Warhammer 40K Animation “Astartes 2” Premieres on Warhammer+ in 2026

Warhammer 40,000 has managed to captivate a vast and enthusiastic audience, with many fans eagerly contributing their own creativity to the universe. Among these fan creations, none has achieved the notoriety and adoration quite like Syama Pedersen’s Astartes series on YouTube. In this series, we follow a Chapter called the Retributors as they launch an assault on an enemy ship, weaving a narrative almost entirely devoid of dialogue. Instead, the tale unfolds through the raw and intense actions of Space Marines as they storm the vessel and uncover mysterious alien artifacts along the way.

Astartes’ acclaim was so widespread that it caught the attention of Games Workshop, who ended up bringing Pedersen on board. Just recently, the company dropped an exciting trailer for the much-anticipated Astartes 2.

The trailer teases a series of action-packed sequences, showcasing the efforts of several Space Marine Chapters. Alongside the familiar Retributors from the original series, we’re treated to glimpses of the Blood Angels, Mortifactors, Sons of Medusa, and Scythes of the Emperor. According to a post on the Warhammer Community website, these clips don’t depict scenes from the upcoming show directly. Instead, they set the stage by offering a bit of background for each Marine and their storied history. The sighting of a Deathwatch Terminator towards the end hints at an intriguing convergence of these Marines under the Deathwatch—a unit known for bringing together members from all Chapters to combat alien threats.

Although we’ll have to hold our breath until 2026 for Astartes 2, everything points to a continuation of its predecessor’s legacy: sparse dialogue, explosive action, and a menacing extraterrestrial danger. Pedersen has also contributed to “And They Shall Know No Fear,” the Warhammer 40,000 installment in Amazon’s Secret Level anthology, which connects to Space Marine 2. Fans can expect Astartes 2 to find a home on Warhammer Plus, the subscription-based streaming service that offers a blend of animations, tutorials, and various other content from the Warhammer 40K and Age of Sigmar universes.