Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (video game)

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an isometric role-playing video game developed and published by Owlcat Games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The game was released for Windows PC, macOS, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S in December 2023.

Gameplay
Similar to prior Owlcat games (Pathfinder: Kingmaker), Rogue Trader is an isometric role-playing video game, heavily utilizing the d100 TTRPG system from the game of the same name.

The player controls a party of six characters, including their own, through ground combat and social interactions. It features a turn-based combat system and an isometric perspective. One of the game's distinguishing features is its emphasis on realm-building, with the player's decisions as a Rogue Trader affecting the rest of the gameplay as they build their space empire. Space combat is also present. The game also supports a cooperative multiplayer mode.

The alignment system allows the player to make Dogmatic choices that are typically merciless but in keeping with the setting's fervent belief in the God-Emperor, Iconoclastic choices that challenge the status quo, or Heretical choices that are Chaos-aligned. These choice radically alter conversation options and equipment availability.

Setting
Rogue Trader takes place in the Koronus Expanse, a little charted and unknown region of space. The player, the titular Rogue Trader, is a member of the hegemonic Imperium of Man, given special permission by the Imperium to explore, trade, and conquer, all for the benefit of the Imperium and Mankind as a whole.

The player character, a distant relative of Theodora Von Valancius, unexpectedly rises to power in the Koronus Expanse.

Reception
Rogue Trader received generally positive reviews upon release, according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun applauded the alignment system, citing that both extremes and the middle of the road options had playable value. Leana Hafer from IGN described the game as an "ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat", though she criticized the presence of various software bugs.

Jody Macgregor from PC Gamer praised the game's tone and atmosphere, though he disliked the combat and the game's technical issues at launch.