Total War: Warhammer 40,000 at TGS 2026: A Customisable Warlord and Units That Specialise

At Tokyo Game Show 2026, Total War: Warhammer 40,000 was mostly about customisation. Creative Assembly presents a warlord creator that unlocks piece by piece, and units that specialise as the campaign goes on. The important caveat: what the press saw was limited to the Space Marines.

Update, October 26, 2026: no new date has been given since. The release is expected in 2027 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (Geek Culture). Closed beta registration is closed, an eligibility survey has gone out and no test date is announced (Steam announcement). The context from the previous show is in our Gamescom article.

A 90-minute hands-on, not the booth demo

Two things need untangling. On the show floor, Sega Publishing Korea announced a demo of about 30 minutes with the Space Marines, according to Inven Global. The 90-minute session discussed here is separate: a hands-on at Sega’s Tokyo office, reported by Geek Culture.

It covered colour schemes, emblems, multi-part names with prefixes and suffixes, and accessories. Only the Space Marines were available: the Astra Militarum, the Orks and the Aeldari stayed locked. One More Game describes the same starting point, with colours adjustable per armour piece and a detailed emblem creator.

A warlord unlocked through play

Game director Attila Mohasci talks about a small RPG element: the player creates their warlord and faction as they unlock customisation pieces. Not everything is therefore available from the start. He ties the choice to the hobby, where painting your miniatures is part of the experience.

Dave Petry, the battle lead, added to TechRadar that the game will use the real paint colours from Games Workshop. He also mentions aesthetic unit personalisation, loadout customisation and late-game progression. That interview dates from Gamescom, not TGS.

Units that specialise

The most concrete point comes from the same interview. According to Petry, you can specialise your units over a campaign: Intercessors steered toward certain weapons, upgraded and kitted out differently, up to a level close to Sternguard Veterans. The Russian outlet ixbt repeats the quote. This system touches the game directly, but no source quantifies its effect.

Tutorial, Indomitus era and console

Geek Culture reports a tutorial that precedes the campaign, drawn from the prologue of Total War: Warhammer III. The team picked the Indomitus era for its characters and for humanity’s struggle against the Green Tide. It will also be the first Total War on console, which explains the effort on accessibility.

The limit is plain: a 90-minute hands-on and a 30-minute demo say nothing about balance or the full campaign. What matters next is whether customisation choices weigh on the match or remain a coat of paint.

To follow the announcements, see our Total War: Warhammer 40,000 page.