Everything we know about Space Marine 2

Focus Entertainment’s highly anticipated sequel to the cult classic action shooter Space Marine is nearly here, and this is everything we know about Space Marine 2.

Space Marine 2 is the latest in a significant sprint of Warhammer 40,000-based video games. Darktide debuted with a promising tone and possibility, but technical issues marred its release. The Rogue Trader RPG remains in early access, which leaves Space Marine 2 as the next major gaming release for 40k. For those returning to the game after more than a decade and those newly arrived, what’s all this about?

What is Space Marine 2?

Space Marine 2 is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, a grim, dark, and unrelentingly horrifying universe set in the 41st millennium using the current human calendar. In the Space Marine games, you play a titular Space Marine. Space Marines are young human children forcibly abducted by the fascist, hyper-religious state of humanity, the Imperium of Man, and turned into super soldiers.

In particular, the games follow Titus, previously a Captain of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines. The first games follow Titus’ journey to save the Forge World of Agrippina from the clutches of both an Ork army and a Chaos incursion. If you’re new to the forces of Warhammer 40,000, check out our faction guides.

What is the story of Space Marine 2?

At the end of the first Space Marine game, Captain Titus was visited by an agent of the Inquisition, the Imperium of Man’s hyper-secretive inquisitorial branch. The Inquisition deemed that Titus had been too closely exposed to the taint of Chaos and the Warp.

They had arrived prompted by Titus’ subordinate Leandros betraying Titus by telling the Inquisition he had been compromised by his Chaos encounter. Titus willingly left with the Inquisition to be examined and perhaps censured or otherwise punished for dabbling with Chaos magic.

In the new game, Titus has returned from his time under censure and has been significantly demoted. Gone is the Captain who commands a whole company of Space Marines, and Titus is a mere Lieutenant now. He has returned to service amongst Macragge’s guardian angels and is making his way back up the ranks. Since the first Space Marine game, the lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe has changed enormously. The Imperium of Man has been fortified by the return of the Ultramarines’ Primarch, Roboute Guilliman, and the legions of Belisarius Cawl’s Primaris Marines unleashed from within Mars upon the Primarch’s return.

Titus has joined many of his firstborn brothers in upgrading his body to that of a Primaris Marine, known as crossing the Rubicon Primaris. Faster, stronger, and more capable than ever, Titus is reentering the fight against Macragge’s enemies, renewed but demoted. In this game, the Imperium faces a horrifying new threat, the Tyranid Hive Fleet Leviathan, which has encircled the entire galaxy and has begun to strike from opposite sides of space, prompting the Fourth Tyrannic War. This Tyrannic War is where the story of the game will take place on two separate planets.

What kind of game is Space Marine 2?

Space Marine 2 looks to be heavily inspired by its predecessor. This means a third-person, over-the-shoulder, shooting-heavy brawler with tons and tons of enemies. In the first game, it was hordes of Orks and Daemons. Now, it’ll be untold masses of Tyranid lifeforms. You’ll be taking the alien threat on at range and in honorable melee combat.

Recently, an eight-minute gameplay hands-on gameplay clip emerged for the new game. In it, fans get the best look they’ve had at exactly what sort of gameplay is coming. The first Space Marine game was known for rewarding constant forward momentum. Close-range executions refresh armor and kill to restore health.

This is the perfect mechanical incentive to play in a way that befits the Emperor’s Angels of Death. When low on health or armor, your best solution is to plunge chainsword-first into the hordes of alien enemies.

Weapons and Playstyle options

There appear to be a variety of weapon options and loadouts that players can take. The two main types of loadouts appear to be focused on ranged or melee combat with their primary weapon. Fans of the tabletop will recognize the options available from the hands-on gameplay preview as being Intercessor and Assault Intercessor loadouts.

Ranged options, based on Intercessors, include the Bolt Rifle, Auto Bolt Rifle, and Stalker Bolt Carbine. All of these are the main three gun options for the Primaris Intercessors, Space Marines’ most basic troops. There’s also been footage of Titus wielding a Thunder Hammer, so it’s likely that melee options for Intercessor Sergeants will be incorporated in some way. There’s no sign of the Astartes Grenade Launcher attachment just yet, but plenty has yet to be shown.

For melee, the bread-and-butter options are the Chainsword and the Combat Knife. The Chainsword offers long, sweeping attacks that deal great damage but come out slowly. The Combat Knife is a rapid, precise weapon meant to take less time to use but lacks efficacy in hordes. As mentioned, it’s been shown that other melee weapon options like the Power Sword and Thunder Hammer will be supported. The Power Fist is somewhat conspicuously absent so far, but in its place is an exciting new addition

Do they have jetpacks now?

Space Marine 2 also includes a long-awaited addition to the Primaris Marines roster, melee infantry with jump packs. The first that fans saw of this addition was actually in a trailer for the new Astartes-themed game. Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting confirmation of Primaris marines armed with jump packs.

It’s finally been confirmed, with Jump Pack Assault Intercessors being previewed by Games Workshop at the NOVA Open tournament. This upgrade doesn’t appear to be ready from the jump, pun intended. So, at some point during the game, Titus is going to be the first Primaris marine that fans see strap on the enormous jump pack so iconic on Firstborn marines.

Co-op details

It has been revealed that Space Marine 2 will be playable as a three-player cooperative game. One player will take the reins as Titus, while the other two will play Ultramarines under his command. The story seems to be a large part of Space Marine 2’s offering, with dialogue between Titus and his squad being previewed in several trailers.

Titus has been censured and removed from active duty following the events of the first game. Demoted from a Captain to a mere Lieutenant, Titus now has to contend with rank-and-file marines he would have once commanded. The two marines joining him are named Chairon and Gadriel. The three Astartes exchange banter, even going so far as to chastise one another for previous fights.

Space Marine 2 release date

There’s no exact release date, but it’s been confirmed to be coming this winter. This means that it’s almost certainly launching in 2023, with a small chance for delays to take it past the new year into 2024.

Space Marine 2 will be available for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. It will be purchasable through Steam on PC and through the Xbox Store and PlayStation Store for each platform, respectively.

What’s the story of Space Marine 2

As mentioned, Space Marine 2 picks up after the first game in the series, catching up to current-day lore. Hive Fleet Leviathan, one of the largest groupings of the invading Tyranid alien lifeforms, has encircled the galaxy and is attacking on two sides. This is spreading the Imperium of Man thin, prompting the Fourth Tyrannic War as it tries to repel this solar-system-swallowing threat. The ex-Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, now demoted to Lieutenant, is called up to duty to aid his chapter’s second company in the battle against the Tyranids on two planets.

The first planet is the planet Avarax, a hive city, and the second is Kadaku, a jungle planet. Each of these will be the location of the game’s two main areas. There are rumors, due to a preview image on Focus Interactive’s website, that the mysterious Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine cult may be behind the invading fleet. With the Tyranids being drawn to psychic power, the Thousand Sons could easily create a psychic beacon that would draw the teeming alien masses to the 13th Legion’s territories.