Total War: WARHAMMER

Total War: WARHAMMER is a PC fantasy grand-strategy and real-time tactics game from Creative Assembly and SEGA. Steam still lists the game under its original official name, with no verified storefront rebrand or replacement edition. Its defining structure is a turn-based campaign of expansion, diplomacy, economy, and army management that switches into large real-time battles whenever opposing forces meet.

The current Steam edition remains a paid base game with a substantial mixture of included, free, and paid add-on content. Buying the first game also grants access to Immortal Empires through Total War: WARHAMMER III, although the broader combined campaign is played by launching the third game.

Two layers of strategy

The campaign map is turn-based, giving you time to move armies, construct buildings, recruit troops, research technologies, negotiate with rival factions, and decide where to expand. Victory conditions vary by race, but the central requirement is controlling territory through conquest, occupation, or devastation.

When armies collide, the game changes into real-time battlefield command. You position infantry, cavalry, missile units, artillery, heroes, monsters, and flying creatures while responding to morale, terrain, flanking attacks, and the changing formation of the enemy line.

Auto-resolve can settle suitable engagements quickly, but the important battles reward direct control. A strong campaign position can still collapse if a poorly timed charge, exposed artillery battery, or broken frontline turns a favorable battle into a rout.

Five races with different battle identities

The base game and its later free additions cover five major playable races: the Empire, the Dwarfs, the Greenskins, the Vampire Counts, and Bretonnia. These are not cosmetic faction swaps. Their armies, economies, campaign rules, characters, and battlefield priorities differ substantially.

The Empire combines conventional infantry, firearms, cavalry, artillery, and battlefield magic. Dwarfs rely on disciplined formations, durable troops, powerful ranged weapons, and access to the Underway, while Greenskins favor aggressive warfare and the momentum of their Waaagh! mechanics.

Vampire Counts replace ordinary battlefield morale with undead resilience and supernatural pressure, using Lords, Heroes, magic, and monstrous units to overwhelm opponents. Bretonnia emphasizes chivalric armies and heavily armored cavalry, creating a more mobile campaign and a different approach to battlefield engagements.

Magic, Lords, Heroes, and monsters

Magic is governed by the Winds of Magic, a battlefield resource that determines how often spellcasters can use their abilities. Spells may damage units directly, create area effects, strengthen allies, weaken enemies, or disrupt formations, so casting at the right moment matters more than simply having a powerful spell available.

Legendary Lords lead the major factions and gain skills, mounts, weapons, armor, and battlefield abilities as they progress. Their individual quest chains culminate in special battles and can unlock distinctive artifacts, giving a campaign leader a meaningful identity beyond basic army bonuses.

Heroes work on both levels of play. On the campaign map they can sabotage settlements, assassinate enemy characters, support provinces, or assist armies. In battle they provide combat abilities, magical effects, and targeted disruption that can change the outcome of an engagement.

Monsters, flying units, and war machines add tactical problems that historical Total War armies do not create. Giants and other large creatures can break formations and cause fear, while dragons, wyverns, griffons, Vampire Bats, and Dwarf Gyrocopters force commanders to watch the sky as well as the ground.

Old World campaign structure

The Old World campaign is a sandbox rather than a linear story path. You select a race and Legendary Lord, establish a starting position, then decide whether to consolidate nearby provinces, pursue faction objectives, trade with neighbors, raid hostile territory, or begin a wider war.

Diplomacy, trade, construction, research, and exploration all support the military layer. Settlements provide infrastructure and income, provinces shape your strategic base, and faction objectives guide expansion without removing the freedom to pursue a different route.

The game also includes custom battles, quest battles, single-player play, and multiplayer options. Steam lists online co-op, online PvP, LAN co-op, and LAN PvP, allowing players to fight against one another or share a campaign experience with another commander.

Base game, free content, and paid add-ons

The current storefront presents the base game alongside a broad catalog of additional content. Free additions include Bretonnia, several Legendary Lords such as Isabella von Carstein, Wurrzag, and Grombrindal, extra wizards, new units, additional Lores of Magic, and more battle maps.

Paid content expands the roster through race packs, Lord packs, campaign packs, and cosmetic or blood-effect content. The listed add-ons include Norsca, Realm of the Wood Elves, Call of the Beastmen, Chaos Warriors, The King and the Warlord, The Grim and the Grave, and Blood for the Blood God.

This is not a free-to-play game. The PC storefront sells a paid base game, while the optional DLC structure lets players expand the playable roster and campaign variety over time. The soundtrack is listed separately from the gameplay add-ons.

Who should play it

Total War: WARHAMMER suits players who want fantasy faction asymmetry, large armies, campaign planning, and real-time tactical control in the same package. It is especially strong for players who enjoy learning how different rosters solve the same strategic problems.

It is less suitable if you want a tightly authored story campaign, fast matches with minimal preparation, or a strategy game where every faction uses nearly identical tools. The campaign can demand patience, and the number of interacting systems becomes more noticeable as wars spread across multiple provinces.

Players who prefer historical armies can move from fantasy warfare to historical grand-strategy campaigns such as Medieval II: Total War Collection, while those who want another modernized empire layer can compare its province management with the province management and real-time warfare of Total War ROME II Emperor Edition.

PC features and technical ecosystem

The PC version is Steam-powered and uses the Steam Workshop, achievements, trading cards, Family Sharing, online services, and LAN multiplayer features. The storefront also lists Denuvo Anti-tamper as third-party DRM and requires acceptance of a third-party EULA.

The game is designed primarily around keyboard and mouse controls, with customizable key bindings and extensive keyboard shortcuts for campaign and battle commands. The current storefront does not advertise dedicated controller support, so players should treat mouse-and-keyboard input as the standard PC configuration.

Localization includes interface and subtitles in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Czech, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. English has full audio support; the other listed languages are presented as interface and subtitle options rather than complete voice localizations.

Total War: WARHAMMER FAQ

Is Total War: WARHAMMER still sold under the same name?

Yes. The current Steam product page continues to use the official title Total War: WARHAMMER. No verified rebrand or replacement name is shown for the active storefront listing.

What is included in the base game?

The base game includes the Old World campaign, four original races, Legendary Lords, real-time battles, quest battles, custom battles, and the later free Bretonnia content. The current storefront also describes additional free Lords, units, magic options, and maps.

Does Total War: WARHAMMER have multiplayer?

Yes. Steam lists online and LAN co-op as well as online and LAN PvP. Multiplayer supports both competitive battles and cooperative campaign play, including shared campaign objectives and army-sharing features during co-op battles.

Does it support mods?

Yes. The Steam edition includes Steam Workshop support, which provides the PC mod ecosystem associated with the game. Mod availability and compatibility can vary as the game and Workshop items change.

Does buying the game unlock Immortal Empires?

Buying Total War: WARHAMMER grants access to Immortal Empires, but the combined campaign is launched through Total War: WARHAMMER III. The first game remains useful as an entry point to the original Old World campaign and its faction roster.

Is a controller required?

No. The game is built around keyboard-and-mouse commands, selectable unit controls, shortcuts, and customizable key bindings. The current PC storefront does not list dedicated controller support as a headline feature.