Total War: Pharaoh release date: UK launch time, factions and more news
The turn-based strategy game has arrived in Egypt at last.
The Total War series has been going strong for more than two decades now, and the latest instalment – Total War: Pharaoh – is out now!
Developed by Creative Assembly Sofia, the turn-based strategy real-time tactics game will be set in the New Kingdom of Egypt. It's surprisingly the first time the Total War series has gone to Ancient Egypt, something that fans have clamoured for years to see.
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Total War: Pharaoh is actually releasing in two different waves: one specifically for those who are happy to pick up a digital copy, another for anyone hoping to pick up a physical edition to add to their collection.
To break it all down, we've rounded up the Total War: Pharaoh release date, where to make a pre-order, factions, the latest trailers and everything else. Head below to find out more:
When is the Total War: Pharaoh release date?
For digital players, the Total War: Pharaoh release date is 11th October 2023.
The UK launch time for Total War: Pharaoh on digital platforms was 3pm BST, so you should be able to play it now!
That said, if you want to hold off to grab a physical copy of the game, you will need wait a little bit longer.
A physical limited-edition of Total War: Pharaoh will launch in Europe on 23rd October 2023. It will include cosmetic packs and a double-sided poster featuring a stylised campaign map and portraits of the iconic faction leaders.
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 (at the time of writing) we could find are on CDKeys, where the Standard Edition is available for £29.99, the Deluxe Edition for £49.99 and the Dynasty Edition for £64.99 - 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 Packs, 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 be found Steam for the same prices, too.
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 PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, including MacOS and Linux.
Creative Assembly has been quite good at making sure its titles 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. No console release has been announced as, like its predecessors, it is likely to be exclusive to the PC platform.
Total War: Pharaoh factions, gameplay and story details
Total War: Pharaoh will take place during "the vibrant and tumultuous era of the Bronze Age Collapse". 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
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Canaanite
- Bay
- Irsu
Hittite
- Kurunta
- Šuppiluliuma
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?
One of the latest Total War: Pharaoh trailers gives us a good look at the campaign map, with an eight-minute flyover showing off the many lands where battles will be taking place.
"Soar like a falcon over Total War: Pharaoh's map, as Merneptah tells the tale of what lies in store for the future ruler of these lands..." reads the description. Watch in full below:
Several more videos have been uploaded to the official Total War YouTube Channel, including various dev diaries, character looks and general details about the game.
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Authors
Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.
