The creators of Total War: Warhammer 3 have announced that they are giving away their main campaign: the Realms of the Immortal, or “Immortal Empires.” The mode is the crown jewel of the strategy game and for many the reason to play it at all. However, the gift is not entirely free.
What kind of game is this?
- Immortal Empires is the massive skirmish campaign from Total War: Warhammer 3, featuring over 280 factions competing against each other – although many smaller “cannon fodder” factions are included.
- You play the campaign across the entire map of Warhammer Fantasy at the time when it is about to be destroyed, the “End Times.”
- Typical of Total War, you build your cities and armies in turns, but engage in battles in real-time. Total War: Warhammer 3 is one of the best games in the Warhammer universe.
This is how you get Immortal Empires for free: Essentially, you don’t need to do much, just own Total War: Warhammer 1 or Warhammer 2 – or obviously the third part – on Steam. One of these two titles is sufficient to gain access to Immortal Empires starting December 4, 2025, as stated on Steam. The campaign will simply be added to your account.
The offer is not time-limited. Anyone who adds one of the three base games to their account after December 4 can play Immortal Empires. Creative Assembly, the creators, have been deliberately expanding the campaign for a while and all new content works for Immortal Empires.
Additionally, you will gain access to the mini-campaign “The Lost God,” which serves as a prequel to the main campaign of Total War: Warhammer 3, Realms of Chaos. The latter is considered rather mediocre by fans, while Immortal Empires is significantly more popular.
You can often find the base games on Steam and similar platforms on sale, sometimes for just a few euros. It only gets expensive if you want all the factions, as you will then pay often over 200 euros for the entire collection even on sale.
More Lords and factions are available separately and often on sale
Because you only have access to the campaign itself, not all factions. You can only play what you have unlocked. For all other commanders and factions, you pay extra. Depending on which game you own, you have different starting races:
- in Warhammer 1: the Empire, Vampire Lords, Dwarfs, and Greenskins
- in Warhammer 2: High Elves, Dark Elves, Lizardmen, and Skaven (possibly the best faction in the entire game)
- in Warhammer 3: Kislev, Cathay, Nurgle, Khorne, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh
All other factions and even individual commanders are included in DLCs, which usually do not receive as many and significant discounts as the base games. You can find in our overview all DLCs for Immortal Empires and which ones suit your playstyle. Also, check the Steam page of the respective games for the DLCs, as many of them are free, such as Bretonnia for the first part.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is among the games that offer a great way to dive into the world of Warhammer. Each of the factions accurately represents the characteristics of their respective race, and even the individual commanders or sub-factions are true to the lore.
While the entry might be somewhat cumbersome, it is worth it if you are interested in the universe or the genre. Total War: Warhammer 3 is the most played Total War title according to steamcharts and has almost 5 times as many players as the second place (Three Kingdoms or Rome).
Immortal Empires is constantly being developed and receives several DLCs per year, usually bundled with three new commanders that you can buy together or individually. In the latest DLC coming out in December, you will get three legendary Lords for Slaanesh, the High Elves, and Norsca as well as a free commander: Total War: Warhammer 3 will receive a new DLC this year, bringing 4 new leaders, one of whom will be free
