'Total War: Warhammer 40,000' Officially Announced, Bringing Strategy to the Sci-Fi Universe

The official announcement of Total War: Warhammer 40,000 at The Game Awards 2025 culminated in the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Total War series.

Creative Assembly, the developers behind the franchise's success, affirmed its commitment to delivering an unprecedented strategy experience.

In the announcement, Creative Assembly revealed that they have been working closely with Games Workshop for over 15 years.

They promise to deliver a definitive strategy experience, similar to what they have achieved with previous Total War: Warhammer titles.

David Harbour's involvement in the game's debut trailer adds further excitement.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA, a combination that has proven successful in many previous titles.

The long-standing collaboration with Games Workshop ensures that the lore and aesthetics of Warhammer 40,000 will be implemented accurately and respectfully.

Creative Assembly's experience in adapting major IPs into strategy games is crucial.

While no official release date has been announced, Creative Assembly has indicated that further details will be available by the end of 2026.

This means the game will likely not be released before 2027.

One of the most exciting aspects of this announcement is the platform expansion.

In addition to PC, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will be the Total War franchise's debut on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

The game will retain the core Total War gameplay, combining turn-based strategy on the campaign map with large-scale real-time battles.

Players will engage in galactic warfare, conquering planets, upgrading fleets, and managing resources.

This delivers the strategic depth expected from the Total War series, now on a cosmic scale.

Confirmed features include deep troop customization, allowing players to name, color, and define their unit emblems.

Additionally, orbital bombardment will be a key tactical element, as will dynamically destructible environments.

Each battle impact will reshape the terrain, creating new cover and fresh tactical opportunities, adding a layer of realism and strategy.

The game's narrative will be told through "crusades," or campaigns, that impact the overall storyline.

“Warhammer 40,000 is a science-fantasy setting without equal. Its galactic scale, iconic factions, and brutal battles have contributed to a universe that gels perfectly with Total War’s DNA," game director Attila Mohacsi said.

"We’ve worked with Games Workshop for over 15 years and can’t wait to continue that partnership with the aim of creating the definitive Warhammer 40,000 strategy experience just like we did with the Total War: Warhammer series.”

At launch, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will feature four playable factions, each offering vastly different playstyles and challenges.

These factions are the Space Marines, a small but genetically enhanced warrior; the Astra Militarum, a countless army of humans; the Orks, a brutal horde that thrives on war; and the Aeldari, an ancient xenos race that once ruled the stars.

Each faction will have its own iconic units, ranging from infantry and tanks to walkers and colossal war machines.

The announcement trailer has shown massive ground battles, as well as space battles with ships engaged in system battles.

This indicates the vast scale of the conflict, from the planetary surface to the depths of space.

Players will wage war on a galactic scale, conquering planets, upgrading fleets, and managing resources.

Battles will take place across a variety of planets with devastated environments and diverse biomes, providing significant visual and tactical variety.

The concept of a campaign map that spans the entire galaxy will be a new experience for Total War fans.