Astartes II Release Date Confirmed: December 18 on Warhammer TV (Time, Trailer, What We Know)

Astartes II finally has a release date: December 18, 2026. Games Workshop confirmed today that the sequel to the most famous Warhammer 40,000 animation ever made premieres at 2pm ET (7pm GMT) on Thursday, December 18, exclusively on Warhammer TV. Here's everything we know: the time in your zone, where to watch, the trailer, the Space Marines in it, and why fans have waited years for this.

Published November 6, 2026, the day the date was announced.

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Astartes II at a glance

When and where to watch Astartes II

Astartes II goes live on December 18 at 7pm GMT. Here's that time around the world:

• Eastern (New York, Toronto): 2pm ET
• Central: 1pm CT
• Mountain: noon MT
• Pacific (Los Angeles, Vancouver): 11am PT
• UK: 7pm GMT
• Central Europe: 8pm CET

It's a Warhammer TV exclusive, so you'll need a Warhammer+ subscription to watch it on release day. Warhammer TV runs on the Warhammer+ app for phones, tablets, smart TVs and the web. If you've been thinking about trying Warhammer+, December is the month to do it: Games Workshop also confirmed that The Butcher's Nails, the next Hammer and Bolter episode, premieres on November 27, so you'd get both.

Why Astartes II is such a big deal

The original Astartes started life as a fan project. Syama Pedersen, working on his own as a 3D artist, released it on YouTube in five short parts starting in 2018. It followed a squad of Space Marines on a brutal boarding action, with almost no dialogue, and it looked better than most official animation at the time. The heavy, armoured way his Space Marines moved, the gunfire, the close-quarters violence: for many fans it was the first time the Astartes on screen felt as terrifying as they do in the books.

It went viral. Millions of views later, Games Workshop brought Pedersen on board, and the original became one of the reasons Warhammer+ animation exists at all. Astartes II has been the most requested and most anticipated Warhammer animation for years, so a firm date is huge news for 40K fans.

What the trailer shows

The Astartes II teaser trailer is a series of short, savage scenes, and the first thing fans noticed was the paint schemes. The trailer shows Space Marines from several different Chapters, including:

• Angels Vermilion, a Blood Angels successor (the winged blood drop and red armour had many fans calling them Blood Angels at first)
• Scythes of the Emperor, an Ultramarines successor Chapter nearly wiped out by the Tyranids
• Retributors, an Imperial Fists successor
• Sons of Medusa
• Mortifactors

The trailer also hints at battles against the T'au, Tyranids, Orks and Chaos Space Marines. According to coverage of the trailer, Pedersen described the footage as glimpses of the former lives of the characters who will appear in the show, not scenes from the episodes themselves.

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Is it a Deathwatch story? Games Workshop basically said yes

When Warhammer posted the teaser on its social channels back in September, the caption read: "Deathwatch. Terminators." That's about as clear a hint as Games Workshop gives without spelling out the plot.

It fits everything in the trailer. Space Marines from many different Chapters fighting side by side is the classic set-up for the Deathwatch, the order of veteran Space Marines drawn from Chapters across the Imperium to hunt alien threats. If the trailer really shows each character's past before they joined one team, a Deathwatch kill team fits perfectly.

So expect a Deathwatch kill team, likely in Terminator armour. The exact story, the team members and the enemy are still under wraps. We'll update this article as soon as there's more.

How long will it be?

Games Workshop says Astartes II will be "significantly longer" than the original, which ran as five short parts. It hasn't said how many episodes there will be or whether they all drop on December 18. If the release is split into episodes, we'll add the schedule here.

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Get ready: watch, read, build

Want to get in the mood before December 18? Rewatch the original Astartes, then dive into the Space Marines themselves. If the show makes you want your own squad, a Space Marines Combat Patrol is the easiest way to start, and Space Marine 2 is the closest you'll get to playing an Astartes-style boarding action yourself. For the Deathwatch side of the story, Black Library's Deathwatch novels are a great read while you wait.

My take

As an Ultramarines player, seeing the Scythes of the Emperor in that trailer got me straight away. The original Astartes is the best Space Marine animation ever made, and a longer sequel with the full Warhammer Studio behind it could be something special. December 18 is going in my calendar at 2pm ET. Which Chapter are you hoping gets the most screen time?

Astartes II FAQ

When does Astartes II come out?

Thursday, December 18, 2026, at 2pm ET (11am PT, 7pm GMT).

Where can I watch Astartes II?

Exclusively on Warhammer TV, which is part of the Warhammer+ subscription.

Is Astartes II free on YouTube?

No. Unlike the original fan-made Astartes, the sequel is a Warhammer TV exclusive.

Who made Astartes II?

Syama Pedersen, the creator of the original Astartes, together with the Warhammer Studio.

Is Astartes II about the Deathwatch?

Very likely. Warhammer's own post with the teaser said "Deathwatch. Terminators.", and the trailer shows Space Marines from many different Chapters, the classic Deathwatch set-up.