Ten years after launch, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine gets a major free update

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By Andy Chalk
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For those who don't already own it, the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Anniversary Edition is on sale, too.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
(Image credit: Relic Entertainment)

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is now ten years old, having originally launched on September 6, 2011. To celebrate the big birthday, Sega has released an Anniversary Edition of the game on Steam, the "ultimate version" of the famed shooter, and it's available as a free update for anyone who owns the original.

So, what do you get? The Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine - Anniversary Edition, to use its formal title, includes the base game, plus:

  • Chaos Unleashed Map Pack    
  • Dreadnought Assault DLC    
  • Iron Hand Veteran Chapter Pack DLC        
  • Death Guard Champion Chapter Pack DLC    
  • Golden Relic Bolter    
  • Golden Relic Chainsword    
  • Power Sword    
  • Blood Angels Veteran Armour Set    
  • Salamanders Veteran Armour Set    
  • Alpha Legion Champion Armour Set    
  • Legion of the Damned Armour Set    
  • Emperor's Elite Pack    
  • Traitor Legions Pack    

But that's not all! Order now and you'll also get:

  • The full soundtrack for the game
  • Classic and brand-new wallpapers    
  • The original manual (pdf)    
  • The Official Strategy Guide (pdf)    
  • Ringtone    
  • The Collector’s Edition Artbook (pdf)    
  • Collector’s cards (pdfs)    
  • The original launch trailer    

(You don't actually have to order now—it's all included in the standard package.)

If you haven't seen the launch trailer before now, well, it's not exactly subtle.

Despite its age and inherent silliness, Space Marine is a very good shooter—it holds the number-three spot on our ranking of every Warhammer 40K game ever—and not just because the setting is so violently over the top: The story is a little simplistic, but it eschews the cover-based shooter trends of the time and instead all but forces players to wade into the fray like the killing machines they're supposed to be. 

"You regain health by killing bad guys up close, charging forward with your chainsword or slamming down out of the sky thanks to the best jetpack ever. Each fight reminds you this is what you're genetically engineered to do, and early on there's a quiet moment where you enter an Imperial Guard base and wounded soldiers several feet shorter than you look up in awe. It nails the fantasy of being a space marine."

That's cool. We also scored it 82% in our 2011 review.

If you don't already own Space Marine, the Anniversary Edition is on sale on Steam for $20/£14/€15 until September 30.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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