Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 is playable on the Gamescom 2023 showfloor. If you're not in Cologne, though, IGN has shared the official 14-minute-long gameplay video in glorious 4K resolution.

　　The long-awaited sequel to Relic's acclaimed 2011 third-person shooter is still scheduled to launch in 2023, even though developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Home Interactive have not shared a specific date yet. It's fair to guess it'll have to be in the latter half of November or perhaps even early December, though, given that we're almost in September already.

　　Announced at The Game Awards 2021, Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 will take place hundreds of years after the events narrated in the first game. The protagonist is still Titus, although he's since been demoted from the rank of Captain but upgraded to Primaris Space Marine via Rubicon Primaris, an extensive operation that allows Firstborn Space Marines to be reborn as Primaris Space Marines. Here's how the gruesome process works, according to the Warhammer 40K Lexicanum:

　　It is conducted by many surgeons and medical Servitors who will cut open the Space Marine from his crown to his heels. His ribcage will then cracked apart and – at the climax of the operation – the Space Marine's healing physiology suppressed to the point that his life will slip away. All this is done so that the three extra organs a Primaris contains can be safely implanted within the Space Marine's body. This includes the Magnificat, the Belisarian Furnace, and the Sinew Coils, cable-like lengths of durasteel that encase every tendon and sinew in a metallic sheath that gives tremendous resilience and strength. When the organs are successfully implanted, the now deceased Space Marine's body is left rent and open to the air as his wounds are stitched closed. When the surgeons are done they electrify the Space Marine's heart in order to cause it to beat once more. If the Space Marine is then able to claw his way back from death, his Belisarian Furnace will activate and awaken him as a newly created Primaris Marine.

　　Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 supports three-player co-op for its campaign. Titus and his comrades will bravely face relentless hordes of Tyranids, a composite species of insectoid aliens.