Take to the Nile in Total War: Pharaoh.
Another year, another Total War it would seem, as Creative Assembly have announced Total War: Pharaoh, the next instalment of the longstanding series.
Here we have all the details for a Total War: Pharaoh release date speculation, playable factions, pre-order details, trailers and more news.
We’re honestly surprised it has taken so long for Creative Assembly to portray Ancient Egypt as, for a long time, it has been seen as an obvious choice – but with so many great titles over the years, we certainly aren’t complaining.
If you can’t wait to dig out your Y2K Ankh necklace and build some pyramids, then read on to find out everything you need to know about Total War: Pharaoh.
When is the Total War: Pharaoh release date?
Total War: Pharaoh will be released in October 2023.
Fortunately, we won’t have too long to wait before we can charge our chariots along the Nile and build pyramids to consolidate our status as a deity, which, as the player of a sprawling strategy game taking place over decades with complete control over untold numbers of souls, we essentially are.
When a specific date is revealed we will be sure to let you know, as well as if there are any unfortunate delays and release dates for other platforms. Be sure to regularly check in with us to be as up-to-speed as possible.
Can I pre-order Total War: Pharaoh?
Total War: Pharaoh is available for pre-order right now and there are three editions to choose from.
The best Total War: Pharaoh prices we could find are on CDKeys where the Standard Edition can be had for £40.99, the Deluxe Edition for £50.99 and the Dynasty Edition for £65.99 – these being the Steam versions.
These are quite significant savings, so it’s well worth it. The Deluxe Edition contains the base game, DLC Faction Pack one and a digital soundtrack.
The Dynasty Edition nets you the base game, three DLC Faction Parks, a DLC Campaign Pack and the digital soundtrack, so you’re getting quite a lot of extra content – and it works out cheaper than buying them individually post-launch.
You can also pre-order Total War: Pharaoh for full price from the Epic Games Store for £49.99, £61.17 and £77.96 for the respective editions. It can also be found Steam for the same prices.
Whatever edition you pre-order, you will get to take part in an early access weekend, details of which will be shared closer to launch. You’ll also receive the Avatar of the Gods and Heart of Shardana cosmetic packs.
After release, there will be a physical Standard Edition available to buy from select retailers that includes a Steam key, the cosmetic packs and a double-sided poster.
Which consoles and platforms can play Total War: Pharaoh?
Total War: Pharaoh will be coming to PCs via Steam and the Epic Games Store, including MacOS and Linux.
Creative Assembly have been quite good at making sure their tiles are playable for as many PC gamers out there as possible: ever since 2004’s excellent Rome: Total War, most games have seen versions for MacOS and Linux.
Total War: Pharaoh factions, gameplay and story details
Total War: Pharaoh will be taking place during “the vibrant and tumultuous era of the Bronze Age Collapse”, Creative Assembly has told us. During this time, there was much upheaval which tipped the balance of power in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
In Total War: Pharaoh there will be eight playable factions from three different cultures at launch, which can be found just below.
Egyptian
- Ramesses
- Seti
- Tausret
- Amenmesse
Canaanite
- Bay
- Irsu
Hittite
- Kurunta
- Suppiluliuma
Not only will we be able to play as opposing factions within Egypt itself, but we can threaten the power of the Pharaohs as the Canaanites, hailing from the Southern Levant, and the Hittites, who reside in Anatolia, now modern-day Turkey.
In Total War fashion, we can expect a mix of turn-based grand strategy and huge and epic real-time battles which simply get more stunning with each Total War game.
As said, new factions will be released with subsequent DLCs and we’ll update you when we find out who they might be.
Is there a Total War: Pharaoh trailer?
There is indeed a Total War: Pharaoh trailer in the form of a CG announcement trailer, which we have handily embedded just below.
The trailer begins with an opening shot of the sky, panning down to reveal the Great Pyramids overlooking the Nile, then focuses to the foreground where we see a scarab dung beetle emerge from the sand and roll a little ball of dung along the arid lands, in a way that’s evocative of how those Pyramids were built.
We see the beetle pass through rain, scorching heat and a sandstorm until it finds itself at the scene of a previous battle where another dung beetle tries to steal his nugget before he is swiftly flung off of it.
Suddenly, an arrow lands, sending the beetle flying to the planted hand of a Pharaoh. A rival army charges towards him and we see the beetle climb onto his hand and he raises it against the sky, evoking the strength of the sacred scarab, and calls his army to action.
The two armies get desperately close to clashing but the trailer ends, saving the drama for us to savour in a gameplay trailer, no doubt – which we will have for you the second it’s out.
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