Total War: Warhammer 3 for PC: Everything you need to know

The finale for the Total War: Warhammer series has been announced. Total War: Warhammer 3 retains the fantasy Warhammer setting while finally unleashing the Chaos Gods in full force. Considering Creative Assembly's pedigree and what we've experienced from the first two titles, this promises to be one of the best PC games available.

There's a lot of mystery surrounding what's in store with this game and a lot we already know. Here's everything you need to know about Total War: Warhammer 3.

What is Total War: Warhammer 3?

Total War: Warhammer 3 is the third game in the Total War: Warhammer strategy games series. Developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega in partnership with Games Workshop, Total War: Warhammer is a sub-series of the larger Total War franchise, a series that mixes real-time strategy battles with turn-based management mechanics.

Total War: Warhammer 3 trailers

So far, Creative Assembly and Sega have only shared one trailer. The reveal trailer pits Kislev against the forces of Khorne, and amusingly confirms one of the factions in the game. You can check it out below:

Total War: Warhammer 3 factions and gameplay

Total War: Warhammer 3 includes an unprecedented number of factions. While the prior two games each launched with four factions (not counting any DLC), this entry will include six. Each of the four Chaos Gods gets a distinct army, while the Tzardom of Kislev, long a palette-swap of the Empire and little more than a punching bag, will now be a kingdom in its own right. Even more amazingly, the mysterious eastern empire of Cathay is the sixth faction available at launch!

Here's every new faction we know about so far:

• Chaos Daemons - Nurgle
• Chaos Daemons - Tzeentch
• Chaos Daemons - Slaanesh
• Chaos Daemons - Khorne
• Kislev
• Cathay

Each of the Chaos Gods embodies particular aspects of evil. Nurgle is god of pestilence, evolution, and disease; Tzeentch is god of knowledge, scheming, and deceit; Slaanesh embodies lust, desire, and hedonism; and Khorne thirsts for blood and skulls as the god of war.

At launch, there will be nine Legendary Lords spread across these six factions. There will be at least one more faction available as DLC at launch, with Creative Assembly promising the Race Pack for free to anyone who preorders Total War: Warhammer 3.

The game description indicates there is a mysterious figure with a role to play who is yet to be revealed, stating "And there is one who schemes to achieve just that, an ancient figure who desires nothing less than to wield supreme power. But to succeed, he will need a champion…" It's possible this is referring to Nagash, an ancient lord of the dead with connections to the Vampire Counts and the Tomb Kings.

Game director Ian Roxburgh says that the map in Total War: Warhammer 3, which includes the frozen north of Kislev, the far east of Cathay, and the Chaos Wastes leading into the Realms of Chaos, is about twice the size of the Eye of the Vortex map for Total War: Warhammer 2.

While we don't have specifics right now, Creative Assembly is also teasing that game mechanics such as diplomacy will be altered here, or at least work very differently. After all, how can human nations barter and trade with the dark gods themselves?

Total War: Warhammer 3 will support a Mortal Empires-esque combining of games. Sometime after launch, there'll be a free update so players who own all three games can to combine them into one mega-Warhammer campaign. When this is eventually released, there'll be a total of 22 different factions, when you count all three games and their DLC so far. Many of these factions, such as the Tomb Kings, divide down into multiple further sub-factions.

Despite the focus largely being on the future with this third game, Creative Assembly isn't done supporting Total War: Warhammer 2, with one more DLC pack coming after the recent Twisted and the Twilight addition.

Total War: Warhammer 3 map

Creative Assembly hasn't revealed the official map for Total War: Warhammer 3 yet. We know it's the largest one yet, as it includes a part of the Old World in the form of Kislev and the Chaos Wastes. The eastern empire of Cathay will also be present, while both factions are invading the Realms of Chaos, a confusing and tumultuous place ruled over by the four dark gods.

Is Total War: Warhammer 3 coming to Steam?

Yes, just like the first two games, Total War: Warhammer 3 will be available on Steam. It's also going to be available on the Epic Games Store, but it isn't an exclusive title. Creative Assembly is working to offer the first two games and all DLC on the Epic Games Store but there's no timeframe for when exactly that'll happen.

Creative Assembly also plans to offer cross-store multiplayer at launch, so you and you friends can play together across different storefronts. Feral Interactive is working on ports of the game for macOS and Linux, which will be available "as close to launch day as possible."

When is Total War: Warhammer 3's release date?

Total War: Warhammer 3 doesn't currently have a release date outside of a vague late 2021 release window. The developers at Creative Assembly have been very open about how the ongoing pandemic has altered development of their games, so while it seems unlikely, it's possible the game could be delayed into early 2022 if need be.