Creative Assembly has outlined its approach to making Total War: Warhammer 40,000 welcoming to newcomers, aiming to capitalise on Warhammer 40,000's surging popularity without diluting the core Total War strategy experience. Battle product owner Dave Petry told Eurogamer that the studio expects a significant influx of first-time strategy players and wants to show them "why Total War is awesome" while keeping the grimdark setting's appeal intact.

To ease the transition, the game will include two tutorial campaigns using "UI gating", gradually introducing systems rather than overwhelming players from the outset. Design lead Joy Dey noted these tutorials will also double as an introduction to the Warhammer 40,000 universe itself, since many newcomers may be unfamiliar with concepts like Space Marines. While there are no current plans for sequels, Creative Assembly intends to support and update this entry extensively over time.