If you are looking for a glimpse of Space Marine 3, Warhammer 40,000 will soon release a box set worth close attention. The 500 Worlds expansion will close the tabletop game’s tenth edition, placing Titus and his background at the center of the experience.

British company Games Workshop revealed important news about 500 Worlds in its latest weekly newsletter. This upcoming expansion for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game could indirectly offer clues about the highly anticipated Space Marine 3.

As a reminder, the legacy and critical reception of Space Marine 2 made it one of the standout releases of 2024. That success prompted Focus Entertainment to provide extensive post-launch support, while Games Workshop capitalized on the game’s popularity with miniatures of Captain Demetrian Titus and even a dedicated website section showcasing SM2 character kits.

With this in mind, it came as no surprise when Focus and Games Workshop publicly confirmed the development of Space Marine 3 just six months after its predecessor launched. Despite its importance for fans of cooperative action and the grimdark universe, the game was notably absent from The Game Awards 2025, leaving room for speculation.

500 Worlds and the Missing Space Marine 3

Although neither Games Workshop nor Focus Entertainment has offered official comments, the business model behind Warhammer 40,000 is transparent enough to allow some informed analysis of what may be happening behind the scenes.

On one hand, it is widely accepted that 40K is on the verge of its eleventh edition. The tenth edition launched in 2023, codexes have rolled out over recent years, and the creators typically follow three-year cycles that culminate in new rules, kits, and narrative developments around the following summer.

500 Worlds reinforces a long-held community belief: Games Workshop usually concludes a numbered edition with an expansion like this one, bridging the gap between the outgoing and incoming versions. It is reasonable to assume that the strong reception of SM2 is acting as a catalyst for this campaign.

In 500 Worlds, the reborn Primarch Roboute Guilliman of the Ultramarines orders his gene-sons to reclaim the five hundred lost worlds of Ultramar. These planets fell into neglect or were abandoned as the former Imperial Legions transitioned into Chapters over ten thousand years following the catastrophic Horus Heresy. Titus, protagonist of the Space Marine video games, is reinstated as captain of the Ultramarines’ Second Company and placed in command of the operation.

It is a powerful premise, though somewhat tempered by the idea that many of those worlds could be reclaimed through relatively straightforward administrative processes, with Titus’s role focusing more on maintaining control over planets already governed by the natives of Macragge. Some of these situations were already depicted in SM2, such as in the Talasa system.

What does this mean for the future? Even if it remains speculation, 500 Worlds positions the Necrons as its primary antagonists. This xenos faction would offer a refreshing presence in Space Marine 3, having so far appeared mainly in role-playing and strategy titles.

That said, the likelihood of Necrons featuring prominently in SM3 remains low. Games Workshop may instead view this as an opportunity to refresh the Necron miniature range with new models and detachments, while fans often expect Orks to serve as the headline villains. Confirmation will come in time, but for now the Necrons play a central role in a new chapter of Titus’s story.

500 Worlds includes several booklets and rulebooks for themed campaigns, one of which is explicitly labeled “Titus” and contains 80 pages dedicated to expanding this character’s background. Even if Necrons do not appear in SM3, this narrative context is likely to be referenced in some form. At the end of SM2, Titus embarks on a new and significant mission that could connect directly to 500 Worlds or be explained within it.

The downside is that 500 Worlds will be a limited edition. Pre-orders for both standard and special editions begin on Saturday, January 10. Once sold out, no additional units will be produced. Still, it may be wise not to let FOMO take over, as SM3 will likely stand on its own without requiring this premium, limited product.

Source: 3djuegos