| Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader | |
| Developer: | Owlcat Games |
| Publisher: | Owlcat Games |
| Director: | Alexander Mishulin[1] |
| Engine: | Unity[2] |
| Series: | Warhammer 40,000 |
| Released: | 7 December 2023 |
| Genre: | Role-playing |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an isometric role-playing video game developed and published by Owlcat Games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The game was released for Windows PC, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S in December 2023.
Similar to prior Owlcat games (), Rogue Trader is an isometric role-playing video game, heavily utilizing the d100 TTRPG system from the game of the same name.
The player controls a party of six characters, including their own, through ground combat and social interactions.[3] It features a turn-based combat system and an isometric perspective. One of the game's distinguishing features is its emphasis on realm-building, with the player's decisions as a Rogue Trader affecting the rest of the gameplay as they build their space empire.[4] Space combat is also present. The game also supports a cooperative multiplayer mode.[5]
The alignment system allows the player to make Dogmatic choices that are typically merciless but in keeping with the setting's fervent belief in the God-Emperor, Iconoclastic choices that challenge the status quo, or Heretical choices that are Chaos-aligned. These choice radically alter conversation options and equipment availability.
Rogue Trader takes place in the Koronus Expanse, a little charted and unknown region of space. The player, the titular Rogue Trader, is a member of the hegemonic Imperium of Man, given special permission by the Imperium to explore, trade, and conquer, all for the benefit of the Imperium and Mankind as a whole.[6]
The player character, a distant relative of Theodora Von Valancius, unexpectedly rises to power in the Koronus Expanse.
Rogue Trader received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[7]
Rock, Paper, Shotgun applauded the alignment system, citing that both extremes and the middle of the road options had playable value.[8] Leana Hafer from IGN described the game as an "ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat", though she criticized the presence of various software bugs.[9]
Jody Macgregor from PC Gamer praised the game's tone and atmosphere, though he disliked the combat and the game's technical issues at launch.[10]