Games Workshop went quiet for a few weeks, let everyone get comfortable, then kicked the doors clean off their hinges with the Big Summer Preview. Eight game systems, a mountain of new plastic, and one genuinely cheeky twist: the very first Codex of 40K's new edition isn't the Space Marines. It's the Orks. Somewhere, a Smurf player is quietly weeping into their painting handle.

If you've only just wrapped your head around the arrival of 11th Edition, here's everything that dropped tonight. We're keeping it roughly 80% grimdark, because that's where the headlines landed, then rounding up the best of the rest at the end. Have a browse through the full Warhammer 40,000 range while you read.

Orks grab the first 11th Edition Codex

This is the big one. Everyone assumed the new edition would open with the poster boys in blue. Instead, the greenskins jumped the queue — and it looks like it was worth the wait.

The new Codex Orks is shaping up to be the definitive version of the book. Every rule inside is useable across all types of game, and there are 15 Detachments to tinker with, so no two WAAAGH!s need play the same way.

It doesn't arrive alone, either:

• A new Mek: the Orks' resident engineer, ready to bodge together something that absolutely should not work and somehow does.
• A new Trukk: the standout of the bunch — equal parts Mad Max and Wacky Races, and dripping with character.

More greenskins are promised in the not-too-distant future, tied to the worldwide Death Mire campaign — submit your battle results, and the victorious faction gets to see new goodies first. If Orks are your thing, line up your collection now in the Orks range, and read our Orks army analysis for where to start. A new Codex landing means it's worth keeping an eye on the Codex books shelf, too.

The Starter Sets get a complete rethink

This is the reveal that quietly matters most if you're new — or buying for someone who is. The old structure is gone. In its place, a tiered line-up that actually makes sense:

• The big Starter Set: two full Combat Patrols — Orks and Space Marines, drawn straight from the Armageddon box — plus a generous pile of unpainted terrain and everything you need to play.
• Single-faction starter boxes: only fancy one side, or already drowning in terrain? Grab an Orks-only or Space Marines-only box with a Combat Patrol, paints and tools.
• The Introductory Set: smaller, cheaper, and the friendliest way in — a handful of models plus paints, featuring brand-new Intercessor and Ork Boyz sculpts with fresh poses.

Three price points, three commitment levels, no wasted plastic. We'll be stocking these in Warhammer Starter Sets — and if you're weighing up which box suits you, our guide on which starter set is right for you will save you a headache.

Terrain, as far as the eye can see

What's a new edition without something to fight over? GW showed off an all-new set of ruins and sci-fi machinery, sold separately or together, all unpainted for the keen brush-hands.

Not fancying a terrain-painting marathon? There's a shortcut: a mega-sized, pre-coloured box called Battlefields, packing enough scenery for an Incursion-sized game. It still comes on sprues and needs assembling, but the painting's done for you — which, if you've ever stared down a bare grey ruin at 11pm, is a genuine relief. Stock up on the rest of your tabletop in the Scenery range, and grab your Warhammer Colour paints while you're at it.

A brand-new way into the hobby

Alongside the starter sets, GW is launching Warhammer Academy — a beginner-friendly site built to teach you everything from your first model to your first game. Pair it with our own beginner's guide to Warhammer 40,000 and there's never been a lower barrier to getting stuck in.

The best of the rest

40K hogged the spotlight, but it wasn't the only game with news. The highlights from across the studio:

• Age of Sigmar: a whole new army was teased. No confirmation yet, but the smart money — and months of rumours — points squarely at an Ogor Mawtribes refresh. Browse the current Age of Sigmar range in the meantime.
• The Old World: a brand-new Core Set landed — revised rules, dice, rulers, a battlemat, and two armies: a fully revamped Warriors of Chaos force with all-new models, facing the gorgeous Cathay range. It's followed by an enormous Lord on Chaos Dragon, which can also be built as a Sorcerer on a two-headed Chaos dragon. Properly intimidating stuff.
• Horus Heresy: the Custodes get the plastic glow-up they deserved. The Gyrefalcon Jetbike Sodality and the absurdly detailed Telemon Dreadnought move from resin to multi-part plastic, joined by the new Pallas Grav-Attack. Our Custodes army analysis has the lore and tactics.
• Kill Team: with Terror on Devlan out the door, a fresh season with all-new terrain is on the cards. Keep an eye on the Kill Team range.
• Blood Bowl: a new Sevens pitch for the faster format, plus two big-hitters to bully your way down the pitch — Minotaurs and Rat Ogres for the Chaos-flavoured teams.

When can you get your hands on it?

No firm dates across the board yet — that's the nature of a preview. As ever, the reveals come first and pre-orders follow on the Saturdays after. We'll have the headline kits up the moment they're announced, so bookmark Games Workshop Pre-Orders and you'll be first in the queue, rather than refreshing GW's site at midnight like everyone else.

Orks getting the first 11th Edition Codex over the Space Marines is exactly the kind of curveball that makes a preview worth staying up for. Add a smarter Starter Set line-up, a pile of terrain and a proper beginner on-ramp, and this is one of the strongest jump-in-now moments 40K has had in years. Da boyz are back — and they brought friends.

Further reading: still deciding where to begin? Start with Warhammer 40k Starter Sets: Which Box Is Right for You? and our Orks army analysis to get the WAAAGH! rolling.