Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition news & patch notes

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39760201/2f0e52e3db666839d2da5034f87c33a9fbdf434c.png Total War Community, That’s a wrap on our 25th Anniversary Showcase – we hope you enjoyed it. A huge thank you to everyone who tuned in from around the globe to witness this small piece of history and to welcome this exciting new era for the franchise. Below, you will find all the information you need to know about the new announcements, including an FAQ at the bottom to help answer any pressing questions.

TOTAL WAR: MEDIEVAL III

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39760201/a0b96be6c9cf6ed8ab94aa9d5ceaa319d20591df.png We’ve been waiting a long time to say this: Total War is going back to the medieval era. We’re in the opening stages of Total War: MEDIEVAL III’s development – pre-production, to be precise, meaning we’re still years from release. But this isn’t just another game for us, it’s the realisation of something we’ve dreamed about for almost 20 years. The Medieval series is one of the most cherished chapters in Total War’s history, and creating a true successor is a goal we’ve held close for a long time. Now, we finally have the chance to make it happen. This next chapter will be both a tribute to its predecessors and a bold revolution for what historical Total War can be. The team’s vision is clear: to create the ultimate medieval strategy sandbox featuring our signature blend of grand strategy and tactical real-time battles. A game that lets you shape your realms, rewrite history, and immerse yourself in the drama and intrigue of the Middle Ages like never before. Some of you might be asking why we’ve revealed it this early, and the answer is quite simple: we want you to come on this development journey with us. At certain points throughout the year, we’ll share behind-the-scenes insights and give you a closer look at how the game is taking shape, so you can see it evolve with us – and in some cases influence its direction. This isn’t just a sequel; it’s the rebirth of historical Total War. Watch the announcement trailer here:

TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER III – LORDS OF THE END TIMES

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39760201/3b535d8d7830063a96a677cb914f25b54a7b8156.jpg The End Times are nigh, but Total War: WARHAMMER’s saga is far from over. It’s hard to believe, but the Warhammer series is about to hit its 10-year milestone, and what better way to celebrate than with something truly apocalyptic. In summer 2026, the Lords of The End Times storm into the Immortal Empires campaign, bringing with them four brand-new Legendary Lords from different races alongside a deadly host of new units, lore inspired objectives and sandbox campaigns. Leading the charge is none other than Nagash, the great necromancer himself. Long whispered about in the darkest corners of the lore, he returns with one goal: to drown the world in undeath. He’ll be joined by a motley crew of horrors including the mighty Blood Dragon Legendary Hero, Walach Harkon, alongside Tomb Heralds, Morghast Archai, the Khemric Titan and more. But that’s not all. These new Legendary Lords arrive alongside the free End Times Update, a transformative new addition to Immortal Empires inspired by pivotal chapters from the lore. Expect a revamped campaign experience; cataclysmic events, apocalyptic scenarios, and all new campaign customisation options. And to crown this update, a new Legendary Lord will rise, ready to leave their mark on the cataclysm to come. There’s more to come, and we’ll share additional details as development moves forward into the new year. Finally, we’re in the early stages of developing our End Times content. What we’ve shared represents our current vision, but it may evolve as development continues - as always with the goal of delivering the best possible experience for all of you. Watch the announcement trailer here: Watch the new Map Flyover video here:

THE WARCORE GAME ENGINE:

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39760201/c14395dcb2d48b41a8811648f0ae58fdfbcb147e.png Every new era of Total War starts with the right foundations. For our Core Technology team, that meant creating a new evolution of our game engine - and we’re calling it Warcore. When we looked at the lineup of future Total War titles, it was clear that our existing technology needed to level-up and Warcore is the result. It’s the most advanced engine foundation in the franchise’s history, empowering our developers with powerful tools to make gameplay more immersive, dynamic, and responsive than ever before. But it’s important to highlight that this isn’t a one-time upgrade. Our talented team have designed it with a long-term vision, so whilst it will be in its infancy at the outset, the intent is for it to evolve over time and unlock groundbreaking new capabilities that ensure Total War stays at the cutting edge of strategy gaming for years to come. And for the first time in franchise history, Warcore opens the door for future Total War titles to launch on PlayStation and Xbox, bringing the scale, depth, and tactical mastery of Total War to a new generation of commanders. We understand that some of you will have concerns about how we approach console development, and that’s completely natural. Rest assured, PC remains at the very core of our design ethos, as it has done for the past 25 years. Throughout this journey, we’ve been working hand in hand with experienced Total War players to ensure that what we develop continues to deliver the same immersive, authentic, and tactically rich experiences you’ve come to expect from the franchise. As a final note, please be aware that the content shown within this section was for illustrative purposes only.

WITNESS THE REVEAL OF A REVOLUTIONARY NEW CHAPTER ON DECEMBER 11TH

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39760201/fc082a9f013314cfc723891baca319d2bd3a498c.png Behind the scenes, one of our teams is working on something truly special. It’s a project long in the making that will mark a revolutionary new chapter for the Total War franchise. Join us for the grand unveiling at The Game Awards on December 11th / 12th where you’ll see an incredible trailer and get your first small glimpse of gameplay. The wait will be worth it. Once the project is officially unveiled, you’ll hear directly from members of the development team on December 16th as they share some insight into their vision and what’s to come. You can witness all the excitement unfold on the official The Game Awards channels: YouTube, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned, this is just the beginning. And here’s when you can watch from: 4.30pm PST, 11th December 7.30pm EST, 11th December 12.30am GMT, 12th December 1.30am CEST, 12th December 8.30am CST, 12th December 9.30am JST, 12th December We want to thank you once again for all the support over these past twenty-five years. This franchise has grown from humble beginnings into a cornerstone of strategy gaming, and none of that would have been possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of our players, our studio teams, and our publisher and support colleagues around the globe. From all of us here on Total War, thank you. Here’s to the next twenty-five! – The Total War Team

FAQ

Total War: MEDIEVAL III

Q: What is the release date? A: This project is still in its early development stages, so we don’t have a release date to share just yet. It’s a long-term effort, and while it will take time, we’re excited about what’s ahead and will keep you updated as progress continues. Q: How often will you be communicating about development? A: We plan to share updates roughly every quarter. Game development is complex, and things can change quickly at this stage, so rather than frequent small updates, we’re focusing on fewer but more meaningful ones - giving you a clearer picture of how progress is shaping up. Q: What features, map details or other gameplay details can you share at this point? A: We're not ready to share specific details about the design direction quite yet, but some of these details will be revealed over time via our development updates. Check out the introductory blog posts from our Game Director here, or the game vision blog from our Creative Director here. Q: Will sieges feature in this game? A: Yes. We’ll share more details in the future, but we see them as an essential component of Medieval warfare. Q: Will this game use the new Warcore engine? A: Yes. This will be the first historical Total War game built from the Warcore engine, unlocking new possibilities to bring the medieval era to life in ways never seen before. Q: How can I keep up to date on the development progress? A: The best way to stay up to date on development news is by joining the Total War Community Hub, where you can follow and get updates on all the latest action across the franchise. Q: Will this game have blood pack? A: No. We want to immerse you in an authentic recreation of the Middle Ages, so blood will play a key role in making the period feel appropriately authentic.

Total War: WARHAMMER – Lords Of The End Times

Q: Will The End Times be the end for Total War: Warhammer? A: We have more content planned for after the Lords Of The End Times releases. Q: Are you replicating The End Times story? A: Like many of our past releases, we’re taking inspiration from the lore rather than directly translating it. This series has always been about creating a fantasy sandbox that feels uniquely yours, and we want to give you the tools to shape your own story amongst the apocalypse. Q: Who are the other Legendary Lords? A: As we approach next summer’s release, we’ll start revealing the other famous and infamous Legendary Lords who will join Nagash within the pack. Q: Will I have to own Total War: WARHAMMER I, II or III to play? A: No. You can simply purchase one of the four new Legendary Lords and you’ll be ready to conquer the apocalypse. Q: When will we hear more about the content? A: We’ll return with more information about the content in Spring 2026. Q: What are Cataclysmic Events? A: Cataclysmic events or 'Devastation' is what we are using to describe the changes to the campaign map seen during the showcase. We have plans for multiple ways to impact the campaign map and allow you to 'devastate' the land.

WARCORE:

Q: Will all future projects use Warcore? A: All major future releases will use the new Warcore engine, but certain projects, such as Total War: WARHAMMER III will continue to use the current engine. Q: Why didn’t you upgrade the engine sooner? A: Total War runs on a custom engine, so upgrades are very resource intensive, involving major redevelopment and testing. Instead of rushing, we invested time to ensure the upgrade would deliver meaningful improvements without disrupting our teams and projects. Q: Why do you continue to use a proprietary engine? A: We continue to use a proprietary engine because it’s tailored to the unique needs of Total War. It gives us full control over features, performance, and scalability, allowing us to create the complex systems that define the series. Q: Will future games perform better? A: The new engine brings richer visuals and more dynamic gameplay systems, delivering noticeable improvements - while preserving the classic Total War style that fans know and love.

THE GAME AWARDS:

Q: What time will the new unannounced title be shown? A: We don’t have specific times we can share, but we encourage everyone to tune into the event from 7.30pm EST / 4.30 pm PST on December 11th or 12.30am GMT / 8.30am CST / 9.30am JST on December 12th. Q: How can I watch? A: Watch the action unfold via The Game Awards official channels: YouTube, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video. Click here for more information. — The Total War Team For the latest news and announcements, don't forget to visit our official social channels. Steam X Facebook Instagram Discord Bluesky