Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition

ours Played: 590 Recommended: As strongly as Caesar ignored the Senate I’ve spent 590 hours conquering the known world, and I still can’t pronounce “Epirus” with confidence. Rome II is the game where you start out dreaming of empire—and end up rage-declaring war on Syracuse because they wouldn’t trade fish. I’ve: Let my best general die to rebels because I forgot winter existed. Bankrupted my economy to build aqueducts no one asked for. Invaded Egypt just because the campaign map looked too neat. Been betrayed so many times by Carthage I now hold personal grudges against Tunisia. 48/188 achievements unlocked, and every one of them was earned with blood, sweat, and questionable diplomacy. Sure, the game launched rougher than a barbarian’s bath towel, but now it’s smoother than a Gaul’s freshly razed village. And don’t let the "Emperor Edition" name fool you—this game doesn’t hand you an empire. You’ll crawl across it, burn it down, then annex it in the name of glory... or because you misclicked. 10/10. Would wage 400-turn civil war again just to hear the narrator say “This is a time of great strife…” one more time.

Total War: Rome II is like a beautiful war elephant: majestic, powerful, absolutely massive—and sometimes prone to trampling your hopes and dreams because it got confused by a bush. Let’s get this out of the way: yes, when it launched back in 2013, Rome II was a hot mess. I’m talking day-one bugs, suicidal AI generals, flying soldiers, and legions whose idea of military strategy was forming a human traffic jam on a siege ladder. If you’ve read any early reviews, you’ll remember the critics’ mood ranged somewhere between “deeply disappointed” and “dear God, what have you done to Rome.” But we’ve come a long way since then. Numerous patches, DLCs, and an Emperor Edition later, Rome II has become a genuinely fantastic Total War experience—if a little quirky, like a general who insists on giving speeches in pig Latin. Gameplay? Glorious. There’s nothing like zooming out and seeing your empire stretch from Britannia to Egypt, then zooming in to watch your Hastati stab Gauls in the face while screaming in Latin. The real-time battles are huge, chaotic, and cinematic as hell. Sometimes your troops even do what you tell them to. Sometimes. Campaign mode? It scratches every strategic itch you’ve got. You manage cities, balance taxes, crush rebellions, backstab allies, marry off your cousin to a Greek guy for trade benefits, and occasionally lose a province because you forgot to build public toilets. The AI? Improved from launch, but still hilariously stupid at times. Enemy factions will do things like siege your capital with a single unit of slingers or declare war from across the map while being gang-piled by six other factions. I respect the confidence, honestly. Diplomacy? Still has the emotional maturity of a toddler. “You gave us gold and protected our people for 60 turns? Cool. Now die.” But it's part of the charm. In Rome II, you don’t win friends. You conquer future problems. Graphics? Still solid for its age. Watching a full cohort hold the line while cavalry slams into the flanks is pure ancient warfare eye candy. And if you don’t zoom in to watch flaming pigs charge elephants at least once, are you even living? Now, is it perfect? No. Some of the DLCs are overpriced, the UI occasionally forgets it's supposed to be user-friendly, and yes, the AI still has its “I'm going to send one unit at a time into your fortress and hope for the best” moments. But none of that stops me from sinking 300+ hours into uniting Italy under my glorious potato-optimized rule. Final verdict? Total War: Rome II is a complex, occasionally janky, but deeply satisfying war sim that lets you paint the map red while roleplaying as Julius Caesar with control issues. It's not flawless, but it is fun—and that’s what counts. It’s like Civilization’s messy, stabby cousin with a PhD in betrayal and a minor in supply chain logistics. 9/10. Would cross the Rubicon again. And this time, I’ll bring siege weapons. Veni, vidi, rage-quit-eti.

Windows 11 is not supported. There are some game breaking bugs and the devs will not be maintaining the game. I wish I could refund this. CA deserves their reputation!

The game keeps crashing when i try to manually play a battle. My PC more than meets any requirements for this game. It didn't used to happen but since I've started to play again i can't even load a custom battle. I love total war games but this sort of thing causes me to lose all faith in them and their games. If the issue is resolved then i will amend this review but I imagine a large company with mostly positive reviews will not care for a few complaints.

I have nearly 3000 hours, so yes steam I would recommend this game. Play it with the Divide Et Impera Mod, great quality of life improvements and adds some more depth. Still great for playing when you have a good second monitor show to get through.

Gameplay Mechanics: 8/10 Narrative: 7/10 Graphics: 8/10 Sound and Music: 8/10 Replayability: 9/10 Innovation: 7/10 Total War: Rome II had a rough launch, but over time (especially with patches and DLC), it’s grown into one of the most robust and content-rich entries in the Total War franchise. If you're a fan of grand-scale warfare, politics, and managing sprawling empires, this is one of the best games to sink hundreds of hours into. Gameplay mechanics are a strong evolution of the classic Total War formula. You’ll manage cities, deploy armies, spy on rivals, and wage epic real-time battles. Some aspects—like AI behavior or naval warfare—can still feel clunky, but the core loop is addictive and expansive. Score: 8/10. Narrative depends on your faction and playstyle. While there’s no story-driven campaign, the sandbox approach lets you carve your own tale of conquest. Factions feel distinct enough, with unique units, political systems, and objectives. Score: 7/10. Graphics were a huge step up when the game released, and still look good today—especially during massive battles. Unit detail, cityscapes, and campaign maps hold up well. Score: 8/10. Sound and music are immersive. The battle cries, clashing swords, and regional musical themes enhance the ancient world setting. Voice lines for generals and advisors add to the flavor. Score: 8/10. Replayability is excellent. Dozens of factions, mods, and different victory conditions mean you can keep coming back with a new challenge every time. Score: 9/10. Innovation brought mixed results. The province system and army stances were new additions that added depth, but also came with some friction. Over time, though, the changes proved valuable and set the tone for future Total War titles. Score: 7/10. Bottom line: Rome II is a total war juggernaut. After years of updates, it’s become a refined and content-packed experience. While not flawless, it stands tall as one of the most ambitious and rewarding historical Total War entries.

I got bored mid campaign as Rome, steamroled everything with hastati then legionari and so on. Finished it but did not enjoy it. - battles are ok, cavalary is boring, units looks same - city building is soulless - client states are useless, i wish i could do more with them like give them territory because bordergore is killing me - civil war and whole family diplomacy is... I am speechless... it is shit - not gonna pay for dlcs to replay game in different color

Rome 2 has it's problems however at the end of the day this is just a really fun game to play. The battles are one of my favourite from any total war, the time period gives you so many different cultures and routes to take so it always feels fresh when I play. This is what total war should be. I would recommend getting all the DLC for this game as they are actually very worth it. You can tell that they cared when they made this game. Also get a MOD to unlock all the factions. It is very fun playing as some of the minor factions. There's nothing new about them BUT it's just a load of fun!

not good. nobunaga's ambition for the old nintendo is a better war game

this is my first total war game and my first ever pc game ive played and i recommend this to anyone who wants to play stratagy games

About to win the Battle of Teutoburg Forest on legendary difficulty, then a cutscene starts and everything except the hud turns black. No way to fix. 12 year old game that costs a fortune yet so many critical technical issues remains unfixed. Practically a scam.

Absolute masterpiece of a game, the mechanics are complex, they keep you replaying campaigns like nothing else.

This is the best Total War Experience period. its a must have if you like strategy games

This is the Rome tactical game I've wanted since Rome 1. The range of cultures and factions is impressive. However, overall economy and diplomacy dynamics is subpar - in line with historical trend in this series. For me, focus are battles and some strategical/tactical manoeuvring you do in the world map. And its solid sieges. Feels good to come back to play it sometimes. (*bought straight into Emperor Edition - so didnt have to experience the worst bugs around the time of release).

8/10 almost perfect game but to day rome 2 is out of update or install old mod it will make you crash while playing and selling some dlc that should be in the game yah that happen with all total war series

BAD I LOVE THE MECHANICS BUT THE BUGS< NOT WORKING MODS AND THE OVERPOWEREDNESS OF ROME IS SOO UNBARABLE AND THE CAMPAIGN IS HORRIBLY DESIGNED go play imperator rome i only play this shit for the battles

The battles and campaign are good but the political system and agents make the game so annoying to play its hard to actually enjoy.

A load of fun - battles are intense and chaotic, just like ancient battles reportedly were

The game urgently needs a critical update. It consistently freezes on the battle loading screen. After some troubleshooting, it appears to be related to how the game handles threads of modern CPUs. I've tried several recommended fixes from the community, but none have worked reliably.https://store.steampowered.com/app/214950/Total_War_ROME_II__Emperor_Edition/#

really fabulous game, i am absolutely shocked by how well it is in strategy action and politics, i wake up excited to play this...but one game breaking problem s making this impossible to play,whenever i engage in a battle,(this started yesterday) and i click, *-fight in battle-* i load in half way and then get kicked to desktop and it closes game, youtube nor google is helping,maybe i should update computer?

Been playing this game for 10+ years. Of course sometimes with long breaks but what can be better than conquering worlds with massive armies. And DEA mode is crazy

I've heard people say Rome II is more 'historical' than the Total Warhammer games, but you can still absolutely grab one of your faction's VIPs, stick them on a chariot, level them up for ridiculous buffs to their combat stats, and introduce the intricate chessboard of iron-age battlefields to your fun new playing piece, the rocket-powered lawnmower. Is it more efficient than actually building a balanced army stack and maneuvring it properly? No. But it is hilarious, and fun, and in this game you can hire your characters' in-faction political opponents for Chariot Of Doom duty, so when they get stuck somewhere and shanked you don't even have to feel bad about it, since they can't start a civil war if they all went missing in a tragic lawnmower accident.

Loading battles no longer works/freezing due to windows 11 Version 24H2. Fix needed

Perhaps past its prime, but an elite game and with the added campaigns superb value for money.

I've had a good time with playing the campaign, and runs decently on my rig.

fuck you for hiding base factions and units behind a paywall. You guys are the scummiest conpany ever.

this game is still fun even 10+ years after it came out. Every so often I feel like becoming a dictator and just running my empire!

Best historical Total War game in the lineup. So many varied factions with completely different play styles, good DLCs that change up the pace. Graphics hold up to this day for a game of this type.

This is a spectacular and historic game. I really liked it and recommend it for other roman history fans. It is very realistic.

Even though it's old, it's still an amazing and classic game.

The battles are amazing. Love the soundtrack, great setting for the game as well. A classic for good reason!

very immersive experience and with lots of good quality factions.

Similar and completely different to Rome one at the same time, seems a lot more polished, out of the three Total War games I've played this is my favorite.

very fun, in depth campaign and every faction in unique and there are so many oppertunities

Honestly the campaign lacks a bit of flavour but the multiplayer battles and the variety of units as well as a bit of nostalgia make this a great game i would say this is still one of CA's best games

Good game and nice graphic

Great game minor issues very fun. Wish the blood and gore was free :(

one of the most unique games id say, i enjoy the city political aspect but the sieges is where the bread and butter is regardless of the minor bugs and stuff. Yes, its an old game give it some slack i remember seeing this game as a kid and loving how you get to micro all the units and never knowing the name till i randomly came across it when i got older and remembering the distinct siege battle game play and i finally got to find out the name ... Total war Rome 2 was it and ive been hooked since dlcs are needed to have the full experience though i will say theyre expensive to get when not on sale but if you can get the game and dlcs on sale worth every cent!!!!

Its so much better than all the other total war games, goated although not enough free campaigns (2) too many dlcs. the only thing that could make this game 10/10 is more free campaigns, maybe a bigger map

amazing map amazing combat great graphics for its time for sure worth the money on sale

What can be said for this game that already hasn't been said.If you like Roman history if you like strategy game,warfare,conquest,destruction,if you like to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women, then this game is for you. Absolutely recommend 10/10.

Great historical game play plus superb graphics. Hours of strategy and fun.

This game is sweet you should get it. takes a little bit to learn how to play but its fun. if i catch you running Rome I will find you and destroy you!

great game love how a group of untrained javlinmen (from the Celtic tribal land) can beat a trained and upkept army with years of combat, atop of that its elite cavalry units feared throughout the land as being some of the greatest! FUCKING DOGSHIT GAME I PRAY FOR ZEUS, HERA, ARES AND SON OF ATHENA, THE HERO ODYSSEUS TO STRIKE YOU AND YOUR WRETCHED COMPANY DOWN βάλλ’ εἰς κόρακας

It used to be a wonderful game, which has turned to shit now

Runs fairly well on an AIO PC, and so far the gameplay and UI are smoother than the first Total War. I'm still getting used to it, and so far it's engaging.

My favorite game of all time, I love the way that your strategy and tactics can completely change the tide of a battle, this game does require a lot of time to master, but it's really fun.

Regarding Total War in general i'm still pretty new, i've only ever played Atilla (250 hrs) before this, but coming to Rome II after Atilla is a breath of fresh air. The only gripe I have about this game is party factions always hate the way you play, but that's probably just the way the AI is programmed. Not to mention, what is cooler than absolute decimation of other countries using Rome's superior units lol

I think that the healthbars of units are pure bs, but the game itself is pretty fine anyway.

---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☑ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☐ Decent ☑ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Game Size }--- ☐ Floppy Disk ☐ Old Fashioned ☐ Workable ☐ Big ☑ Will eat 15% of your 1TB hard drive ☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it ☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Significant brain usage ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls ---{ Grind }--- ☐ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks ☐ Isn't necessary to progress ☑ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You'll need a second life for grinding ---{ Story }--- ☐ No Story ☑ Some lore ☐ Average ☐ Good ☐ Lovely ☐ It'll replace your life ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ☐ Average ☑ Long ☐ To infinity and beyond ---{ Price }--- ☐ It's free! ☐ Worth the price ☑ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{ Bugs }--- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{ ? / 10 }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☐ 8 ☐ 9 ☑ 10