2025 Warhammer Year-in-Review: Grand Cathay and 500 Worlds Lead

The hobby wrapped 2025 with a wide-ranging year-in-review that highlighted what drew the most attention from painters, players, and collectors. At the top of the list were the Grand Cathay reveal and the 500 Worlds content, both of which stood out as the most-read entries and shaped conversations around army building, lore expansion, and modeling projects heading into 2026.

Preview shows remained a cornerstone of the year’s engagement, with several major previews and product deep-dives drawing strong online audiences. Those shows served as the first look for new miniatures and rules content, and they functioned as practical touchpoints for painters deciding what to prioritize and for gamers planning new lists. Warhammer+ programming also featured prominently, with streamed content and series episodes contributing to steady digital viewership and offering new ways for players to connect with hobby narratives and tutorials.

White Dwarf continued to influence hobby trends, with standout issues and features referenced repeatedly by the community. Painting features, battleground builds, and tactical write-ups from the magazine helped set the pace for many weekend hobby sessions and local club nights. The year-in-review collated these White Dwarf highlights alongside digital offerings, giving a clear picture of what types of content resonated most.

Beyond single reveals and shows, the round-up included broader year-in-review metrics that map where attention concentrated across formats. That information has practical value for anyone planning purchases, dioramas, or army projects: prioritize the most-read miniatures and features if you want pieces that inspired the greatest community interest, and use the highlighted Warhammer+ episodes and White Dwarf guides as reliable how-to resources for painting and conversions.

For local store organizers and event planners, the review underscored which drops and programming generated foot traffic and online buzz during 2025, offering a guide for scheduling demo nights and painting competitions that tap into proven interest. For creators and clubs, the trends suggest fertile ground for Grand Cathay narratives and 500 Worlds scenarios in narrative campaigns and showcase tables.

The year-in-review functions as both a snapshot and a practical playbook, showing what defined 2025 and pointing readers toward the releases, features, and events worth revisiting as the hobby moves into the new year.