Total War Warhammer 40,000's gameplay reveal will make you wonder if your PC can handle it

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 got its first gameplay video, and it looks like a great, if hardware-intensive, RTS game

We finally got an extended look at gameplay from Total War: Warhammer 40,000. It definitely looks like the spectacle-filled revitalization that the real-time strategy game series has needed, although its impressive visuals have left me wondering if my PC will even be able to run the game.

Creative Assembly and Sega finally decided to show more of the game in action at Bilibili World 2026, an event taking place in Shanghai, China this weekend.

In the gameplay video, a narrator walks players through the basics of a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 match. Warhammer 40,000 seems to play like other Total War games, though it seems to emphasize terrain advantages and the galactic scale of its battles. After alluding to the multitude of planets players will be able to fight over, it then zooms down into a battle between the Astra Militarum and Orks on a planet absolutely ravaged by war.

While the Astra Militarum is apparently outmatched by the Orks at close range, we see the player command their forces to hide behind a supply train and ambush the Orks, forcing them to wade across a large river. Before long, all-out war breaks out, and we see massive tanks and a Stompa. Ultimately, the Astra Militarum player calls down a Lance Strike orbital bombardment to take down a Stompa and win the battle.

While Total War's classic emphasis on strategy was still present, the demo also featured all the ridiculous, over-the-top units and fights I'd expect from a game that utilizes everything Warhammer 40,000 has to offer. Visually, it looks outstanding, too. With so many units and explosions happening on screen all at once, I'm a bit worried my five-year-old PC won't be able to run this. I guess I'll still need to wait for the official minimum and recommended specs for this game before deciding whether a PC upgrade is in order.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 still does not have a release date, but we know it'll launch on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X when it does come out. Maybe one of my consoles can handle running the game better than my PC?