Total War: THREE KINGDOMS

TL;DR: One of the best mostly-historical TW games, a little confusing to get into for series veterans, lots of small changes add up to a brilliant package. 3K does a lot of small things different to the other Total Wars, but in aggregate they add up to a lot of good changes that deepens the strategy required to succeed. It was a little confusing on my first go through, but I don't know to what degree that's me with my well-walked expectations of TW games or the games on-boarding design. As a long-time fan and player of the TW series, it can be easy to get a little fed up of the formula. Most of the time; All resources are condensed into "income", every army has 1 leader and about 19 units (no limits on the types), diplomacy is very basic, family tree/court mechanics come and go and don't amount to much. 3K changes a lot in a lot of small ways, and it helps it feel fresh again. When learning the ropes of this one I was always surprised with an new feature, like how generals/agents can establish positive or negative relationships with each other and how this effects who can be posted where and how. Generals can only have 6 troops attached, but multiple generals can be in one army. Military Supplies are separate to unit upkeep, and add meaningful complexity to army logistics. My main negative for this game, and its not anyone's fault really, is that the map is a bit repetitive. China is a MASSIVE landmass with a lot of different climates and features, but at the end of the day you have plains, mountains, rivers and forests, and that's it. The ocean may as well not exist, and the jungles and dense mountain regions are at the very edge and don't come up much. Going from TW:W3 that has every natural and un-natural climate to fight in, its hard not to feel a little bored in this aspect. I think the dev's could have also done a little better with introducing players to the context and history of this entry. A lot of people outside Asia are only vaguely familiar with the 3K history and stories, and with all these factions and named characters its very easy to lose your place and have no idea what you're doing. Why should you pick Cao Cao over Liu Bei? Unique unit/building or faction mechanics aside, not a clue. Also, its a Sega game, so there's piles of DLC ranging from utter trash to almost essential. About half of these could of just been free updates.

This is the most fun I had playing any Total War game. I grew up playing Rome Total War, and when I was a teen Total War Rome II came out. I feel like this game has everything that other Total War games lack: I feel like every faction is playable. The characters, with unique buildings, units, abilities etc. feel different enough so that I can enjoy another playthrough. The combat is amazing. I personally only play battles when the auto resolve loses, or losses seem too great (personal preference to keep the flow of the game for me) but I didn't have any major problems with the combat. I enjoyed how versatile I can be with formations, different units, bonuses etc. I do suffer with cavalry units but that is just the usual for me. I wish they would retreat when I tell them to and not get impaled on spear infantry but oh well. The generals, commanders feel amazing. Making them represent the 5 elements is beautiful and making their abilities and the units match this as well is just amazing. Giving a great variety to how you can build your army, depending on what kind of generals you have, filling them up with suitable units. It just feels so good. Honestly I could go on for quite some time, with the buildings, cities, diplomacy and features etc. all day long but after writing this much I realise no one is going to read this so I'll just stop :) If you read so far, thank you and I really recommend this game, I can't believe how much fun I had with it.

This game is my life!!! 10/10! If you like games with action, adventure, and strategy, then this is for you. I bought this for quite the amount of money, and was ready to refund the second i opened the game. Instead, I dived into the amazing world of Chinese warlords, political figures, and civilians. This game is crafted with a great effort that nobody can deny. I have played this longer than many other players, so you can trust me on this. After getting this game, I introduced to total war, and became a huge fan! (Being a history nerd and all). Total War shaped the games that I play on steam, and I think it will do the same for you! Devs, thank you for everything and keep creating, no matter what other comments may tell you!

For me this is the perfect Total War title. - Great interesting story, you can really get a sense and purpose to all the battles you are fighting. - Fun to learn about characters in this time period. These figures are show in numerous games and media its nice to get a better handle of who they are even if the names are confusing because of similarities. I feel like a 3 kingdom era expert among my friends after playing this - Beautiful UI makes managing fun to do. - Not too complicated tech tree. - Battles are pretty much what you would expect from Total War.

The best Total War game that currently exists. Excellent campaign, battles are fun, looks incredible.

Great game for historians and war fans alike. the graphics of such complex and large battles while running smoothly is amazing along with the unlimited potential for new staregies. It may be hard for beginning players of the genre but it is worth the full price if you have some money lying around. If not then remember patience is always rewarded and this is defineialy a good reward PS sorry for the typos

Total War: Three Kingdoms – A Beautiful Blend of Strategy, History, and Storytelling As a long-time fan of strategy games, Total War: Three Kingdoms quickly became one of my favorite entries in the Total War series. It brings a refreshing depth to both battlefield tactics and campaign strategy, all wrapped in the rich historical context of ancient China during the Three Kingdoms era.

Great Campaign and battlefield ai for Total War standards. Includes many historical references and blurbs that increase immersion greatly, overall a great buy.

Absolutely one of the best modern Total War games. The downside to this title is a lack of unit variety and pretty similar factions. Everything else is solid. The maps are cool. Pathing works. Aside from Yaun Shao being known for having a lot of vassals, there is no one overpowered faction.

Having played many thousands of hours on all the Total War series I found I couldn't manage 20 hours on this one. While all the reviews praise it I found it flat tiresome and tedious. I found It simply has no flavour to it other than a congested mess.

One of my top 3 total war experiences. A masterclass in the bread and butter of total war systems with tasteful RPG aspects and well thought out RTS portions. Do not miss out on this on sale but maybe only the furious wilds DLC is worthwhile, maybe a World Betrayed also.

With Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, Creative Assembly didn’t just take a beloved period of Chinese history and turn it into a game—they gave it life, drama, and elegance. Released in 2019, it marked a major turning point for the Total War franchise: a deeper narrative focus, enhanced diplomacy, and refined systems brought a new level of sophistication to the series. It’s not just about conquest anymore—it’s about legacy, loyalty, and the chaos of ambition. Set during the fall of the Han Dynasty in 190 CE, Three Kingdoms immerses players in one of the most romanticized and politically complex eras in Chinese history. You take the role of a warlord—perhaps the noble Liu Bei, the scheming Cao Cao, or the brutal Dong Zhuo—and fight to unite a fractured empire under your banner. Where the game shines is how it balances historical authenticity with the drama of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You can choose to play in Romance Mode, where generals are nearly mythic warriors able to solo armies, or Records Mode, which sticks closer to realism and grounded tactics. This duality makes the game uniquely flexible and appealing to both fantasy-leaning and history-loving players. The core gameplay remains classic Total War: a blend of real-time battles and turn-based empire management. But Three Kingdoms elevates both. On the campaign map, diplomacy is vastly improved. Factions now operate with motives, trust levels, and deal-making depth. Alliances, coalitions, betrayals—it’s all dynamic, and it forces you to think beyond brute force. The new guanxi system also tracks personal relationships between generals, which can impact everything from army loyalty to court politics. In battle, unit variety and general abilities make for dynamic engagements. Duels between generals add flair and narrative weight to encounters, though they can sometimes feel like flashy interruptions rather than strategic necessities. Three Kingdoms is arguably the most character-driven Total War game ever made. Each general has a rich background, personality, and set of relationships that evolve over time. Generals can defect, grow jealous, or become lifelong allies. This gives the game a near-RPG layer that turns conquests into personal sagas rather than just map-painting. The voice acting, art design, and UI presentation all reinforce this emphasis on drama and honor. Every decision feels weightier when it affects people, not just provinces. The aesthetic of Three Kingdoms is gorgeous—vibrant colors, elegant Chinese calligraphy, and a painterly style that brings menus, maps, and battlefields to life. Units are well-designed and animated, and battles play out like cinematic clashes straight out of a wuxia film. Performance-wise, the game is demanding on larger campaigns, especially in the late game. Still, the visual identity is one of the most unique and beautiful in the franchise. With multiple starting factions, branching character arcs, and two campaign modes (Romance and Records), Three Kingdoms offers immense replay value. The DLCs, like Mandate of Heaven and Eight Princes, expand on the timeline and characters, though not all have been equally well-received. Sadly, Creative Assembly ended support for the game earlier than many expected, leaving some fans feeling shortchanged despite the game’s solid foundation. Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is not just a high point for the franchise—it’s a bold reimagining of what a historical strategy game can be. It weaves narrative, personality, and politics into its systems in a way that feels natural and deeply rewarding. It’s not flawless—AI can be inconsistent, and late-game management can drag—but its ambition is undeniable. Whether you’re a veteran of the Total War series or a newcomer drawn to ancient China’s drama, Three Kingdoms offers one of the most complete, character-rich strategy experiences out there. A kingdom may rise or fall—but this game’s legacy is already secure. Rating: 8/10

Been playing TW for 15 years. This is the best TW i've played since Shogun 2. I never thought I'd say it, but one of the best things about this game are the diplomacy and spy systems.

Wont launch, freezes on first loading screen. Tried everything, run as admin, turn off firewall, offline mode, verify integrity, reinstall, nothing.

Been playing this game for 5 hours straight so far and kinda enjoy it, especially the voice lines. How witty, how very witty...

A historical Total War game that has a nice amount of depth to it's every mechanic in comparison to most Total War titles. Despite no longer receiving updates from the devs, modders are still pushing the limit of the potential this game could have had.

Fun game. Map play is fun, and battle play is solid.

It's a unique entry in Total War, and a very fun title. It's not surprising though that it was abandoned. The DLC was numerous and expensive in traditional CA fashion. Still a very good game.

Great tactics and strategy game with an improvement on the diplomacy aspect compared to previous titles.

After +500 hours i can confidently say it's the best TW game. Yes half the DLC is cheeks, but even without them it's more enjoyable then Rome 2 and the fantasy ones. Some complain that generals are god like with their abilities but you can litterly turn it off. The map is easily the most stunning visually. Factions do feel different and unique. The Diplomacy is hands down the best out of all the games. Not to mention the espionage system. Overall, if you want value for your money, get this one.

honestly not a fan of the new magic based total wars but the history option games great and lot of fun.

One of the best entries in the TW series. It was "abandoned" but the game is still super solid. Forget about all the DLC, the base game is good!

Extremely good game! Though there're here and there to patch! And it's a saddened thing that CA abandoned this game...

This is game is amazing. The community mods only make it better. Love the graphic mods. My favorite mod is better archers, it undoes most of the archer nerf from patch 1.7. its a definite must have!

Very good, but it can be adictive, so it you can not allow yourselfe to spend much time gaming, it's gonna be best if you just don't spend ur money on the game. The game is slow paste and needs quite a lot of time to finish, so if you got a lot of time to spare, great!

This is everything I have wanted a grand strategy game to be. The combat is strategical and immersive since you take control of the army and guide it's pieces movements during an engagement. It is turn based, but only moving armies on the map and building in your cities. I normally don't like having to deal with building in towns and cities and such, but it's simple enough in this game where I don't care.

The best Three Kingdoms game when you want to actually relive/rewrite the novel. Gorgeous UI, engaging but lightweight character system, superb diplomacy design. Really, the live battles are just a bonus. 10/10. Both single player and multiplayer.

This is by far the best Total War gameplay and one of the best strategy gameplays ever. It's a great shame the support was dropped so soon. Personally I don't care about the story, but the implementation, the diplomacy, game mechanics is top notch.

very interesting game , but the music in the campaign map is not as it should be , the trial music is much better than the music during the game itself

One of the best three kingdom games out there. Such a pity they stopped development on it. Would really love to start at year 201 so we can recruit Zhuge Liang and experience the battle of Chi Bi. Or after the battle of Chibi where Liu Bei builds up his kingdom of Shu. Hopefully CA will come back to it one day.

Nice mechanics, great battle simulation like most total war games. Graphics are good and UI isn't bad. A good variety of mechanics and units and techs.

As a fan of three kingdoms, I like this game. But unfortunately, this game was abandoned by CA. Hopefully, there will be a Total War: Three Kingdoms 2 in the future

Generally expected good things based on other reviews, but didn't find them. I understand the drive to make games more and more modern, but this is a complete departure from every other Total War game I have ever played and I love the franchise. Here are the main problems I had with it: Settlements: Looking at the city management interface made me feel like I was having an aneurysm. I had to stop playing because of this. Also, it's very unclear what the benefits of each structure are and there is no in-game encyclopedia like Shogun 2 where you can see what new terms mean. Combat: Generally the same as other Total War games, but include confusing "buffs" and having troops under separate generals (not a bad thing just odd), and then having your general be a stand-alone unit who can duel the enemy general?? Campaign: Overall okay, I do like that there are more diplomacy/minister options. What I don't like is that you have "characters" who don't make any sense historically. Unless I missed something and Total War is an RPG now. TL;DR: If you like traditional Total War games you probably won't like this one based on interfaces and how focused it is on appearance instead of actual content.

Having played Shogun 2 and the Warhammer series, the UI here is just terrible in comparison. I just can't get past the world map itself. It's not intuitive, very cluttered, too dark and has horrible color schemes. It's a real shame because ROTK and its various characters has been one of my favourite settings in media.

I've tried liking this game, and there is so much that just doesn't work mechanically that it falls short. Disappointing as there is a lot of things I like in this TW game.

Feel ripped off. not only was the game disappointing but now it wont even launch. gets caught on the load screen. ran the last few times with ease and no mods. avoid this game

the game kick me to desktop when it is my turn to move, here is how: Game Start -> Continue Campaign -> Made My Moves -> Enemy Moves Done -> Kicks Me To Desktop.

This is a terrible game that does not live up to the Total War title. overly simplistic with minimal detail ion army and city management...basic premise is click twice, end turn. The only slightly redeeming quality are the battles, but they do not differentiate near enough to make the purchase worthwhile. 1/10

Total War has been watered down too much. I miss the days of Medieval 2 and Empire total war. They were shining examples of what the series is meant to be. Unfortunately the Battle AI in Medieval 2 was absolute garbage and the campaign AI was too aggressive. In conclusion: There needs to be research, In depth building construction, be able to garrison a town or castle without raising a lord, the dlc feels like content that should already be there and the hero units seem kinda irrelevant and are overpowered to the point where it is game breaking and takes away from the games realism. I'm sorry to say that after Shogun 2, the Total War series has been nothing but a disappointment.

There is a shitty bug that has meant that attrition occurs in territory that I own. Diplomacy with friends you make can oscillate wildly even if you have done nothing to them. There are advantages to having allies but it all becomes a bit meaningless when the AI relations change too randomly. It is frustrating you feel like you've wasted time in bothering to make allies in the first fucking place. and It is complete bullshit.

i don't like the fact this game TAKES TOO LONG TO LOAD!! And a lot of their earlier titles such as Shogun 2 are a lot more fun despite being older games with lower graphics I want to give this game a thumbs down and a thumbs up... it's also one of those bad total war titles that requires LOTS of Workshop mods to make it playable. Whereas Shogun 2 requires few bug fixes and you can play it vanilla and it's still lots of fun!

really fun and looks great, new mechanics and a slight learning curve from normal TW titles,

What's not to like? I bought the bundle with Yellow Turbans and The Wild, because it seemed the best deal.

I see that I'm not the only one with this complaint so it seems the devs aren't listening....MAKE THE TEXT BIGGER!!!!! SEEMS LIKE A GOOD GAME BUT i CAN BARELY READ ANYTHING, AND THEIRS A LOT TO READ!

Ok...did they like lose this codebase or something, and thats why none of the *amazing* stuff in here is not in Egypt? Holy crap this is awesome. Oh man I can only imagine if warhammer was using some of this functionality. Actually the Retinue model would probably fit the WH model better. So much goodness I see why everyone loves this one.

theres too many negatives for me to even recommend this game on sale just to give a few quick examples cause im not going into detail -lack of campaigns/characters from three kingdoms -lack of game actually following story quest for you and other factions -everyone pretty much has marquis titles and demand your surrender every other turn even when you have more land+military strength -game crashes way too much you need mods for stability and too add content cos the dlc contents doesnt add/provide anything good factions shouldve been playable not stuck behind paywalls

Horrible UI. I hate being in this game, it makes me feel repulsed and annoyed. I have sunk over 1000 hours into other TW games, but I couldn't stomach 2 in TW Three Kingdoms.

idk it just doesn't feel right like the other games do, you will probably enjoy it though

user interface sucks proto-historical setting is nice

Favourite Total war Game, a shame its abandoned by Creative Assembly