$59.99Total War: WARHAMMER Command monsters, magic and thousands
Run a grand dark-fantasy campaign on the map, then take direct control of the huge battles it sparks.
Is Total War: WARHAMMER worth it?
Total War: WARHAMMER is worth it if…
- you like slow, careful campaign planning punctuated by huge real-time battles
- you want to try several very different fantasy races across multiple campaigns
- you enjoy dark, grim fantasy worlds with monsters, magic and flying beasts
- you want head-to-head or co-op battles against friends on bespoke maps
Screenshots
Two games in one: empire map, colossal battles
On the campaign map you build cities, manage an economy, recruit armies and plan wars turn by turn, thinking a few moves ahead like in any grand strategy game. When two armies meet, the game drops you onto the battlefield in real time, where you position regiments, hold a flank with cavalry, and watch thousands of soldiers collide. If you would rather stay the ruler and let your generals handle it, an auto-resolve button hands the fight over. The mix is the point: slow, careful planning up top, chaos and split-second calls below.
Five races that play nothing alike
The Empire fields a familiar mix of infantry, cavalry, gunners and artillery. The Dwarfs dig in behind powerful defences and technology. The Greenskins prefer brutal offense, the Vampire Counts march armies of the undead, and Bretonnia sends chivalrous knights with peasant levies behind them. Each race has its own characters, campaign mechanics, units and play style, so starting a new campaign with a different one genuinely feels like a different game. That variety is a big part of why this one keeps getting replayed.
Legendary Lords, monsters and the Winds of Magic
You march to war behind one of 12 Legendary Lords, arming them with fabled weapons, armour and mounts as their stories unfold through individual quest chains. On the battlefield they share the ground with dragons, wyverns, giants and monstrous cavalry that wade into the melee and cut down hundreds of lesser troops at a time. Wizards, shamans and necromancers channel the Winds of Magic: spells that melt armour, sap fighting spirit or split the sky. Flying units appear in a Total War game for the first time here, opening up new tactical options in open battles and sieges alike.
Battles with a friend across the table
Multiplayer battle is built in, with over 30 bespoke maps added since launch for single and multiplayer play. You can set up custom battles with your own armies, pick the battlefield, and face a friend head to head, or take the field together against the game. Picking your race, your Lord and your spell loadout, then testing it against a real opponent, gives the rivalry a long tail: there is always another army composition to try.
What should you know before starting?
Can you play it solo?
Yes. The Old World campaign is a single-player sandbox where you conquer as you see fit, and custom battles work against the computer too. Multiplayer battles exist alongside all of that, but nothing requires another person.
Do you need to know Warhammer lore?
No. The world is lore-rich and its background is scattered through quest texts, unit descriptions and campaign introductions, so you can pick it up as you go. Knowing the tabletop setting adds flavour, not comprehension.
Is it hard to learn?
There is a lot going on: agents, politics, economy, recruitment buildings and battlefield tactics all at once. The first hours can feel busy, and the campaign map punishes a neglected defence, but taking a straightforward race like the Empire or Dwarfs first makes the climb gentler.
