Creative Assembly just announced Total War: Warhammer 40,000 at The Game Awards 2025, and the studio isn’t being shy about its ambitions. Game director Tom Hall straight-up said they want to create “the seminal Warhammer 40,000 game” that shows every part of the universe. That’s a bold claim when you’re competing against games like Space Marine 2, Dawn of War, and decades of other 40K adaptations. But after revolutionizing the Warhammer Fantasy setting with their trilogy, Creative Assembly has earned the right to be ambitious. And based on the first details, they might actually deliver.
The Car Windscreen Philosophy
Tom Hall used a perfect analogy to describe Creative Assembly’s approach: “We’re not a magnifying glass. We’re the car windscreen.” They’re not zooming in on one specific aspect of 40K like most games do. Space Marine focuses on bolter action. Rogue Trader does narrative RPG storytelling. Dawn of War was real-time tactics. Total War 40K wants to be the game that captures the entire scope of the setting, from individual squad combat to galaxy-spanning crusades.
Creative director Gareth Hall echoed this ambition, saying Creative Assembly has “a burning passion to do this justice, make it amazing, and really be the seminal Warhammer 40,000 game from the perspective of showing every part of that world.” He acknowledged that other developers have tried different approaches to 40K’s massive narrative and setting. Creative Assembly wants to be greedy and do all of it simultaneously.
Four Launch Factions With Massive Differences
Total War 40K launches with four playable factions: Space Marines, Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard), Orks, and Aeldari (Eldar). Each faction is designed with radically different playstyles that reflect their lore identity. Space Marines are genetically enhanced supersoldiers – small in number but devastating in power. Astra Militarum is the opposite, throwing waves of normal humans backed by tanks and artillery. Orks are barbaric green tide aggression. Aeldari bring psychic finesse and hit-and-run tactics.
What makes this especially interesting is that Creative Assembly built these distinctions on their new Warcore engine, which debuting with this game. According to senior designer Cam Mann, Warcore allows for even more diverse factions than past Total War entries. Given how different the Skaven played compared to Bretonnia in Total War Warhammer, that’s saying something. The engine also includes Havok-enabled destruction physics, meaning you can call Space Marine drop pods to flatten buildings, then use the rubble as cover during firefights.
Custom Army Creation
For the first time in Total War history, you can completely customize your army’s identity. Name your faction, choose its colors, design its heraldry and iconography, and define its combat philosophy. This goes beyond cosmetic changes. You’re shaping how your army fights through trait selections, tactical abilities, and wargear choices that create a signature style of destruction unique to your playthrough.
This customization system is directly inspired by Warhammer 40K’s tabletop game, where players spend hours painting their miniatures and developing lore for their custom Space Marine chapters or Ork warbands. Creative Assembly is translating that personal ownership into the digital space, letting you forge an army that’s truly yours rather than just playing preset factions.
Crusade Theaters Drive Narrative
Instead of traditional Total War campaigns where you conquer a map and that’s it, Total War 40K uses “crusade theaters” to provide narrative context. Every campaign exists within a larger conflict involving multiple factions. You’ll be briefed on what’s happening, who else is fighting, and what’s at stake before diving into that crusade. As the campaign progresses, the balance of who’s winning slowly reveals the narrative.
Hall explained that every campaign has meaning beyond just “I won, that was fun.” Your actions contribute to or detract from larger galactic events. This approach fits perfectly with 40K’s setting where individual battles are drops in an ocean of endless war. You’re not trying to conquer the entire galaxy in one playthrough. You’re fighting one desperate crusade among thousands, and whether you succeed or fail, the grimdark future grinds on.
Multiple Planets Per Campaign
The announcement trailer showed battles across at least seven different planets, suggesting campaigns will span multiple worlds rather than being confined to a single planet. You’ll shift perspective from ground battles on war-torn worlds to the galactic strategic layer where you’re managing fleets and planning invasions. This multi-layered approach is necessary to capture 40K’s scale, where entire planets can be lost in single campaigns and billions of soldiers die in wars that rage for centuries.
The trailer also confirmed massive war machines including an Ork Gargant, which means Titans are definitely in the game. For non-40K fans, Titans are building-sized war mechs that serve as mobile fortresses. Their presence on the battlefield should create dramatic set-piece moments where entire armies scramble to take down or protect these behemoths.
Combat Gets Hybrid and Dynamic
Total War’s traditional melee and ranged unit structure is being adapted for 40K’s hybrid warfare. Individual soldiers within units can be equipped differently, and troops will use cover on the battlefield. This is a significant departure from Total War’s usual approach where units function as homogenous blocks. In 40K, squad-level tactics matter because a single Space Marine with a plasma gun can change an engagement’s outcome.
Destructible terrain plays a major role. Buildings can be demolished and their debris becomes battlefield cover. Orbital strikes called from voidships in orbit can obliterate entire sections of the map. The scale shown in gameplay snippets is massive, with huge numbers of troops on screen simultaneously. Creative Assembly seems to be leveraging everything they learned from Total War Warhammer’s monster-heavy battles to create appropriately apocalyptic 40K warfare.
Vehicles, Walkers, and Jetpacks
The unit variety sounds incredible. Beyond standard infantry, you’ll command vehicles, walkers, jetpack troops, elite combat squads, and immense war machines. When things get desperate, you can call in reinforcements mid-battle. And if the threat becomes existential, you can unleash apocalyptic weaponry that erases entire planets from existence. That’s Exterminatus, baby. The nuclear option that kills everything on a world to prevent Chaos corruption or other catastrophic threats from spreading.
Hive cities are confirmed as “highly defended” and “difficult to take,” which makes sense given they’re continent-spanning urban sprawls housing billions of people. Assaulting a hive city should feel appropriately brutal, requiring careful strategy and massive resources. This is where 40K’s grimdark aesthetic really shines – the casual acceptance that billions will die taking or defending these urban fortresses.
David Harbour Voices Space Marines
Stranger Things star David Harbour, who’s a confirmed Warhammer nerd in real life, appears in the game voicing what sounds like a Space Marine officer. Having celebrity fans involved is great for marketing, but more importantly it signals that Creative Assembly is investing in production values. Voice acting has been hit-or-miss in past Total War games. Getting actual talent who care about the source material should elevate the narrative presentation.
The trailer’s cinematic sections look gorgeous, showing Ultramarines cutting through Ork hordes with typical Space Marine efficiency. The power armor looks appropriately chunky, the bolter sound effects are meaty, and the scale of the ork invasion feels suitably overwhelming. If the final game matches this visual quality, it’ll be one of the best-looking 40K games ever made.
Building On Proven Success
Hall pointed to Creative Assembly’s track record with Total War Warhammer as proof they can deliver on these ambitions. The Warhammer Fantasy trilogy is widely considered the definitive digital representation of that setting, bringing the tabletop’s factions to life with unprecedented detail and mechanical distinctiveness. If they can replicate that success in the 40K setting, which is far more popular globally, Total War 40K could be genuinely massive.
The original Warhammer Fantasy Total War games single-handedly revived interest in that setting, which Games Workshop had killed off in favor of Age of Sigmar. Now Creative Assembly is working closely with Games Workshop on 40K, the flagship Warhammer property that prints money. The partnership makes perfect sense for both companies, and Games Workshop is clearly giving Creative Assembly significant creative freedom based on the scope of what’s been shown.
Medieval 3 Also Announced
Creative Assembly used its 25th anniversary celebration to announce both Total War 40K and Total War: Medieval 3, showing the studio is simultaneously developing historical and fantasy projects. Medieval 3 has been requested by fans for almost two decades, so having it in production alongside 40K demonstrates Creative Assembly’s confidence in handling multiple major projects. Both games will use the new Warcore engine.
When Can We Play It?
No release date has been announced beyond “TBA.” Given that Creative Assembly just revealed the game and they’re calling it one of the most ambitious projects in Total War history, expect a long development cycle. Late 2026 at the absolute earliest, but 2027 or even 2028 seems more realistic for a project of this scope. Creative Assembly isn’t rushing this. They want to get it right.
The game is confirmed for PC via Steam, with wishlisting already available. Regarding consoles, Creative Assembly confirmed during their 25th anniversary showcase that future Total War games can come to PlayStation and Xbox, though no specific platforms have been announced for 40K yet. The new Warcore engine was specifically designed with multi-platform deployment in mind, so console versions are definitely possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Total War Warhammer 40000 release?
No release date announced yet. Given the scope and ambition described by Creative Assembly, expect late 2026 at the earliest, with 2027-2028 being more realistic timeframes.
What factions are playable at launch?
Four factions confirmed: Space Marines, Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard), Orks, and Aeldari (Eldar). Each faction has radically different playstyles reflecting their lore identity.
Can you customize your army?
Yes, extensively. For the first time in Total War, you can customize your faction’s name, colors, heraldry, iconography, traits, tactics, and wargear to create a unique army identity.
Will there be Space Marine chapters beyond Ultramarines?
The trailer shows multiple Space Marine chapters, suggesting you’ll be able to customize your chapter in multiplayer at minimum. Campaign details haven’t been confirmed.
Are Titans in the game?
The trailer confirmed an Ork Gargant, which strongly suggests Titans and other super-heavy war machines will be playable. Details on implementation haven’t been revealed.
What is the Warcore engine?
Warcore is Creative Assembly’s new game engine debuting with Total War 40K. It enables more diverse factions, Havok destruction physics, and was designed for multi-platform deployment including potential console versions.
Is David Harbour really in this?
Yes. The Stranger Things star and confirmed Warhammer fan announced the game at The Game Awards and appears to be voicing Space Marine characters.
What platforms will it release on?
PC via Steam is confirmed and available for wishlisting now. Creative Assembly has stated future Total War games can come to PlayStation and Xbox, but no specific platforms announced for 40K yet.
Can They Actually Pull This Off?
Creative Assembly’s ambition to create “the seminal Warhammer 40,000 game” is either admirably bold or setting themselves up for disappointment. There’s no middle ground when you make a claim like that. But honestly? Based on what they accomplished with Total War Warhammer, they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt. Those games took a fantasy setting with decades of lore and translated it into digital form with remarkable faithfulness while still being mechanically interesting strategy games.
Warhammer 40K is a bigger challenge because the setting is so vast. You’ve got thousands of years of timeline, dozens of factions, entire sub-genres of 40K media from books to tabletop to video games. Trying to be the definitive version of that universe in game form is genuinely ambitious to the point of hubris. But Creative Assembly seems to understand that scope is the key. They’re not trying to tell one focused story. They’re building a sandbox that lets players experience all the different facets of 40K’s grimdark warfare.
If they nail the faction diversity, make the crusade theaters feel meaningful, deliver on the scale they’re promising, and most importantly make the customization systems let players truly forge their own armies, Total War 40K could absolutely become the game 40K fans point to as the best overall representation of the setting. Not the best bolter action, not the best narrative, not the best tactics – the best complete package that captures what Warhammer 40,000 is about. That’s what “seminal” means, and that’s what Creative Assembly is swinging for.
We’ll know in a few years whether they succeeded. But right now, based on the reveal and the developers’ clear passion for doing this right, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 looks like it could be exactly what the grimdark future deserves.