Total WarExplainer
Total War: Medieval III release date: not announced, and here are the 6 factions locked in so far
Total War: Medieval III doesn't have a release date, a release year, a price or platforms yet. SEGA and Creative Assembly announced it in December 2025, when it was in early pre-production, and SEGA SAMMY's earnings presentation of Aug. 7, 2026, still lists its release date, regions and platforms as TBD. Creative Assembly has locked in six playable factions, and in June 2026 it asked players to vote on which of 23 more should join them at launch.
Medieval III is official, but Creative Assembly announced it very early, and there’s no date in sight yet. Here’s what’s confirmed.
When does Total War: Medieval III come out?
SEGA hasn’t said, not even a year. Creative Assembly revealed the game at the Total War 25th anniversary showcase in December 2025, and SEGA’s announcement of Dec. 5, 2025, said it was in early pre-production. When Creative Assembly opened its faction vote in June 2026, it was still in pre-production.
SEGA SAMMY’s earnings presentation of Aug. 7, 2026, lists the release date, regions and platforms as TBD, and the game isn’t among SEGA’s dated releases for the fiscal year ending in March 2027. There’s no price, store page or wishlist yet. SEGA has said it’s planned to include Japanese language support.
Which platforms is Medieval III on?
SEGA hasn’t announced any. The game runs on Warcore, Creative Assembly’s new engine, with new animation and rendering tools and new building blocks for the campaign. Until Medieval III arrives, Total War: Medieval II Definitive Edition is on Steam for $19.99.
Which factions are in Medieval III?
Six playable factions are locked in: the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Sultanate of Rum and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Creative Assembly hasn’t said how many playable factions there will be at launch, but it expects several more slots.
In June 2026, it asked players to vote on a shortlist of 23 more. The list included Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Milan, Greater Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, Scotland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, the Iberian kingdoms of Castile, Leon-Galicia, Portugal and Aragon, Sicily, the Almohads, the Fatimids or Ayyubids, the Zengids, Antioch, Georgia, Serbia and Croatia. In July 2026, Creative Assembly said Poland and the Fatimids were very high on the list, but it hasn’t published final results.
A faction that isn’t playable can still be on the map. Every realm that was independent in 1140 will appear, and empires that rose later, such as the Ottomans, can emerge during a campaign. Creative Assembly plans to make the Ottomans playable.
Start date and map
The campaign starts in 1140. At launch, the map covers Europe and the Mediterranean from Iberia in the west to Baghdad in the east, and from southern Scandinavia to North Africa. That’s why the Great Seljuks, the Mongols and the Russian principalities weren’t on the shortlist, and the Papal States were left off because Creative Assembly felt playing as them would pull too much focus. Creative Assembly says the map is roughly the scale of Total War: Attila’s, with more detail, so it should feel much bigger.
How Medieval III plays
Creative Assembly calls it a medieval strategy sandbox where you can follow history or rewrite it. Its livestreams have shown slot-less buildings, new population and tax systems, and sieges of walls, towers and keeps. Units get visible equipment upgrades as the centuries pass, and many units can be recruited by other factions under the right conditions, while a few stay unique, such as the French Scots Guards or the Holy Roman Empire’s Imperial Knights.
Pawel Wojs, who worked on Medieval II before its 2006 release, is the game director. The Total War series has sold more than 48.3 million copies, SEGA says, and the series' next major release is Total War: Warhammer 40,000, which doesn’t have a date either. For Creative Assembly’s other game in the works, see our Alien: Isolation 2 page.
This page is updated as soon as SEGA or Creative Assembly announces a release date, platforms or the faction vote results for Total War: Medieval III.
FAQ
When does Total War: Medieval III come out?
SEGA and Creative Assembly haven’t announced a date or a year. SEGA SAMMY’s earnings presentation of Aug. 7, 2026, lists the release date as TBD, and the game was still in pre-production in the summer of 2026.
Is Total War: Medieval III on Steam?
Not yet. There’s no Steam page or wishlist for it. Total War: Medieval II Definitive Edition is on Steam for $19.99.
Is Total War: Medieval III coming to consoles?
SEGA hasn’t announced any platforms. SEGA SAMMY lists the platforms as TBD.
What are the factions in Total War: Medieval III?
Six are locked in: the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of France, the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Sultanate of Rum and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. More will be added from a shortlist of 23 that players voted on.
What were the results of the Medieval III faction vote?
Creative Assembly hasn’t published final results. In July 2026, it said Poland and the Fatimids were very high on the list.
When does Total War: Medieval III start?
The campaign starts in 1140, Creative Assembly says, and the map at launch covers Europe and the Mediterranean from Iberia to Baghdad.
How big is the Medieval III map?
Creative Assembly says it’s roughly the scale of Total War: Attila’s map, but with more detail, so it should feel bigger.
Who is making Total War: Medieval III?
Creative Assembly, with Pawel Wojs as game director. Wojs also worked on Medieval II, which came out in 2006.
Pop quiz
1 questions from this story.
In what year does the Total War: Medieval III campaign start?
Creative Assembly says the launch start date is 1140, and the playable factions on its shortlist were picked for that year.
Your call
Which faction would you play first in Total War: Medieval III?
