Warhammer Survivors is an official-style clone of Vampire Survivors, blending the twin-stick bullet hell formula with both the Warhammer 40,000 and fantasy-based Age of Sigmar universes. The game scored 7/10 in this review, praised for its crowd management and multitude of unlocks, despite lacking significant new ideas.
A familiar template with a Warhammer twist
Vampire Survivors, since its early access release on Steam in 2021, has been ported to consoles, mobile, and Meta Quest's VR headset, and has inspired numerous clones. Warhammer Survivors borrows heavily from that model, including its name, blocky faux 16-bit sprites, level layout, upgrade system, and core gameplay. The review notes that this is the only game featuring both Warhammer 40,000 and fantasy universes, though they are treated as separate games with no character interaction.
The game starts with the Warhammer 40,000 setting, where the initial Ultramarine uses a chainsword as a default weapon. As you level up, you choose from three or four options to upgrade directional and area-of-effect weapons. Some weapons are meta references to building and painting Warhammer miniatures, such as dice that explode amidst enemies or glue that fortifies your character.
Gameplay and progression
Like Vampire Survivors, gameplay involves avoiding swarms of enemies, positioning your character to maximise weapon damage, and collecting experience points. Weapons aim themselves or fire randomly, with player input limited to avoiding the horde and picking power-ups. The constantly shifting enemy constellations introduce new threats, including larger bosses, keeping the action fresh.
The arsenal includes franchise-appropriate armaments, such as the Storm Eagle Rocket, which vaporises everything onscreen but also destroys experience points. Players can unlock characters, guns, and maps, and buy permanent upgrades that work across all characters. Most levels have one-off collectibles that unlock new features like mapping secrets and power-up chests.
A derivative but enjoyable experience
Similar to Ball x Pit, Warhammer Survivors allows players to create new weapons by fusing abilities. Certain guns mix with passive abilities to create fresh weaponry, enabling diverse builds adapted to different level layouts and enemy combinations. However, the review notes that all these features are present in Vampire Survivors, giving the game the feeling of an old-fashioned total conversion.
The review concludes that while Warhammer Survivors is derivative, its execution makes up for similarities, with addictive gameplay and a compelling meta game of upgrading and unlocking. It proves that less can sometimes be more, wringing interest from a single stick interaction.
Warhammer Survivors is available on PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, priced at £6.49, published and developed by Auroch Digital, released on 10th November 2026, with an age rating of 7.
