Total War reveals Astra Militarum battles and closed beta signup

Astra Militarum boots, Ork brutality and a polluted Imperial road called the Shattered Expressway took center stage when Total War: Warhammer 40,000 showed new gameplay footage at the PC Gaming Show 2026 on June 7. The reveal was the first real look at in-development battle gameplay, and it finally gave 40k fans something concrete to read: trenchline discipline versus ramshackle xenos aggression, all framed inside the Era Indomitus rather than a vague sci-fi skirmish setting.

The footage mattered because it did not just sell spectacle. The official framing from Total War and SEGA Europe Limited placed the game in the 41st millennium with four launch factions: Space Marines, Orks, Aeldari and Astra Militarum. That matters to army fans immediately. It means the project is not trying to flatten 40k into a generic real-time strategy skin; it is leaning into the setting’s core identities, from armored human mass to greenskin assault, with the Aeldari and Space Marines still waiting in the wider launch mix.

The Shattered Expressway map also did a lot of work in a few seconds. Set on a war-torn, polluted Imperial world, it looked like the kind of battlefield that belongs in 40k: broken infrastructure, industrial ruin and a frontline where the environment feels as hostile as the enemy. Warhammer Community’s Armageddon sector teaser added another sharp layer of context, tying the project to one of the setting’s most battered Imperial war zones and making the reveal feel rooted in lore instead of just aesthetic borrowing.

Players who want in early can register interest in the closed beta now through the official Total War signup, and Steam also has the beta registration live. The beta is set to arrive later in 2026, while Steam still lists the game’s planned release date as to be announced. That makes the signup especially relevant for anyone who cares about balance passes, campaign flow, or seeing how Creative Assembly handles 40k’s scale before launch.

The broader rollout has been deliberate. Creative Assembly’s developer roundtable with Ian, Simon and Dave had already signaled that more secrets would arrive in spring 2026, and this latest reveal delivered on that promise with a clearer look at battle gameplay rather than another teaser reel. The franchise’s scale gives the project even more weight: Total War says the series has sold more than 48.3 million copies, and Creative Assembly says it was founded in 1987. That is a long way from a one-off experiment, and this first Astra Militarum clash showed the studio understands the assignment.