So, you have decided to get into Warhammer 40,000. Excellent choice. You have probably also stood in front of a wall of grey plastic, heard someone mutter the words Combat Patrol detachment enhancement, and quietly wondered whether freediving might be an easier hobby.

Here is the good news: there has never been a better time to start. Warhammer 40,000 has just marched into its brand-new 11th edition, and Games Workshop has dropped a whole family of beginner boxes to go with it. This guide breaks down every one of them in plain English, so you can find the on-ramp that suits you and skip the ones that do not. You will find them all in our Warhammer 40k starter sets collection.

Why a new edition is the perfect time to start

Every few years, GW refreshes the core rules of 40k, and 11th edition is the big one for 2026. Except it is not really a reset, it is an evolution. The rules are cleaner, the game flows better, and it is genuinely more welcoming to newcomers than it has been in a long time.

The real gift, though, is timing. When a fresh edition lands, everyone is learning it at once, grizzled veterans included. There is no established meta to feel behind on, because it has not formed yet. You are not late; you have turned up exactly as the doors swing open. When you are ready to actually push models around a table, our rundown of the basic rules of Warhammer 40,000 will get you rolling dice in minutes.

First, a quick jargon decoder

Before we open any boxes, here are the handful of words you will keep bumping into. Learn these and you are basically fluent:

• Combat Patrol: the small, starter-sized army every new player begins with, and a perfect first force.
• Push-fit: miniatures that click together without glue. Ideal when you are just starting out.
• Intercessors: the classic Space Marine troops, power-armoured super-soldiers with big rifles.
• Boyz, Nob and Grot: Ork infantry, their bigger bossy leader, and the small cowardly one, respectively.
• Warhammer Colour: GW's own range of paints, used across all the sets below.

Warhammer 40,000: Starter Set - the whole game in one box

This is the big one: a complete game of 40k in a single box, with everything two people need to play right out of the gate. It is the natural pick if you want to rope a mate in and learn together.

Inside you get:

• Two ready-to-go armies: a full Combat Patrol each for the Space Marines and the Orks, the two poster factions of the new edition.
• A battlefield: double-sided game boards plus a stack of unpainted terrain to fight over.
• The full Core Rulebook: the complete rules, not a cut-down version.
• A Starter Set handbook: a gentle, step-by-step guide that eases you in from your very first game.
• The bits: dice, range rulers and handy reference sheets.

Best for: two people who want to open one box and start playing proper games together.

Warhammer 40,000: Introductory Set - a taste of everything

Want a bit of all of it - building, painting and playing - in one tidy package? This is the sampler. It is built around twelve brand-new miniatures that appear here first, so even veterans have half an eye on it.

Inside you get:

• Twelve miniatures: a Space Marine Lieutenant, five Intercessors, an Ork Nob and five Ork Boyz.
• Six paints to get colour on them straight away.
• A starter brush, a range ruler and six dice.
• A playmat and card terrain to fight across.
• A 48-page handbook covering the beginner basics, from playing a small game to painting your first models.

Best for: one person who wants to sample the whole hobby, glue and brush and dice, without committing to a full army.

Getting Started Sets - pick your side and go deep

Already know whose side you are on? The two Getting Started Sets let you commit to a single army, with everything you need to build and paint it. Choose the disciplined Space Marines or the gloriously chaotic Orks.

Each one includes:

• A full Combat Patrol force for your chosen faction.
• Eleven paints, a brush and a texture spreader for basing.
• An introductory booklet for the army.

Best for: the newcomer who has already picked a side and wants to focus on one army from day one. The miniatures are push-fit, so nothing needs gluing and you can start building the moment you open the box.

Miniatures and paint sets - the smallest first step

If you just want to dip a toe in, a couple of models and the exact paints to finish them, these are the gentlest way in. No pressure, no army list, just a fun evening with a brush.

• Space Marines: Intercessors + Paints - two bolt rifle-toting Intercessors and six paints matched to the classic Ultramarines blue on the box art.
• Orks: Boyz + Paints - two Ork Boyz and a cheeky Grot, with the paints to finish them in grimy Goff-clan black.

Both use GW's Warhammer Colour range, and both are a lovely low-stakes way to find out whether painting is your thing (spoiler: it usually is). If you catch the bug, our mate Jack rounds up more options in his pick of the best paint sets.

Warhammer 40,000: Paints + Tools - the starter toolkit

Every hobby has its kit, and this box is the sensible one-stop shop for yours. It pairs the three tools every beginner actually needs with a broad spread of paints, so you can tackle just about anything you build next.

• The essential tools: a starter brush, a pair of clippers for freeing parts from the frame, and a mouldline remover for tidying up seams.
• Thirteen Warhammer Colour paints covering the lot, from armour and metal to flesh and cloth.

Best for: anyone who wants the core toolkit in one go rather than buying bits piecemeal. For the next tier of kit as you level up, we run through the lot in our top tools for model makers.

So, which one is right for you?

Cutting through it all, here is the quick version:

• Getting a mate into it too? The Starter Set - two armies, one box, instant games.
• Flying solo and want a taste of everything? The Introductory Set.
• Already know your faction? A Getting Started Set for the Space Marines or Orks.
• Just want to try painting first? An Intercessors + Paints or Boyz + Paints set.
• After the toolkit to paint whatever comes next? Paints + Tools.

Still torn? We go deeper on the trade-offs in which starter box is right for you.

Do not fear the painting

The single biggest thing that stops people starting is the worry that they cannot paint. You can. These sets are built around exactly that fear: the miniatures are push-fit so nothing needs gluing, the paints are chosen for you, and the instructions assume you have never held a brush in your life. Your first model will not win Golden Demon. Nobody's did. You will still be daft-level proud of it, and the next one will be better.

There is no perfect moment and no perfect box - there is just the one you open tonight. Pick the set that matches how you want to start, get some plastic on the table, and welcome to the grim darkness of the far future. It is a great deal more fun than it sounds.

Further reading: new to all this? Start with Your First Steps into Warhammer 40,000, then get some colour on your models with How to Build and Paint Your First Warhammer 40k Army.