If you've been eagerly awaiting *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2*, you're not alone. For years, fans have speculated about a follow-up to the original game, and finally, it's here. Though I hadn’t explored the first title until I dived into *Total War: Warhammer* and started hunting for other Warhammer 40,000 games, I quickly became engrossed. Among my favorites are *Boltgun* and *Rogue Trader*. I even gave the original *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine* a spin on Steam Deck a while back to get a taste of what to expect. After playing several Warhammer 40,000 titles on PC and console, I couldn’t wait to see how the sequel stacked up.
In the past eight days, I’ve invested around 22 hours into *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* across my Steam Deck and PS5, taking advantage of cross progression and testing the online multiplayer. Given the game’s cross-platform multiplayer features and the official Steam Deck support expected by the end of the year, this review remains in progress. First, I can’t assign a score without thoroughly testing the multiplayer experience, especially with public servers. Second, Focus and Saber Interactive have confirmed they’re working on improving Steam Deck compatibility.
Seeing how beautifully *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine* runs on Steam Deck, and knowing *Space Marine 2* offers cross progression, I was curious about its performance on Valve’s handheld device. Spoiler alert: there’s good news and bad news. I’ll cover everything in this ongoing review, including gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, and PS5-specific details. Note that the screenshots with performance overlays are from my Steam Deck OLED, while the 16:9 images are from PS5 gameplay. My testing was conducted using Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental.
*Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* is a third-person action-shooter that’s brutal, gorgeous, and incredibly fun—whether you’re a newcomer to the Warhammer universe or a seasoned veteran. After a well-designed tutorial segment introducing basic combat and movement mechanics, you land in the Battle Barge, your central hub for choosing missions, adjusting cosmetics, and more. The moment-to-moment gameplay is fantastic, with controls and weapons feeling spot-on. Some players might prefer ranged combat, but I found the melee weapons incredibly satisfying and visceral. Executions and mowing down waves of enemies never got old, and I loved the intensity of facing tougher foes afterward. The campaign shines both solo and in co-op with friends, though I’m not fond of defense missions. Thankfully, the implementation here was enjoyable.
Playing with a friend in another country reminded me of a high-budget co-op shooter reminiscent of the Xbox 360 era. It hooked me instantly, much like *Earth Defense Force* or *Gundam Breaker 4*. I hope Saber Interactive and Focus can collaborate with SEGA to revamp the original game’s campaign for modern audiences. Before diving deeper, my Warhammer 40,000 knowledge comes primarily from *Total War: Warhammer*, *Dawn of War*, *Boltgun*, and *Rogue Trader*. Yet, *Space Marine 2* has been refreshingly engaging and ranks among my favorite co-op experiences in years. It’s too early to call it my favorite Warhammer 40,000 game, but I’m already addicted to Operations mode with friends, experimenting with classes, and progressing through missions.
I hesitate to definitively say how the game performs with randoms online since my current testing has been limited to private co-op. However, what I’ve experienced so far is excellent. I can’t wait to test the public online servers post-launch with cross-platform play.
Visually, *Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2* shines on PS5 and Steam Deck. The 4K visuals on PS5 look stunning on my 1440p monitor, and the environments feel alive with swarms of enemies, detailed textures, and impressive lighting. The direction for voice acting and gear customization is equally impressive, allowing you to express your creativity through various options.
The game also includes a photo mode accessible during single-player sessions, letting you tweak frames, expressions, FOV, and more. On Steam Deck, some effects don’t look great with FSR 2 and lower resolutions, but PS5’s photo mode is incredible.
Audio-wise, the music is solid but not standout-worthy, except perhaps for moments where it fits perfectly in-game. The real highlight is the voice acting and sound design, which are top-notch.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Graphics Options
How does the PC port fare? I’ve only played it on Steam Deck, but I can discuss its features. Upon launching the game, it installs Epic Online Services, though you don’t need to link your Epic account. The graphics options allow you to adjust display settings, resolution (starting at 800×600), quality presets, upscaling types (TAA or FSR 2), dynamic resolution targets, V-Sync, motion blur, FPS limits, and quality-related tweaks.
The visual quality presets include four levels that adjust texture filtering, shadow quality, screen-space ambient occlusion, screen-space reflections, volumetrics, and more. The game ships with DLSS and FSR 2 support, with FSR 3 planned for post-launch. I’d love to see full 16:10 support once the ultrawide update rolls out.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Control Options
On the control front, the game supports keyboard and mouse alongside full controller support. Initially, PlayStation button prompts didn’t appear on Steam Deck by default, but disabling Steam Input resolved this. The adaptive trigger option was interesting, and this setting helped when disabling Steam Input. You can remap keyboard and mouse bindings, and the game shows PlayStation prompts when using a DualSense controller over Bluetooth. Adaptive triggers work wirelessly on PC—a rare feature worth mentioning.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Performance
Before discussing visuals and performance, I must note I encountered freezing issues (only during boot-up) on default Proton builds or bleeding-edge Experimental. Using Proton GE 9-9 eliminated these problems. Aside from that, the game is technically playable on Steam Deck without config changes. Unfortunately, it’s not optimized yet.
At 1280×800 (still 16:9), using the low preset with FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, the game struggles to maintain a locked 30fps. Combat-heavy scenes often dip into the mid-20s, occasionally dropping lower. Even at lower resolutions, it fails to stay above 30
