Warhammer Blood Bowl has been delayed again. The new Blood Bowl video game from Cyanide Studio and Slitherine has missed its Christmas window and is now aiming for spring 2027. The delay was announced on stage at Slitherine's showcase in Berlin.
If you were hoping to be fouling Halflings over the holidays, you'll have to wait. The good news is the game itself sounds close: the two new teams are already done and playable.
What was announced
Alberto Casulini, business development manager at Slitherine, announced the new window during the Slitherine Next showcase at the Games Ground convention in Berlin, according to Wargamer. The target is now spring 2027. No exact date yet.
This is the second time it's slipped. Cyanide first wanted it out in spring 2026. Then Nacon sold Cyanide to Slitherine in July, and the release moved to a loose "Q4 2026." Now it's spring. The Steam page still says Q4 2026 as I write this, so that hasn't been updated yet.
Why the delay
The short version is Xbox. Cyanide programmer Mathieu Valero told Wargamer, "There's been a bit of an issue on Xbox."
And they don't want to launch on PC first and leave console players waiting. In Valero's words: "we want to be sure to release the game on all platforms at the same time." So PC, PlayStation and Xbox all launch together, even if that means everyone waits a bit longer.
The new teams are already done
The big new additions are the Tomb Kings and the Bretonnians, and they're finished. Wargamer played a build with both teams in it. Slitherine's own description has the Tomb Kings as ancient rulers back from the grave, and the Bretonnians as knights, squires and peasants playing "in the name of honour, glory and the occasional extremely violent tackle."
They join the 12 teams already in the game, so that's 14 at launch. Orcs, Humans, Dark Elves, Dwarves, Skaven and Chaos Chosen are all in there, among others.
What is Warhammer Blood Bowl, exactly?
It's not quite a brand new game. It's built on Blood Bowl 3, using the same engine, but updated to the latest edition of the tabletop rules, with new skills and tactics to match. Wargamer called it something between a revised Blood Bowl 3 and a sequel, which is about right.
New stuff besides the teams:
- Rumble mode: seven-a-side matches on a smaller pitch.
- Arena mode: added to the playtest on November 6. You draft a team and try to get through 10 matches. Your run ends at your first loss or third draw, and your team resets after every game.
- Latest tabletop rules for all the teams.
Free for Blood Bowl 3 owners
This is the part a lot of people care about. Slitherine says if you own Blood Bowl 3, you get Warhammer Blood Bowl for free. Everything you bought in Blood Bowl 3 comes with you too, because it uses the same account. That means teams and cosmetics carry over on day one.
Can you play it now?
Sort of. The playtest is live on Steam and it's getting new features as it goes, like the Arena mode. Valero told Wargamer the playtest will stay up until a couple of weeks before launch. What isn't decided yet is whether playtest leagues will carry over to the full game. In his words, "there really isn't an answer to the question yet."
The Blood Bowl World Cup has been moved too. It'll now happen after the game is out, with no new date set.
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Other Warhammer games to play while you wait
There's no shortage of Warhammer on screens right now. Dawn of War IV launches December 3 on PC. Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy is out January 28, 2027. And if you want something quick and cheap, Warhammer Survivors is already out for $7.99 and on Game Pass.
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Or play the real thing. The Blood Bowl board game is the tabletop game the video game is based on. If the Bretonnians caught your eye, the Bretonnian Blood Bowl team is out for the tabletop too. And every coach needs their own Blood Bowl dice, because blaming the dice is half the fun.
FAQ
When does Warhammer Blood Bowl come out?
Slitherine is now aiming for spring 2027. There's no exact date yet.
Why was Warhammer Blood Bowl delayed?
Cyanide says there's been an issue on Xbox, and the publisher wants the game to launch on all platforms on the same day.
Is Warhammer Blood Bowl free for Blood Bowl 3 owners?
Yes. Slitherine says Blood Bowl 3 owners get it free, and their teams and cosmetics carry over.
Sources
- Wargamer: Warhammer Blood Bowl delayed, again, to 2027 wargamer.com
- Steam: Warhammer Blood Bowl - The Official Video Game store.steampowered.com
- Slitherine on Steam: It's time to step into the Arena store.steampowered.com
Written by the WIZY creator
A lifelong gamer and Warhammer painter, and the maker of the WIZY RPG game. I write about games, hardware, Warhammer and crypto in plain English, and I check every fact against its source.
