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Warhammer 40,000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame in a science fantasy setting produced by Games Workshop. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many of the same game mechanics with periodic expansion sets. The game is currently in its fifth edition. Players assemble and paint individual 28 mm (1.1 in) scale (approximately 1:72) miniature figures that represent futuristic soldiers, creatures and vehicles of war. These figurines are collected to comprise squads or armies that can be pitted against those of other players. Each player brings a roughly equal complement of units to a tabletop battlefield with handmade or purchased terrain. The players then decide upon a scenario, ranging from simply facing the two armies off against each other to complex battles involving defense and reinforcements. The models are physically moved across the table and actual distance between models plays a role in the outcome of combat. Play is turn based, with various outcomes determined by the roll of dice. Battles may last anywhere from a half hour to several hours, and some players string battles together to form campaigns. Game and hobby stores host games periodically and official tournaments are held on a regular basis.

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Warhammer 40,000's gothic space fantasy setting spans a vast fictional universe. Its various factions and races include the Imperium of Man (the human race 40,000 years hence), the Orks (similar to Warhammer Fantasy Orcs), and the Eldar (similar to Elves in Warhammer Fantasy Battle). These races, along with their playing rules, are covered in the game's rule books and supplemental army codexes, along with articles in the Games Workshop magazines, White Dwarf and Imperial Armour. Lines of these miniatures are produced by Citadel Miniatures and Forge World.

The Warhammer 40,000 game world is a space opera that takes place in a gothic science-fantasy universe. Set approximately 40,000 years from now (as the year 40,999 is taken as the 'present' time), most of the major storylines that provide the backdrop and history span over millennia.

Central to the Warhammer 40,000 universe are the Space Marines, somewhat anachronistic combinations of genetically enhanced super-soldiers with world-destroying firepower, and crusading knights with an unswerving, fanatical loyalty to the God-Emperor. While Space Marines act as the special forces of the Imperium, the bulk of mankind's military power is found in the Imperial Guard, which consist of billions of regiments, each thousands of soldiers strong.

Much of the Milky Way galaxy is controlled by the Imperium of Man, though it is not the only galactic power. Other races include the Orks, a barbaric humanoid green-skinned semi-fungoid race; the Eldar, survivors of an ancient fallen civilization reminiscent of classic fantasy Elves;[4] the Tau, a young and technologically sophisticated civilisation of aliens that work for the greater good; the Necrons, soulless living metal constructs tricked into slavery by star gods; and the Tyranids, an all-consuming, all-organic, bio-engineered, extragalactic hive-swarm.[5] Each of these races have playable armies. Other playable armies include the Witch Hunters and Daemonhunters, both members of the Imperium, as well as the Dark Eldar and Daemons of Chaos, which are related to the Eldar and Chaos Space Marines respectively.

Games are played between two or more players, referred to as "gamers", each of whom fields a group of units they have purchased, painted and assembled. The size and composition of the groups, referred to as armies, are determined on a points system, with each unit (figurine) assigned a number of points proportional to its worth on the battlefield. Before a game, the gamers agree on how many points will be used as the maximum army size and each assembles an army up to that maximum limit. The composition of these armies are usually constrained by rules contained within the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, as well as in several army-specific codexes. These rules and preparations are generally taken seriously among gamers. Common game sizes are between 500 and 2,000 points and played on tables four feet in width and four to eight feet in length, but it is possible to play much larger games given the time and inclination (larger point battles tend to be played by multiple gamers on larger tables).

At the onset of each battle, a set of additional rules goals are determined—collectively referred to as a scenario. Standard goals range from taking and holding objectives to simply eliminating the opposition, with additional rules including night-fighting and reinforcements. The additional rules and goals are read from the main rulebook. These scenarios may be straightforward and take only a half hour to complete, or they may be complex and require several hours to finish. A series of scenarios may be organized into a campaign, where two or more players fight against each other in a number of battles. These campaigns may feature their own special rules, and are typically tied together by a storyline, which might alter according to the results of each scenario when it is played. Scenarios and campaigns are designed by Games Workshop and printed in the codexes, rulebooks or White Dwarf. Alternately, gamers may design their own scenarios or build new campaigns from premade scenarios.

Play is divided into phases, with each player moving, shooting and engaging in close combat with each unit. In the movement phase, a player will determine which direction and how far her units will travel. Some units can travel further than others in a single move; terrain may likewise inhibit movement. The shooting phase follows the movement phase. Here the player will determine which units are in range of her opponent's units and has the opportunity to fire on them. Close combat follows the shooting phase; certain units are capable of damaging the enemy when the units are physically touching. Once these three phases are complete it is the opposite player's turn. Contingent events, such as hits and misses are determined by the roll of a six sided die and unit characteristics. Some elements use specialty dice such as scatter dice. These dice are primarily used for artillery units and are marked with arrows on each side rather than numbers, denoting where an artillery shell falls if it does not hit the mark. Unlike some wargames, Warhammer 40,000 is not played on a hex map. Distance between and among units is important in all three phases of play. Distance itself is measured in inches using a ruler but some other consequences of this free form arrangement, such as determination of line of sight, are done at the "model's eye view"—gamers may bend down to see if the unit could actually look past an obstruction. Victory is determined either simply by mission objectives or victory points, with points awarded for objectives and eliminated or damaged enemy units.

Benjamin Fox, in "The Performance of War Games", argues that player interaction on the battlefield reflects all portions of a "performance": script, drama and theater. He compares war games like Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 to role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and notes the dynamic nature of battles, where each conflict is different from the last. Terrain is also an important part of play. Although Games Workshop has terrain kits available, many hobbyists prefer to make their own elaborate and unique set pieces.Common household items like soft drink cans, coffee cups, styrofoam packing pieces, and pill bottles can be transformed into ruined cathedrals, alien habitats, or other terrain with the addition of plastic cards, putty, and a bit of patience and skill.

Like Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 involves both actual table-top play and the "meta-game" of preparing models and armies for play. For many gamers the preparation of models is sometimes more important than the actual gameplay itself. Gamers purchase the figurines from Games Workshop and then assemble and paint them before they use them in battle. The painting itself lends a sense of authenticity to the owner of the figurines, indicating how serious he or she is about the hobby. Depending on the number of units, it can take weeks or months to complete an army, this time may include modification of the original paint schemes and even model poses to personalize each army. In official tournaments, it is common to mandate that all of a player's forces be fully painted and assembled, though in more casual games only assembly of the model is required for play. Contests for best painted armies are occasionally held by Games Workshop at Games Day and by game stores or wargaming organizations at various conventions. Before such tournaments, retouching an already completed army can take weeks. Craftsmanship is an important element of play, both for gamers' own experience and tournament entries. Some tournaments include competition between gamers where points are awarded for the overall appearance of each player's army as well as for victory in individual scenarios.

The first edition of the game, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, was published in 1987. Game designer Rick Priestley created the original rules set (based on the contemporary 2nd Edition Warhammer Fantasy Battle) alongside the Warhammer 40,000 gameworld. The game play of Rogue Trader was heavily oriented toward role playing rather than strict wargaming. This original version came as a very detailed, though rather jumbled, rulebook, which made it most suitable for fighting small skirmishes. Much of the composition of the units was determined randomly, by rolling dice. A few elements of the setting (bolters, lasguns, frag grenades, Terminator armour) can be seen in a set of earlier wargaming rules called Laserburn (produced by the now defunct company, Tabletop Games) written by Bryan Ansell. These rules were later expanded by both Ansell and Richard Halliwell (both of whom ended up working for Games Workshop), although the rules were not a precursor to Rogue Trader. In addition, supplemental material was continually published in White Dwarf magazine, which provided rules for new units and models. Eventually, White Dwarf provided proper "army lists" that could be used to create larger and more coherent forces than were possible in the main rulebook.

The second edition of "Warhammer 40,000" was published in late 1993. This and later developments of the game were developed under the direction of editor Andy Chambers. This edition came in a boxed set that included Space Marine and Ork miniatures, scenery, dice, and the main rules. An expansion box set titled Dark Millennium was later released, which included rules for psychic powers. Although the second edition Warhammer 40,000 was very similar in many aspects, it was designed to be more structured than Rogue Trader.

The third edition of the game was released in 1998, and like the second edition, concentrated on streamlining the rules for larger battles. Third edition rules were notably simpler, and less prone to give characters abilities only on the roll of a die.The rulebook was available alone, or as a boxed set with miniatures of Space Marines and the newly-introduced Dark Eldar. The system of army codexes continued in third edition. Towards the end of the third edition, three new armies were introduced: the Tau race and two armies of the Inquisition: the Daemonhunters of the Ordo Malleus, and the Witchhunters of the Ordo Hereticus; elements of these armies had appeared before in supplementary material (such as Realm of Chaos). At the end of the third edition, these Inquisition armies were re-released with all new artwork and army lists. The release of the Tau corresponded with a rise in popularity for the game in the United States.

The fourth edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released in 2004.[36] This edition did not feature as many major changes as prior editions, and was "backwards compatible" with each army's third edition codex. The fourth edition was released in three forms: the first was a standalone hardcover version, with additional information on painting, scenery building, and background information about the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The second was a boxed set, called Battle For Macragge, which included a compact softcover version of the rules, scenery, and Space Marines and Tyranid miniatures. The third was a limited collector's edition. Battle for Macragge is a 'game in a box', targeted primarily at beginners. Battle for Macragge is based on the Tyranid invasion of the Ultramarines' homeworld, Macragge. An expansion to this was released called The Battle Rages On!, which featured new scenarios and units, like the Tyranid Warrior.

The fifth edition of Warhammer 40,000 was released on July 12, 2008. While there are significant tactical differences between the fourth and fifth editions, the general rule set shares numerous similarities. Codex books designed prior to the fifth edition are still compatible, albeit with some changes to how those armies function. The replacement for the previous edition's Battle for Macragge starter set is called The Assault on Black Reach, which features a pocket sized rulebook (containing the full ruleset but omitting the background and hobby sections of the full sized rulebook), and large Ork and Space Marine armies. Models can "Go to Ground", granting them a bonus to the saving throw they receive from hiding behind cover. In the new rules, infantry units have the option to forgo their shooting for a turn in order to cover more ground. Vehicle damage has been simplified, and vehicles designated as tanks may now ram other vehicles.

There are many variations to the rules and army lists that are available for use, typically with an opponent's consent.These rules are found in the Games Workshop publication White Dwarf, the Games Workshop website, or the Forge World publication Imperial Armour. The rules of Warhammer 40,000 are designed for games between 1000 and 2000 points, with the Force Organisation Chart making games with larger points values difficult to play. In response to player comments, the Apocalypse rules expansion was created to allow 3000+ point games to be played. For example, players may field an entire company of Space Marines rather than the single detachment typically employed in a standard game. Apocalypse also contains rules for using Titans. Cities of Death (the sequel to Codex Battlezone: Cityfight) introduces rules for urban warfare and guerilla warfare, and so-called "stratagems", including laying traps and force enhancement. It also has sections on modelling city terrain, and examples of armies and army lists modelled around city-fighting.