As the narrator notes, the video features gameplay from the Armageddon Theatre Campaign, which will feature many planetary systems, each one filled with multiple planets that have their own quirks and biomes. We then get a closer look at a Civilized planet that has come under threat of an Ork invasion.

The fact that the planet has come under siege is visible directly from what looks like the campaign map, with the planet’s orbit featuring Imperium and Ork ships that undoubtedly have many soldiers waiting to battle each other. The Orks in question are from the Deff Makerz faction, while the Imperium’s ship is providing support through orbital bombardment.

Zooming further into the planet, we get a look at the actual battle, with a regiment from the Astra Militarum marching into battle against the Orks. Despite the Militarum’s focus on sheer numbers, however, the narrator notes that it can’t hope to survive a continuous onslaught by Orks thanks to their superior raw strength. This means that the Imperium player will have to rely on tactics.

As you would expect from a Total War game, smaller units can be sent ahead to scout out the battlefield while a larger force waits for its chance, hidden from the enemy. The Imperium player also makes sure to position a few of their troops at vantage points where they wouldn’t be immediately visible until the soldiers started their engagement.

Siege weapons also have their place in battle, and tanks have been set up on one side of the battlefield to discourage Ork forces from crossing a bridge that would allow them to flank the soldiers.

To deal with this, the Orks have quite an impressive arsenal of their own, including powerful machinery like the Killsaw, the Power Klaw, and the Kombi-Skorcha. Staying true to its tabletop roots, the Ork faction relies on a combination of melee strength and powerful ranged weapons to win engagements, while also using units like Stormboyz using their jetpacks to charge in at opportune angles and even flank some platoons.

One of the most notable things about the entire video is just how detailed Total War: Warhammer 40,000 already looks. Despite still being in development, the title shows an impressive level of polish, with varying levels of zoom showing off not only individual character details but also the vast amount of destruction caused by the battle. Along with this, the title also seems to feature plenty of terrain that, while acting as cover for infantry units, can be destroyed quite easily with the use of heavy artillery.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. While it doesn’t yet have a release date, Creative Assembly kicked off closed beta sign-ups last month.

Beyond this, there was plenty of new gameplay, showcasing the Orcs and the Imperial Guard. Massive battles were promised, and Creative Assembly delivers, but even closer to the ground, the details are immaculate. It’s especially satisfying to see explosions ring out and limbs go flying everywhere.

As incredible as the battles look, the team is working hard to ensure varied environments with its planet-making system. Even if you happen upon an ice planet, various factors can significantly alter its makeup. For example, Arid conditions will ensure more craters while Temperate conditions will result in ice and rocks around settlements.

The sheer variety is pretty impressive, especially when considering architecture and verticality during combat. Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and while a release date remains unknown, a closed beta is coming. You can sign up here to note your interest, though once again, when it will go live remains to be announced. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

However, your commander is quite miffed at his counterpart among the Orks, who have swarmed all over Minerva’s Armageddon subsystem with reckless impunity. It’s time to teach them a lesson in the art of war that they’re not likely to forget. The Imperum of Man is all set to enact a swift and brutal counterattack, and we think Minerva is going to be the start of a very long and bloody campaign.

If you’re wondering what we’re on about, this one marks Creative Assembly’s first foray into the Warhammer universe, and is shaping up to be quite an intriguing offering in the strategy genre. The broadcast/trailer for the game ends with the ominous reminder that there is no peace among the stars, a sign of many battles to come.

A release window would have been a welcome addition to the trailer below, but it seems that it may be closer than expected. At 0:37, the words, “Next Transmission Update Scheduled — 17 Cycles.” If each Cycle is one day, that means an update at the PC Gaming Show, set for June 7th.

With this being the first Total War title to launch on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5, a launch date announcement seems all but a given. Stay tuned for more updates until then.

A key aspect of the game described by the duo is the sheer sense of scale. The planet showcased, for example, will have one of four biomes that have been confirmed for the game so far—arid, temperate, ice, and waste. Each planet will also have its own type of civilization, from sparsely populated frontier planets to fully civilized hive worlds. Players will take on battles from region to region on the continents of these planets, and each star system will have a “handful” of planets. Without going into specifics, McDowell noted that “It’s going to be dozens and dozens of planets in a system.”

“It gives a really cool opportunity for you to encounter more desolate wasteland places,” explained Petry. “You can imagine when you end up fighting on the perimeters of these hives, you’re going to have these wasteland battles effectively that are pretty much empty. Like some bits punctuating things, but largely it’s pretty desolate out there, bar a few points of interest. And then of course, when you work your way towards and into an actual hive, you’re going to be fighting these much more dense, much more choke point-oriented battles.”

We also get a look at a battle map from the Hive World, dubbed the Upper Hive Plateau. “There’s going to be a really, really wide variety of spaces that you can fight in this game,” Petry said. “You’re going to be able to fight in much more dense environments and much more sparse ones.”

Throwing another wrench into the in-game worlds will be the fact that players will get to leave their marks on the battlefield. This means structures and geographical features can be affected. For example, forests offering cover to enemy soldiers can be destroyed.

“One thing that we found with this universe is that everything is on such an incredible scale,” said Petry. “That even these intense spaces, when you get down into actually looking at them, are absolutely huge. There are these massive areas that you can conduct combat within, so even when you’re dealing with these intense spaces, often, actually, the spaces you can work through are still pretty sizable.”

“You can fit a sizable army in a lot of these spaces. And then in many of those spaces where things do get tight, there are opportunities to remove buildings, make it a little bit bigger if that’s your playstyle. If you’ve got an army that really values line of sight, then that can really, really help you there because, ‘I don’t want those. Get rid of them.’”

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It doesn’t yet have a release date, however.

If you’ve played any of the Dawn of War titles, this will look very familiar. Space Marines battling against Orks with tanks colliding against Stompas, and it’s not long before the Imperium of Man brings orbital lasers into the fray. Several worlds are showcased with war raging throughout the system, and suffice it to say that diplomacy might not be much of an option.

A brief look at pre-alpha in-engine gameplay highlighted the various battles taking place on a massive scale alongside the various Chapters players can control. It’s also worth noting that two more factions – Aeldari and Astra Militarum – are also included.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 doesn’t have a release date, but it’s coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S and PS5.