic the ratings are slightly lower. The Warhammer strategy game has a Metascore of 71 and a user score of 7.1. In addition to balancing problems, the lack of a coherent story is one of the biggest points of criticism from players.

Free on Steam and Epic

On the occasion of the Warhammer Skull Festival which offers discounts of up to 90 percent on games from the Warhammer universe, Gladius is free on Steam until May 30 at 7 pm. There is a 15 to 40 percent discount on 15 of the 16 available DLCs, which players can use to add new factions to the game, among other things. Also available on Steam are the real-time strategy game Wahrhammer Total War 3 ($30 instead of 60) or the cooperative multiplayer shooter Warhammer: Vermintide 2 ($5.59 instead of 28).

The Warhammer Skull Festival is not limited to Steam, but is also available at Epic. Also in the Epic Game Store gamers can pick up Warhammer 40,000: Gladius for free and secure discounts on many other Warhammer games.

Prices are subject to change. The offer was available at the time of publication of the article, but may be limited in time or quantity.