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Warhammer 40,000: Are the Squats Canon?Fiction

In-universe lore. Claims are judged against the fiction's own canon, not the real world.

The "canonical death" of 40k's space dwarfs that every fan repeats - that a Tyranid hive fleet devoured their worlds - was never printed in a single rulebook. It was one designer's offhand forum aside, which fans elevated to scripture before Games Workshop quietly resurrected the entire race in an April Fools' double-bluff.

5 established, 3 disputed, 3 debunked, 2 unresolved. We do not pick an answer; the evidence places each claim. How we decide

44 citations from 12 independent sources - 32 echo the same voices and count once. Graded B1-D1.

Added 3 Jul 2026 - updated 6 Aug 2026 - canon current as of 6 Aug 2026

What the four states mean
  • Establishedsupported, uncontested
  • Disputedcredible sources disagree
  • Debunkedrefuted by the evidence
  • Unresolvedno settled answer

Established 5supported, uncontested

  • Squats were a founding playable race of Warhammer 40,000, present from Rogue Trader in 1987▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
  • By 3rd edition (1998) GW had quietly stripped every Squat rule from the game; the last new models were Epic-scale, in 1994▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
  • The Squats gave the hobby its verb for cancellation: to be "squatted" means GW has dropped your faction▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
  • Squats returned in 2022 as the Leagues of Votann, a full 9th-edition army with its own October 2022 codex▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
  • The Kin are guided by the Votann - ancient AI "Ancestor Cores" - and kept heretical pre-Imperial tech the Imperium never recovered▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
    • The Kin are guided by the Votann - ancient AI "Ancestor Cores" - and kept heretical pre-Imperial tech the Imperium never recoveredWhat April Fools? - Warhammer Community primary
    • GW: the Leagues "emerged from the Age of Strife with far more of their ancient technology intact, including some infamous advances the Imperium would consider extremely heretical."What April Fools? - Warhammer Community primary
    • Each League secretly possesses an Ancestor Core, the Votann - ancient machine intelligences revered as gods that store everything the Kin need to survive among the stars.Kin - Lexicanum summary

Disputed 3credible sources disagree

Debunked 3refuted by the evidence

Unresolved 2no settled answer

  • Open question: GW has never detailed the full fate of the original Squat homeworlds - how many fell, how many Kin survived▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports
  • Open question: the precise lineage linking the 1987 guild-Squats to the new Leagues of Votann is left deliberately vague▰▰▰▱▱ likely3 points
    Supports

Spotted an error, or have a source to add? (tell us which claim). Missing a topic? .