The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth

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The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Steel Wool Studios and was released on May 28, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is a tactical-turn-based strategy game based on Games Workshop's fan-favorite Betrayal at Calth board game set during the era of Horus Heresy. Gameplay includes a single player campaign and multiplayer PvP skirmish mode, both can be experienced either on PC or in Virtual Reality.

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41%

Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews

graphics5 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

Strong Warhammer 40K thematic elements with immersive VR experience capturing the scale and feel of the universe.
Turn-based strategy gameplay has potential and provides fun tactical challenges, especially for fans of the genre and franchise.
Visual and audio design, including unit models and sound effects, are well done and contribute positively to immersion despite some glitches.

The game appears abandoned with little to no updates or developer support for an extended period, leaving many promises unfulfilled.
Numerous technical issues including bugs, animation glitches, crashes, poor VR performance, and unintuitive controls significantly hinder playability.
Limited content and depth with a very short campaign, lack of multiplayer engagement, and overall unfinished feeling diminish the value for many players.

story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The story is generally praised for engaging Warhammer 30K fans with a promising narrative and well-suited designs, though currently limited with only a few missions available. Some players find it compelling and appreciate ongoing developer communication and updates, while others see it as an incomplete, tedious early access release hindered by bugs. Overall, the storyline shows potential but remains underdeveloped and constrained at this stage.
- “This game is in the beginning stages, graphics are great so far, the story line is perfect, I have been engrossed since I started!”
- “If you love the Warhammer 30k story line, love turn based strategy, and have patience for a game in development then bring it on!!!”
- “On the flip side, the story in the game is pretty good, the performance is decently good, the voice acting & overall audio quality is great and while everything is very limited in its availability, which is why I say 'not yet', the things in place are pretty interesting.”
- “This is a lazy early access release from a company who have managed to take an incredible Warhammer 40k storyline and make it ineffectual and tedious.”
- “Currently the campaign has just 5 missions, including one from the board game.”
- “Maybe there's more to the story, but I doubt I would care to know.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
Gameplay features turn-based, hex-based mechanics reminiscent of XCOM but currently suffers from a steep learning curve, minimal tutorial support, and awkward controls—especially outside VR. While some players appreciate the core concept and see potential for improvement, many find the gameplay lacking in content and refinement at this stage. Overall, the gameplay is polarizing, with praise for the turn-based style tempered by frustration over usability and incomplete mechanics.
- “Gameplay is hex turn-based like the great XCOM games; however, unlike them, it lacks in content.”
- “Some may find the mechanics and the interface hard to grasp in the beginning.”
- “The game still has a way to go with the mechanics, but since observing it from the beginning, I can definitely say the game is worth supporting to see its end state.”
- “The tutorial is nearly nonexistent, so I don't understand the mechanics, UI, or controls. The core idea is okay (radial menu on the right hand, camera controls on the left hand), but the learning curve is a vertical wall.”
- “I can't evaluate the core gameplay as I wasn't able to play in any meaningful sense.”
- “Way too much needs a better blend of mechanics in the controls.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
The graphics are visually appealing with impressive unit designs and animations, fitting well within the Warhammer 30/40k universe, though not as sharp as some might expect. However, there are issues with maintaining stable frame rates, ineffective graphical settings adjustments, and occasional lag, indicating a need for further optimization and polishing. Some users also noted graphical glitches and a lack of depth in visual variety.
- “The map design and graphics are great, and the voice acting and sound effects are spot on for Warhammer 30/40k.”
- “The art style is not what I would expect from a Warhammer title but frankly it really works for me. The units look great, they have some pretty neat animations and poses, and Cataphractii Terminators with dual lightning claws are just cool as heck.”
- “This game is in the beginning stages, graphics are great so far, the storyline is perfect, I have been engrossed since I started!”
- “Changing graphical settings does not actually work in game, and I can't get it to maintain a tolerable frame rate.”
- “The graphics adjustments will need some tweaks, as they do not currently provide a smooth experience.”
- “The visuals are lackluster with very limited unit variety and equipment, resulting in a shallow graphical presentation.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game is generally praised for being good and capturing the Warhammer 30k feel, enhancing the atmosphere in parts. However, some users find it lacking in impact or detail, feeling it does not fully complement the game's otherwise immersive environment.
- “Nice music, by the way, it's really good and captures a bit of the 30k feel.”
- “But I think this game does have potential of being a fun turn-based game once it's fully completed, with custom army building and pretty enough game details and cool music.”
- “The music and sounds are... meh, which really does not do the otherwise great atmosphere of the ruined streets of Calth any justice.”
- “Spent the '7 min' of play time just staring at my desktop and listening to the title music.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, graphical glitches, and audio malfunctions, leading to a frustrating and incomplete experience. Some users also report occasional VR sensor calibration problems affecting image clarity. Overall, the game's technical instability heavily detracts from gameplay.
- “There’s no excuse to place a title as buggy and obviously incomplete as this on Steam.”
- “Bad game; very buggy, no support.”
- “Taking into consideration the graphical glitches, audio malfunctions, and poor gameplay.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game shows promise but currently requires further optimization, particularly regarding performance, graphics, and texture quality, as it can be demanding on systems. Improvements in animation and control responsiveness are also needed for better gameplay experience. Overall, while the audio and story elements are strong, the game feels unfinished and could benefit from significant tweaks before release.
- “For a regular game it is okay and looks like it has a bit further to go (animation improvements, optimizations, quality of life control improvements).”
- “Looks good but hard on the system at the moment, needs some optimization and work on the textures.”
- “Infact I found the sound effects were truly spot on, the gameplay may need to be optimized somewhat and the graphics adjustments will need or get some tweaks, while playing a part of the final product.”
- “For a regular game it is okay but seems to have some progress to make in animation improvements, optimizations, and quality of life control enhancements.”
- “Looks good but is currently hard on the system; needs some optimization and work on the textures.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere captures the ruined streets well but is undermined by lackluster music and sound design, which diminishes the overall epic Warhammer experience.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that emotional experiences are negatively impacted by technical issues such as character clipping and teleportation glitches, which cause discomfort and frustration during gameplay.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers limited replayability, with few new experiences on subsequent playthroughs. While some players might find occasional variations, overall it lacks incentives to keep returning after the first completion.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game’s grinding is widely criticized for being tedious and detracting from the otherwise compelling Warhammer 40K storyline, contributing to a sense of a lazy early access release.

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The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is a tactical turn-based strategy game with science fiction theme.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Windows and PlayStation.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth was released on May 28, 2020.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth was developed by Steel Wool Studios.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth has received neutral reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus, Stormgate, WARMACHINE: Tactics, Exoplanet: First Contact, Black One Blood Brothers and others.

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