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11 Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will run a Closed Beta before launch. Creative Assembly and Sega announced it during the PC Gaming Show on 7 June 2026, the same showcase that revealed the game's first in-development battle gameplay. Registration to express interest opened on the official site the same day.
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33 Announcement
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66 The Closed Beta was confirmed alongside a behind-the-scenes developer feature and new alpha gameplay footage of Astra Militarum forces clashing with Orks on the war-torn world of Armageddon. Creative Assembly framed the beta as the first chance for players to try the game directly, and used the showcase to walk through the factions and systems newcomers would encounter.
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88 How Registration Works
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1010 Players register their interest through a sign-up form on the official Total War website. Access is limited and granted by email invitation rather than open to everyone who signs up. Registering does not guarantee a place; Creative Assembly selects participants from the pool of applicants.
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1212 Timing
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1414 The beta is scheduled to run later in 2026. An exact start date has not been announced, and no firm release date for the full game has been set. Creative Assembly has only said that more will be shared across 2026.
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16-Separately from the beta, Creative Assembly confirmed on 17 July 2026 that the game will be playable at Gamescom 2026 in Germany. It is an early public chance to play the game hands-on ahead of launch, and the studio said more chances to play would be announced later.
16+Separately from the beta, Creative Assembly confirmed on 17 July 2026 that the game would be playable at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, which ran from 26 to 30 August 2026. It was the first public chance to play the game hands-on ahead of launch, and the studio said more chances to play would be announced later. A demo ran on the show floor for the duration of the event, and the game was nominated for two Gamescom awards, Most Epic and Best PC Game. A separate press build was shown ahead of the event, limited to controlling Space Marines in battle against Orks and including a short look at the campaign layer and the tutorial.
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18+A separate hands-on event is scheduled in Shanghai on 5 and 6 September 2026, where attendees lead Space Marine armies on site. Creative Assembly's Chinese-language channels describe the online Closed Beta as taking place within the year and have opened a Simplified Chinese registration form on the official site, which matches the English-language wording that the beta arrives later in 2026.
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1820 Alpha Strike Livestreams
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2022 Creative Assembly began a livestream series called Alpha Strike in the run-up to the beta. The first episode, broadcast on 23 July 2026, covered ranged combat and was hosted with two members of the development team. It paired a live playthrough of the Armageddon battle, run through three times from the player's side, with a walkthrough of shooting, cover, suppression, flanking, unit cards and equipment.
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22-The team noted during the broadcast that the build on screen was roughly two months old, and that further episodes focused on individual features are planned before the beta opens. Viewers were pointed to the beta sign-up throughout, and the developers framed the beta as where they want feedback on the responsiveness and feel of the rebuilt ranged systems. See the Gameplay page for the systems the stream covered.
24+The team noted during the broadcast that the build on screen was roughly two months old, and that further episodes focused on individual features are planned before the beta opens. A second episode, a Gamescom Edition broadcast on 26 August 2026, showed the build taken to the show and brought designers on to discuss campaign and battle gameplay. Viewers were pointed to the beta sign-up throughout, and the developers framed the beta as where they want feedback on the responsiveness and feel of the rebuilt ranged systems. See the Gameplay page for the systems the stream covered.
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2426 What the Beta Tests
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2628 Coverage of the reveal indicates the beta is aimed at refining the game's large-scale combat: how infantry use cover, how armoured vehicles perform, and how squads coordinate in real-time battles. It gives the team feedback on faction balance and battlefield behaviour ahead of launch.
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2830 The two factions shown in detail at the reveal, the Astra Militarum and the Orks, are the pairing players saw fighting on Armageddon. See the factions page for the full launch roster and the Gameplay and Campaign pages for the systems the beta is built to test.
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3032 Pre-Release Note
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3234 This page covers an unreleased beta for an unreleased game. Beta timing, access details, and the build's content are all subject to change. Details are based on the official June 2026 announcement.