At The Game Awards 2025, Sega and Creative Assembly officially unveiled Total War: Warhammer 40,000, marking the Total War franchise’s first foray into Games Workshop’s sci-fi Warhammer 40K setting. The reveal came with a dramatic announce trailer showcasing the series’ epic battle scenes transposed to a galactic scale, as humanity’s Space Marines clashed with hordes of Orks across war-torn planets. Stranger Things actor David Harbour, a noted Warhammer fan, took the stage to introduce the trailer and revealed he will portray a character in the game. This installment represents a milestone for Total War, which until now has explored historical and fantasy worlds – making the leap to the grim darkness of the far future a notable first.
Galactic-Scale Warfare in the 41st Millennium
Set during Warhammer 40K’s Era Indomitus, the campaign spans multiple planets, elevating the scope beyond any prior Total War title. Players will conquer worlds, manage fleets and resources, and even wield apocalyptic weapons capable of obliterating entire planets into dust. In true Warhammer 40K fashion, “there is only war” in this galactic sandbox of constant conflict.
Iconic Factions and New Gameplay Features
The game launches with four playable factions: the elite Space Marines, the brutal Orks, the ancient Aeldari (Eldar), and the stalwart Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard). Each faction offers radically distinct playstyles, units, and war machines faithful to Warhammer lore, from waves of Ork infantry and tanks to towering walkers like the colossal Ork Stompa seen in the trailer. Notably, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 introduces a first for the series: the ability to forge a custom army that is truly your own. Players can personalize their warband’s name, choose its colors and heraldry, and outfit their warriors with unique traits, tactics, and arcane wargear. This customization possibility means you can craft a faction to match your own tabletop chapter or an original force, leaving a personal mark on the galaxy.
From Fantasy Battles to a Sci-Fi Future
For those less familiar with the series, Total War is an acclaimed strategy franchise known for blending grand turn-based empire management with explosive real-time battles involving thousands of troops. Creative Assembly teamed up with Games Workshop in 2016 to bring the Warhammer Fantasy world to Total War, resulting in a popular trilogy of games set in the Old World. Now the studio is leveraging about15 years of collaboration with Games Workshop (they worked together in some fashion since around 2010 or so) to tackle Warhammer 40,000’s futuristic universe. The developers aim to deliver the definitive strategic experience for 40K fans, much as they did with the fantasy Warhammer titles.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is in development for PC and will mark the franchise’s debut on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. No release date has been announced yet (the Steam listing currently shows “To be announced”), but eager commanders can already add the game to their wishlist on Steam. As the iconic slogan goes, in the grim darkness of this upcoming Total War, there is indeed only war – and strategy fans have much to look forward to when this epic conflict arrives.
You can wishlist Total War: Warhammer 40,000 on Steam.
