Space Marine 2: Game of the Year Contender, Play on PC!

A Deep Dive into Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – A Steam Deck and PS5 Review in Progress

For years, many Warhammer fans eagerly anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. My own journey began with Total War: Warhammer, leading me to explore other titles in the franchise, including Boltgun and Rogue Trader. Months ago, I briefly sampled the original Space Marine on my Steam Deck. The recent reveal of Space Marine 2 heightened my anticipation.

Over the past week, I've logged approximately 22 hours with Space Marine 2 across my Steam Deck and PS5, leveraging cross-progression and testing online functionality. This review remains a work in progress for two key reasons: a complete assessment requires thorough cross-platform multiplayer testing and evaluation of public servers; and Focus and Saber Interactive have confirmed ongoing work on official Steam Deck support, targeted for release by year's end.

Given Space Marine 2's cross-progression and impressive visuals on the Steam Deck, I was keen to see its performance. The current situation presents a mixed bag, which I'll detail below, covering gameplay, online co-op, visuals, PC port features, PS5 performance, and more. Note: Screenshots with performance overlays are from my Steam Deck OLED; 16:9 screenshots are from my PS5 playthrough. Testing was conducted on Proton GE 9-9 and Proton Experimental.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a third-person action shooter that expertly blends brutality, stunning visuals, and engaging gameplay, appealing to both veterans and newcomers to the Warhammer 40,000 universe. A concise yet effective tutorial introduces combat and movement mechanics before depositing you on your main hub, the Battle Barge, where missions, game modes, and cosmetics are managed.

The moment-to-moment gameplay is exceptional; controls and weapons feel perfectly implemented. While some may prefer ranged combat, I found immense satisfaction in visceral melee combat. The executions are consistently thrilling, and mowing down hordes of enemies before facing tougher opponents never grew tiresome. The campaign is highly enjoyable solo or with friends in co-op, though I personally find defense missions less engaging. Fortunately, their implementation here wasn't overly intrusive.

Playing with a friend overseas, Space Marine 2 felt reminiscent of high-budget co-op shooters from the Xbox 360 era, a style rarely seen today. It captivated me in the same way Earth Defense Force or Gundam Breaker 4 have, and I hope Saber and Focus might collaborate with SEGA to modernize the original game's campaign.

My Warhammer 40,000 experience primarily stems from Total War: Warhammer, Dawn of War, Boltgun, and Rogue Trader. Despite this, Space Marine 2 offers a refreshing experience and ranks among my favorite co-op games in years. While it's too early to declare it my favorite Warhammer 40,000 title, the addictive nature of Operations mode with a friend, coupled with class variety and progressive unlocks, has me hooked.

While I haven't yet experienced Space Marine 2 with random players, my co-op experience has been outstanding. I eagerly anticipate testing the online functionality fully once cross-progression and cross-platform play are live.

Visually, on both PS5 and Steam Deck, Space Marine 2 is a standout. The 4K mode on PS5 (played on my 1440p monitor) is breathtaking. The environments are incredibly detailed, and the sheer number of enemies, coupled with exceptional texture work and lighting, creates a truly immersive experience. This is further enhanced by superb voice acting and extensive customization options, allowing for creative character expression.

The included photo mode (available in single-player) offers extensive controls over frames, expressions, visible characters, FOV, and more. However, on the Steam Deck, some effects don't render optimally with FSR 2 and lower resolutions. The PS5 version's photo mode is exceptional.

The soundtrack, while good, doesn't quite reach the heights of, say, Bolt Thrower's Realm of Chaos (a personal preference). However, the voice acting and sound design are top-tier, elevating the overall audio experience. The music fits perfectly within the game's context.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Graphics Options

My Steam Deck experience provides insight into the PC port's features. The game installs Epic Online Services, but account linking isn't mandatory. Graphics options are comprehensive, allowing adjustments to display mode, resolution, render resolution, quality presets (Balanced, Performance, Ultra Performance), resolution upscaling (TAA, FSR 2 on Steam Deck), dynamic resolution target, V-sync, brightness, motion blur, FPS limit, and various quality settings.

Four presets control texture filtering, resolution, shadows, ambient occlusion, reflections, volumetrics, effects, details, and cloth simulation. DLSS and FSR 2 are supported at launch, with FSR 3 planned for post-launch. I anticipate significant Steam Deck performance gains with FSR 3. 16:10 support is also hoped for in a future update.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC Control Options

The PC port offers keyboard and mouse controls alongside full controller support. Initially, PlayStation button prompts weren't displayed on the Steam Deck by default, but disabling Steam Input resolved this. Adaptive trigger support is present, further highlighting the benefits of disabling Steam Input in this instance. Keyboard and mouse remapping is also available. My DualSense controller (Bluetooth) displayed PlayStation button prompts and even supported adaptive triggers wirelessly—a less common feature worth noting.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Performance

I experienced some initial freezing on default Proton and Experimental, but Proton GE 9-9 proved stable. Space Marine 2 is technically playable on the Steam Deck without configuration, but it pushes the handheld's limits. At 1280x800 (16:9) with low settings and FSR 2.0 at Ultra Performance, maintaining a locked 30fps is challenging, with frequent dips into the mid-20s, even lower during intense combat. Even at lower resolutions, frame rates fall below 30fps. This isn't ideal for a game of this caliber. I hope future optimizations achieve a stable 30fps experience, but it's currently unattainable in my 10 hours of Steam Deck OLED gameplay.

Dynamic upscaling targeting 30fps with low settings occasionally reaches the 30s but frequently drops to the low 20s. While the visuals remain good on the Deck's screen, Space Marine 2 currently overtaxes the handheld's capabilities. The game also sometimes fails to exit cleanly, requiring manual closure.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Multiplayer Impressions

Importantly, online multiplayer functions flawlessly on the Steam Deck. Testing with a friend in Canada yielded hours of enjoyable co-op gameplay. The only issue encountered was an internet-related disconnection, likely attributable to pre-release server instability. Further testing with random players and friends post-launch is planned.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PS5 Features – DualSense, Activity Cards, and Performance Mode

My PS5 experience reveals a mostly excellent performance mode, though a locked 60fps isn't achieved, and dynamic resolution/upscaling seems present, causing noticeable blurriness in some large-scale combat encounters. Despite this, I'm confident in recommending Space Marine 2 on PS5, pending cross-platform online testing.

Fast load times and PS5 Activity Card support for various modes and save files enhance the PS5 experience. Gyro support is currently absent; this section will be updated if it's added.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Cross-Save Progression

My pre-release experience allowed seamless cross-progression between Steam and PS5, though a two-day cooldown period existed between platform syncs. I've contacted Focus to clarify whether this cooldown will persist in the final release.

Is Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Worth It for Solo Play Only?

A definitive answer requires further testing of online matchmaking in Operations (PvE) and Eternal War (PvP) modes with random players. Eternal War remains untested at this time.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Features I Want to See in Updates

Post-launch support is expected, and my primary wish is for proper HDR support to further enhance the game's already stunning visuals. While DualSense trigger and vibration implementation is good, haptic feedback would be a welcome addition (the blog post mentions its absence at launch).

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a strong Game of the Year contender. While full online cross-play testing is pending, the gameplay is exceptional, and the visuals and audio are superb across both platforms. I currently don't recommend playing it on Steam Deck due to performance issues, but the PS5 version is highly recommended. A final score will follow after further multiplayer testing and patch updates.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Steam Deck Review Score: TBA