Alien Empires · The Galaxy Bites Back
Tyranids
The Great Devourer — an extragalactic hunger with a hundred million mouths.
About Tyranids — Lore & How They Play
The Lore
The Tyranids are not an army but an appetite: a single vast Hive Mind steering fleets of bio-ships between galaxies, consuming every world in their path and reprocessing the biomass into new horrors. Every gun is grown, every soldier is born for its role, and nothing — nothing — is wasted.
The terrifying part isn't the swarm. It's that the swarm learns: every battle fought against the Tyranids teaches the Hive Mind how to win the next one.
On the Tabletop
Pressure and position: Tyranids smother the board with fast, expendable swarms while monsters like the Norn Emissary and old favourites like the Hive Tyrant deliver the killing blows. Self-spawning gaunts and Synapse discipline keep the wave rolling.
You'll rarely out-shoot anyone — you out-place them, trading bodies for board control until there's nowhere left to stand. Swarm, monster-mash or a balance of both, the Hive Mind has a build for every player.
Tyranids are the all-consuming alien swarm, driven by the Hive Mind to devour every living world in their path. Endless Termagants, towering monsters and a paint scheme entirely of your own invention make them one of the most popular (and satisfying) armies in Warhammer 40,000.
Start here
- Combat Patrol: Tyranid Assault Brood: a ready-made brood to start the swarm
- Codex: Tyranids (10th edition): the Hive Fleets' rules and datasheets
- Tyranids: Termagants: the swarm's gun-toting core
- Tyranids: Genestealers: fast, deadly vanguard killers
- Tyranids: Hive Tyrant / Swarmlord: the synapse monster in charge
- All Combat Patrols: every faction's starter army in one place
Every kit here is genuine Games Workshop stock from an official stockist, supplied unassembled and unpainted, with fast UK delivery from our shop in Barry, South Wales. In-stock orders placed by 3pm on weekdays go out the same day.
Read more: Tyranids lore in Faction Files, Tyranids Army Analysis, the best Tyranid miniatures, the 40K factions hub.
Paint and browse: grab the Tyranids Paint Set – 10 Essential Colours or the five-tone Warhammer Tone Pro paints, then explore the rest of the Warhammer 40,000 Xenos range.
Prefer them ready-painted? JoyToy make fully painted, articulated 1/18 scale Tyranid figures. Find them in our Warhammer action figures range.
Can I invent my own Hive Fleet colours?
Yes. Leviathan and Kraken are famous schemes, but any colours work, which makes Tyranids a brilliant creative project.
Are Tyranids a horde or a monster army?
Either. You can go wide with gaunts, big with monsters, or mix the two.
Do Tyranids and Genestealer Cults go together?
In the lore, yes: the Cults prepare worlds for the Hive Fleets' arrival, so plenty of collectors build both. See our Genestealer Cults range.
First Contact
Starting a xenos army?
Start with a boxed set — miniatures, rules and dice in one go. Free UK delivery over £65, same-day dispatch by 3pm on weekdays.
Shop 40K Starter SetsFrequently Asked Questions
The Tyranids are an extragalactic alien swarm driven by a collective intelligence called the Hive Mind. They exist solely to consume all organic matter in the galaxy, sending endless waves of bio-engineered creatures to strip worlds bare.
Tyranids can be played as a horde with masses of small creatures, a monster mash with large bio-creatures, or a combination of both — making them one of the most versatile factions in terms of army building.
Yes. Tyranids range from endless swarms of small creatures to giant monsters, all tied together by synapse creatures. Every faction has rules for Warhammer 40,000 11th Edition, and new codexes are rolling out through the edition, so check the latest codex for your army before you build a list.
Combat Patrol: Tyranid Assault Brood is a ready-made Tyranid force in one box, and Tyranids: Combat Patrol + Codex adds the rules for your army. See every box on our Combat Patrols page.
Tyranid colour schemes are very flexible since they're organic creatures. Classic schemes use purple carapace with bone flesh, or turquoise and red. We stock the full Citadel range and can advise on any scheme.
Yes — we stock the full Tyranids range including Leviathan models in our Barry, South Wales shop and online at loadeddice.uk with fast UK dispatch.