Total War: Warhammer 40k tops one million Steam wishlists

Creative Assembly’s long-teased Total War: Warhammer 40k reached a major pre-release milestone on Jan 15, 2026, when its Steam wishlist counter surpassed one million entries. The game also placed high on SteamDB’s list of most-wishlisted titles, a ranking gamers and the community watch closely for signals of mainstream momentum.

High wishlist numbers matter because they reflect active interest from potential buyers and boost visibility on Steam’s storefront, which in turn can influence pre-order behavior, streamer attention, and early modder investment. For a project that grafts the Total War strategy formula onto the Warhammer 40k universe, that combination of audience size and discoverability is important: it shapes expectations around initial player population for multiplayer skirmishes, the early community for listbuilding talk, and the incentive for mod teams to start work on conversions and balance patches.

Community reaction across forums and social channels has been upbeat and anticipatory, with conversations centering on faction rosters, whether classic units will appear, the quality of campaign mechanics, and how well Creative Assembly will translate grimdark lore into Total War’s large-scale clashes. Screenshots of Steam wishlist counters circulated alongside posts, reinforcing the milestone visually for readers tracking pre-launch metrics.

That enthusiasm comes with caveats. Wishlist totals are an imperfect measure of eventual success. They do not equate to sales or active player counts, nor do they reveal demographic breakdowns or long-term retention. Comparable strategy releases have shown different trajectories—some titles convert high wishlist interest into strong launches and sustained communities, while others have seen momentum fade after launch or struggle with post-release support and balance. Wishlist figures are a leading indicator, not a guarantee of quality or commercial performance.

For the hobby and tabletop crossover crowd, the milestone is still meaningful. A large wishlist pool increases the chance of robust multiplayer matchmaking and a healthy modding scene at launch, and it pressures developers to prioritize performance and post-release balance to meet community expectations. It also raises the stakes for Creative Assembly to deliver a faithful Warhammer 40k experience that satisfies both lore purists and strategy players.

What comes next is closer scrutiny: pre-release previews, technical tests, developer updates on factions and campaign features, and the conversion rate from wishlists to sales on release. Verify upcoming developer communications and patch plans, because wishlist momentum can turn into lasting community investment only if the game meets the playability and lore standards 40k fans demand.