Games Workshop rebrands Citadel Colour paints as Warhammer Colour

Games Workshop, via its Warhammer Community editorial channel, announced that the Citadel Colour paint line will be rebranded as Warhammer Colour, with the company’s wording: “The Citadel Colour label will be replaced with the new name 'Warhammer Colour' across paint pots and hobby packaging.” The announcement was released March 6, 2026 and the supplied official text in the materials ends at a truncation point; no further official copy was provided in the sources reviewed.

Industry reporting and hobby outlets framed the move as a name change rather than a product overhaul. Spikeybits summarized the update: “Warhammer Colour is just the new name for the paint range, but it is still the same hobby paint lineup painters already know,” and warned, “This is a branding update, not some secret reformulation, not a stealth range reset, and not a reason to panic-buy your favorite pot of Nuln Oil like the sky is falling.” Spikeybits and forum summaries repeatedly confirm the continuing paint categories: Base, Layer, Shade, Technical, and Contrast.

Packaging appears to be the one tangible point of physical change listed by Games Workshop’s short announcement: labels will switch to the Warhammer Colour name across paint pots and hobby packaging. Spikeybits emphasized that the classic Citadel flip-top pot remains in use, noting, “One thing that jumps out with this update is what is not changing. While the name on the pot is shifting from Citadel Colour to Warhammer Colour, the familiar paint pot design appears to be sticking around as well.” That retention matters in hobby debate because competing brands such as Vallejo, Army Painter, Pro Acryl, and AK Interactive use dropper bottles rather than flip-top pots.

Community reaction mixed nostalgia, bemusement, and practical questions. Bell of Lost Souls wrote, “Games Workshop is changing the name of their paint line and this feels oddly solemn. Citadel Colour is changing to Warhammer Colour.” On Bolterandchainsword, Lord Marshal posted, “Just a name change apparently, but they made a video about it, so you may get a smirk from that if nowt else.” Marshal Loss wrote, “Genuinely sad to see the old name go,” and raised a forum rumor about a separate “Warhammer Premium” paint range. Cult of Games forum posts captured lighter responses: “Dang! I have to buy all new OFFICIAL paints now 😂” and fans described the announcement video as “an enraged but patient store manager” with the gag line “Cit-a-what?” An Instagram caption in the supplied material asked, “Are you going to miss the old brand?”

Several outlets placed the rename within a broader corporate branding push. BoLS noted prior changes, writing, “Games Workshop Stores were updated to Warhammer Stores. The Citadel is actually a Warhammer Citadel store in Grapevine, TX. We’ve also had various 40k and other Warhammer logo updates through the years as well,” framing Warhammer Colour as consistent with that trend.

Key practical items remain unspecified by the supplied materials: there is no launch or rollout date beyond the March 6 announcement date in these notes, no pricing or SKU detail, no inventory transition plan for existing Citadel-labelled pots, and no official confirmation about pigment names or product codes. The immediate, source-backed takeaway is straightforward: the label is changing to Warhammer Colour, the Base, Layer, Shade, Technical and Contrast families remain, the flip-top Citadel pots appear to stay, and outlets including Spikeybits urge there is no need to panic-buy classic staples like Nuln Oil.