Necromunda Underhive Wars

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a PC third-person tactical RPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where customizable gangs fight across the vertical industrial maze of the Underhive. The current Steam storefront still uses the original name; no verified rebrand, replacement edition, or free-to-play transition was found. Developed by Rogue Factor and published by Focus Entertainment, it combines turn-based gunfights, character progression, gang management, and online battles for up to four players.

Third-person tactics in a vertical Underhive

Combat is turn-based, but the presentation is closer to an action game than a traditional isometric tactics title. You control individual gangers from a third-person camera, moving through large industrial environments filled with walkways, platforms, ladders, cover, hazards, and elevation changes.

The main tactical loop is about converting movement and positioning into safe attacks. Climb to raised platforms for better firing angles, use the environment to break line of sight, place traps, and force enemies into unfavorable approaches. Because the battlefields are not limited to a flat grid, vertical routes and traversal choices are central to how an attack develops.

Gangers can specialize through skills, careers, statistics, equipment, perks, and consumables. Loot from missions expands your options, while injuries, vices, and virtues can affect how a fighter develops over time. The result is a squad system focused less on disposable soldiers and more on building a roster of distinct personalities with different battlefield jobs.

Three Houses, different gang identities

The base game lets players lead the Escher, Goliath, and Orlock gangs. Each House has its own visual identity and broad combat tendencies, but customization allows individual fighters to move beyond a single fixed role.

• Escher favors aggressive combat, speed, chem production, and close-range pressure.
• Goliath brings heavy weapons, physical durability, and direct melee strength.
• Orlock combines ranged expertise with resilience and access to industrial wealth.

Two additional gang packs expand the playable roster with the technologically advanced Van Saar and the fanatical Cawdor. These factions are paid additions rather than part of the original three-House base roster, and their fighters can be used in solo and multiplayer content.

Players who enjoy the persistent injuries, roster development, and dangerous warband management of another Rogue Factor adaptation can compare it with dark Warhammer tactical RPG campaigns like Mordheim: City of the Damned. Underhive Wars is more vertically staged and uses a science-fiction setting, but both games make long-term fighter development part of the tactical decision-making.

Story campaign, Operations, and competitive fights

Story Campaign follows the Escher, Goliath, and Orlock gangs as they pursue valuable archeotech beneath Hive Primus. It introduces the setting, factions, combat systems, and gang-management tools through a sequence of authored missions with voiced narrative scenes.

The more replayable solo structure is Operations. Here, you create and develop a gang, select fighters, improve their abilities, collect equipment, and take on missions with persistent consequences. Operations are closer to a long-form gang campaign than a linear story, so the main appeal comes from roster growth, build experimentation, and recovering from setbacks.

Exhibition and multiplayer battles provide more direct matches. Online play supports up to four participants in free-for-all, team-based, and one-versus-one formats. Matches can be configured around whether the outcome has permanent effects on the gang, making the multiplayer structure more flexible than a single fixed ruleset.

Content model and paid additions

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a paid base game with optional add-ons. The standard package includes the narrative campaign, Operations, Exhibition-style battles, and the Escher, Goliath, and Orlock gangs.

The current Steam catalog lists four separate add-ons: the Van Saar Gang, the Cawdor Gang, a digital artbook, and the original soundtrack. The two gang packs are the meaningful gameplay expansions because they add playable factions, distinctive skills, visual customization, and new roster options for solo and multiplayer fights.

There is no verified evidence that the game has been renamed to a definitive edition or folded into a newer storefront product. Buyers searching for older references should use the full name Necromunda: Underhive Wars, including the colon, because that remains the official PC listing name.

Who this PC version suits

This is a strong fit for players who want turn-based tactical combat with a close camera, hazardous vertical maps, and a persistent gang rather than a conventional military squad. It also suits Warhammer fans interested in the Houses of Necromunda instead of the more familiar Space Marine-centered parts of the setting.

The game is less suitable for players looking for a purely deterministic grid system, a fast real-time shooter, or a large strategic layer between missions. Operations focus on repeated battles, fighter specialization, equipment management, and gang survival. The strongest appeal comes from shaping a roster and learning how movement, elevation, skills, and equipment interact.

Players who prefer a broader campaign layer with strategic management and customizable units may also find useful points of comparison in campaign-driven turn-based squad strategy such as XCOM 2. XCOM 2 is more focused on global resistance management and cover-based missions, while Underhive Wars concentrates on compact gang warfare and vertical arenas.

PC features, multiplayer, and localization

The PC edition is distributed through Steam and requires agreement to a third-party EULA. Steam features include Steam Cloud, achievements, trading cards, Family Sharing, online PvP, and online co-op. The storefront does not list a dedicated anti-cheat system, separate launcher requirement, or official mod-support tools, so those features should not be assumed.

Steam lists eight supported languages. English and French include full audio, interface, and subtitles. Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Simplified Chinese, Polish, and Russian provide interface and subtitle localization without full voice audio.

The game is designed around controller-friendly third-person movement and tactical selection, but the storefront information does not provide a specific full-controller-support designation. Mouse and keyboard remain the safest assumption for detailed gang management and menu-heavy play. There is no verified Cabinet Mode, native multi-monitor feature, dedicated server tool, or Steam Remote Play listing.

For another PC tactics comparison built around equipment, persistent specialists, and campaign decisions rather than gang warfare, methodical customizable-unit strategy in BattleTech Deluxe Edition offers a useful contrast. BattleTech is slower and more systems-heavy, while Underhive Wars places greater emphasis on traversal, close-range encounters, and faction identity.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars FAQ

Is Necromunda: Underhive Wars still the official PC name?

Yes. The current Steam storefront still lists the game as Necromunda: Underhive Wars. No verified rebrand, definitive replacement, or alternate current PC name was found across the storefront and publisher research checked for this guide.

What type of game is Necromunda: Underhive Wars?

It is a third-person, turn-based tactical RPG with gang customization, character progression, equipment management, vertical environments, solo campaigns, and online multiplayer.

Which gangs are included in the base game?

The base game includes Escher, Goliath, and Orlock. Van Saar and Cawdor are available as separate paid gang add-ons.

Does it have a story campaign?

Yes. The authored story campaign follows the Escher, Goliath, and Orlock gangs during a conflict over archeotech in the Underhive. It also serves as an introduction to the game's systems and factions.

Does Necromunda: Underhive Wars support multiplayer?

Yes. Steam lists online PvP and online co-op, while the game's multiplayer structure supports up to four players in free-for-all, team-based, and one-versus-one gang fights. It does not list split-screen multiplayer.

What is the main long-term gameplay loop?

The core progression loop is recruiting and customizing fighters, assigning careers and skills, equipping weapons, completing Operations, collecting loot, and adapting to the consequences of injuries and other persistent gang changes.

What languages are available on PC?

English, French, Italian, German, Spanish from Spain, Simplified Chinese, Polish, and Russian are supported. English and French include full audio; the remaining listed languages provide interface and subtitles.