Crusader Kings III

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 712 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 586 out of 712
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 712
  3. Negative: 55 out of 712

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  1. AllNewSuperfake
    Oct 31, 2022
    6
    Updated (-2) Instead of repairing the flaws of the game, overpriced DLC - including stuff that used to be free in the predecessor - has hit the market, and loading times as well as frequent crashes tell me that the architecture of the base game can't really hold them. Something like the autosave being highly unreliable in a game like this is simply unacceptable, and yet Paradox blames itUpdated (-2) Instead of repairing the flaws of the game, overpriced DLC - including stuff that used to be free in the predecessor - has hit the market, and loading times as well as frequent crashes tell me that the architecture of the base game can't really hold them. Something like the autosave being highly unreliable in a game like this is simply unacceptable, and yet Paradox blames it on mods even if users point out that they don't use them.

    It has all the addictive qualities of it's predecessor, and has become more accessible. The 3D models of your characters are a huge improvement and emphasize that the focus of this game is more on the roleplaying aspects than, for example, Europa Universalis.

    Even though it has it's hick-ups and is cheating a lot, the AI manages to create a dynamic world that will redefine European history every time you start over, and I will never not find the results hilarious. Observing the competition while constantly (and most of the time unsuccessfully) trying to keep your own dynasty in check will never get boring; following the lives of even the most unimportant peasants can tell wonderful stories down the path.

    The expanded religion system is the second big improvement that makes Crusader Kings 3 worth buying. The only downside to religious as well as personal traits is that the AI doesn't really roleplay at all; too many entities on the map are cheating, lying, fornicating warlords that will turn into child-murdering cannibals if you give them the chance, no matter how peaceful, calm and honest they are in theory.

    Right now there are balancing issues, especially when it comes to the AI using female characters as anything but currency in negotiating alliances, that hopefully will get addressed in future patches. Alliances itself, especially if you need them in your wars, are another thing that needs to be fixed.

    Still, as of now this is a game worth playing over and over again, and where losing is just as much fun as succeeding. Even though it's missing the long, long, LOOONG line of DLCs that CK2 had, it already feels quite complete; as a matter of fact I feel like someone cut all the fat away. At the same time there's already a promising modding community out there, so this game's future looks like a 9+.    … Expand
  2. Crimson9
    Dec 21, 2022
    6
    An improvement over CK2 in every way, but it will take a few years and a few DLC and mods for it to rival CK2 with DLC and HIP.
  3. cruccolo
    Sep 4, 2020
    7
    I have played 1500+ hours of its predecessor, Crusader Kings 2. After roughly 50 hours of CK3 I believe there is potential here. Apart from the graphical improvements, I appreciate some design choices, like the different zoom levels showing geographical/political/parchment map modes, or the autoselection of children education focus (which can be manually changed, of course). However thereI have played 1500+ hours of its predecessor, Crusader Kings 2. After roughly 50 hours of CK3 I believe there is potential here. Apart from the graphical improvements, I appreciate some design choices, like the different zoom levels showing geographical/political/parchment map modes, or the autoselection of children education focus (which can be manually changed, of course). However there are a few really annoying elements:
    - nested menus, which require unnecessary extra clicks to do everything, e.g. 6 clicks to nominate a court physician
    - popup messages, impossible to turn off, telling you every single pointless event in the game. Constant distraction.
    - insufficient character finding interface: e.g. there is no option to filter for characters that would join court    … Expand
  4. SamNY
    Sep 19, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's not bad but in many ways it's a step down from CK2. Fix this Paradox.

    The Mayor and Bishop system is completely messed up, worse than before. Instead of making it more in depth, they've made it superficial and harder. Adding in historically incorrect rules and making it harder to search for characters. Add in the amount of bastards and you've made the game almost unplayable. I get the desire to streamline but you did it the wrong way. CK2 cared so much for its world building and you've thrown all that away.

    Also, I'm saying this as a POC, can you quit with PC nonsense too. Yes, in the modern era its appropriate, 100%. In medieval society religion was everything as was culture.
    In summation, this is a worse offering than CK2 and I hope you fix it ASAP.    … Expand
  5. SaintTodd
    Sep 8, 2020
    6
    I'm not writing this review to tell anyone that all the people who love this game are wrong, only that it isn't great at everything it tries to do. What Crusader Kings 3 does well, it does VERY well. It's great at weaving emergent narrative, and that's not easy, because I can't think of another game that does it as well. But Crusader Kings is not meant to be Sims Medieval alone, it'sI'm not writing this review to tell anyone that all the people who love this game are wrong, only that it isn't great at everything it tries to do. What Crusader Kings 3 does well, it does VERY well. It's great at weaving emergent narrative, and that's not easy, because I can't think of another game that does it as well. But Crusader Kings is not meant to be Sims Medieval alone, it's supposed to be a Grand Strategy game, and it's mediocre as such, at best.
    Even the game's strength isn't perfect. In a game that focuses so heavily on intrigue, it's odd that I can see exactly what every other character in the world thinks of me.
    But the main issue is the interface, which is antiquated and awkward. It's arguably no worse that the average PC Strategy game, but that isn't saying much. A few notable issues:
    You can't move the map by left click grab and drag.
    Armies often get obscured by the info window of other armies.
    The game autopauses when you have an important decisions to make, but doesn't autopause when your castle is being seiged (which is oddly easy to not notice).

    A bit more polish and this could have been the 10/10 many others have awarded it. For me, it's a fun little diversion, but not a serious strategy game.    … Expand
  6. prodeathPT
    Sep 3, 2020
    7
    Its good, its an upgrade from ck2 but dumbed down in difficuilty somethings simplified like combat,boat management,intrigue and the UI arent good changes ck2 is still better in these but the rest are good changes graphics,laws,vassals, construction these changes here were better in the end i feel like its better but not that much to justify buying it for 49 euros at this times since iIts good, its an upgrade from ck2 but dumbed down in difficuilty somethings simplified like combat,boat management,intrigue and the UI arent good changes ck2 is still better in these but the rest are good changes graphics,laws,vassals, construction these changes here were better in the end i feel like its better but not that much to justify buying it for 49 euros at this times since i still have ck2 with alot of dlcs i feel like its better in a good half of things ck3 does.im a bit disappointed of ck3 some changes to dumb down stuff to bring a wider audience that might not exist because paradox games are pretty much u like it and give it time to play and learn or u dont play any paradox game its a specific audience regardless playing it was an okay experince.… Expand
  7. Sir_Michael
    Sep 5, 2020
    6
    Awful interface! UI elements are scattered around the corners of the screen.
    Also looks like world map was painted with watercolors. Waiting for DLC, while playing is very uncomfortable.
    BTW, bad Russian localization!
  8. RustyJames
    Sep 6, 2020
    5
    Not the game we all expected! Lots of cons, but the worst part is UI. Maybe it will be different game after some years and tons of DLC (for $$$). CK2 is way better now.
    5/10
  9. Fana-du-jeu
    Sep 8, 2020
    5
    Le jeu est sympa , mais les combats c'est une blague on dirais une partie de loup ( tu bat un adversaire , il s'enfui , il reviens tu t'enfui etc etc ) , niveau graphismes c'est pas mal , pour l'intrigue et les histoires racontés c'est plutôt moyen , après avoir fait plusieurs parties je tombe très souvent sur les mêmes lignes de dialogue avec les mêmes choix a faire ( il y a desLe jeu est sympa , mais les combats c'est une blague on dirais une partie de loup ( tu bat un adversaire , il s'enfui , il reviens tu t'enfui etc etc ) , niveau graphismes c'est pas mal , pour l'intrigue et les histoires racontés c'est plutôt moyen , après avoir fait plusieurs parties je tombe très souvent sur les mêmes lignes de dialogue avec les mêmes choix a faire ( il y a des différence en fonctions des traits de personnalité mais quand même ) , j'aime beaucoup les jeux de stratégie et je ne vois pas ce que ce jeu a d’exceptionnelle… Expand
  10. g014n
    Sep 10, 2020
    7
    It's a mediocre game and if you don't have a lot of spare time for gaming you should at least wait for the first 3 major and actual expansions before jumping in (as usual with Paradox games). But you wouldn't get that from the actual reviews. The higher scoring ones don't provide much justification, they even list problems that should prevent the reviews from giving near flawless or evenIt's a mediocre game and if you don't have a lot of spare time for gaming you should at least wait for the first 3 major and actual expansions before jumping in (as usual with Paradox games). But you wouldn't get that from the actual reviews. The higher scoring ones don't provide much justification, they even list problems that should prevent the reviews from giving near flawless or even flawless marks. In response, there are many 0-3 reviews which are just as low effort.
    ----

    There are two angles we could consider to justify a score in the middle: 1) what they achieved relative to what they attempted and 2) how this actually plays relative to the expectations that people might have about titles in this series and genre.

    And the game is mediocre, at the moment, in most regards. Every aspect of the game that I could think of has both obvious pros and cons. I would have scored it a 6 had it not been the kind of game that I was looking forward, but also I rated higher because ultimately, they haven't botched my experience at launch as they did with other recent releases. Examples now.

    Value at release is obviously a con from the perspective of expectations. CK2 had more content at release (more history and starting options) than CK3 while it has different but relatively more gameplay features. CK3 also has more optional features that enhance things like modding. It's also more stable in terms of bugs (I've been looking through negative reviews at examples of bugs and they don't make a lot of sense, my personal playthroughs were quite clean even though I played in debug_mode which is inherently less stable). People also suggest a lack of diversity of events at release - it's to be expected, but it impacts those that play it as role playing experience. From my perspective, seeking a more strategy oriented experience - the game is good enough for a casual experience, but it's also kind of repetitive. Just because they intended this and achieved it, do I rate it high? No!! I have no idea if and how many expansions will it take to fix these. HoI4 and Stellaris are still not fixed many years after release, while games like EU4 have been polished sufficiently but also ask way too much money for what it offers. Gameplay, from the perspective of content available at the moment, has big cons as well as some nice pros.

    Other misc examples to emphasize this. The UI is both a hit and a miss. Looks good, love the idea. But in CK2 (which wasn't user friendly to new players) I could accomplish what I needed easier in respect to the stuff that is also present in CK3. If newbies found that difficult, in CK3, they might not even realize that the game has more strategic depth than it really has. There are big cons even though the pros are things I emphatically approve of and would keep even with the cons. But I can't rate it high because of these facts.

    They've changed how you raise armies in the game to simplify it. For newbies, this would seem like a good idea, but it means that they might raise stacks that incur high attrition rates. For every other player, this means that the micromanagement has been changed from raising the armies to splitting the unmanageable stacks. Also, it's a strategy game, but the current system can be exploited to teleport troops between wars. There are other factors that would make sense in a strategy game but weren't considered. Hit and miss at the same time.

    The list could go on and on (and on and on and on....)

    I utterly reject the notion that we should expect less of it because it hasn't had time to develop all the content like CK2 did. We've already paid for the development of said content (history hasn't changed and that game offered a great starting point in terms of content). We're paying for a technical refresh of the series and the notion that they can piecemeal the game is something that I tax on purpose.
    -----

    It's not a compelling strategy game, it's a better casual game. It's the one aspect where it is too similar to CK2. That game could have used a more complex combat system (in the sense of involving the player more).

    The roleplaying elements are not that great at this point. It's the one aspect that I could see making this game shine in the future, but they need a lot more content and context. The UI is also getting a little in the way of this.

    *edit reason: grammar/typos.    … Expand
  11. rapha92santos
    Sep 5, 2020
    5
    let your enemy arrange a marriage with a super power kingdom, and thats it, game over. I always trIed to like the paradox games, but never really master them and not for lack of trying, they are just broken, not truly giving the gameplay a sense of improving in campaign, its always do cearting thing over and over reaching barely results that you in the end reach no where.
  12. Keskin
    Sep 5, 2020
    7
    it is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is goodit is good
  13. brpoconnor
    Jun 6, 2022
    7
    It's a solid 6.5-7 for me. It's a fun game, but it feels a little flat when compared to CK2. Hopefully it grows into a better game
  14. vova22379
    Jun 20, 2022
    6
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  15. vegasdiamond
    Jul 7, 2022
    5
    Amazing. Very addictive. Soooo tired
  16. AxeWould
    Jan 12, 2022
    7
    Игра реально очень годная, играю в первые в игру от Paradox-ов, и вот прям затянуло моментально на 40 часов, но проблема в том , наверное во мне, что наиграв более 70 часов, я многих механик так и не понял, справочник тут плохо сделан пришлось гуглить и искать ответы на интересующие меня вопросы. А так игра огонь, но поставлю 7 из-за того что вместо Киевской Руси, какая-то помойка сИгра реально очень годная, играю в первые в игру от Paradox-ов, и вот прям затянуло моментально на 40 часов, но проблема в том , наверное во мне, что наиграв более 70 часов, я многих механик так и не понял, справочник тут плохо сделан пришлось гуглить и искать ответы на интересующие меня вопросы. А так игра огонь, но поставлю 7 из-за того что вместо Киевской Руси, какая-то помойка с двуглавым петухом… Expand
  17. Gorbunov2004
    Aug 12, 2021
    5
    Полная херь а не игра, Война даже сделана убого. У врага 1000 бойцов а у меня 2000 логично что я при объявлении войны должен призвать больше солдат а фиг при объявлении войны у меня 1000 а у него 2000 офигенно просто. Также власть в стране хотела захватить моя племянница я послал чтобы её убили а они начали плести интриги нафига если можно просто отправить солдата и пусть её придушит. НоПолная херь а не игра, Война даже сделана убого. У врага 1000 бойцов а у меня 2000 логично что я при объявлении войны должен призвать больше солдат а фиг при объявлении войны у меня 1000 а у него 2000 офигенно просто. Также власть в стране хотела захватить моя племянница я послал чтобы её убили а они начали плести интриги нафига если можно просто отправить солдата и пусть её придушит. Но нет эту игру же делали Paradox Interactive! Все что хорошо в этой игре это музыка и она офигенна.… Expand
  18. techfrizzy
    May 28, 2021
    7
    Big Paradox fan here.

    An amazingly made game. It is intimidating at first with everything going on. Once you get the hang of it though you'll find yourself sucked into a world of strategy that is unlike any other! I still find myself feeling surprised by the game every once and a while. Absolutely worth your time. My only complaint is how many menus and things there are on the    Big Paradox fan here.

    An amazingly made game. It is intimidating at first with everything going on. Once you get the hang of it though you'll find yourself sucked into a world of strategy that is unlike any other! I still find myself feeling surprised by the game every once and a while. Absolutely worth your time.

    My only complaint is how many menus and things there are on the screen. It just feels a bit crazy to new players but I guess that might be part of the appeal for some people? Anywho I'm just glad to have finally figured out how to understand this thing.    … Expand
  19. Molazza
    Jun 28, 2021
    5
    Good graphics, repetitive and empty gameplay. We have to pay for a lot of dlc for play a decent game.
  20. Squaredash
    Jul 19, 2023
    6
    This game is pretty fun, especially if you’re a fan of grand strategy games, but I did not have a clue what I was doing half the time. I really did try to learn the game from guides, tutorial videos, and friends, but I couldn’t make much sense of this game and it’s mechanics. Plus it’s a huge time sink for something that feels like such a sandbox of a game.
  21. Resoul
    May 6, 2023
    6
    Not as good as CK2 there's some stuff that's better but also things that are worst and overall CK2 is better, CK2 is also way way way more newcomer friendly in fact CK2 is the most newcomer friendly out of all paradox games CK3 on the other hand loses a lot of that newcomer friendliness of CK2 one of the big reasons for this is that they moved the main part of the Ui from the top left toNot as good as CK2 there's some stuff that's better but also things that are worst and overall CK2 is better, CK2 is also way way way more newcomer friendly in fact CK2 is the most newcomer friendly out of all paradox games CK3 on the other hand loses a lot of that newcomer friendliness of CK2 one of the big reasons for this is that they moved the main part of the Ui from the top left to the right top and sadly i don't think there's a mod to move it back to the top left like it is in CK2 and this might not sound like a big deal for new players who never played CK2 but it's just kinda painful and hard to use when it's on the right, i do like that you can make your own character tho without losing the ability to earn achievements but if you're new to crusader kings just get CK2 it's even free now meaning even if you don't like it you're not gonna waste/lose money like you might with CK3… Expand
  22. Talrik
    Sep 10, 2023
    7
    Not a bad game at all, however it falls a bit short given that it's supposed to be a sequel to what is currently a superior game.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2020
28
#28 Most Discussed PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 61
  3. Negative: 0 out of 61
  1. Softpedia
    Feb 16, 2022
    90
    Crusader Kings III has good mechanics and production but what sets it apart is the way it connects to the era it depicts. The experience leans into role-playing and personalities in a way that feels true to the image that most players have about the period between 867 to 1453. Without striving to be educational, the Paradox title also manages to be an excellent jumping-off point to learn more about the period, its main characters, its social dynamics. The development studio has also done well when it comes to post-launch support. There’s downloadable content, of course, but free patches have also arrived regularly, improving systems and eliminating bugs. But more work is needed both in the balance and the immersion department. Crusader Kings III is an excellent way to tell and enjoy stories and I can’t wait to experience how Paradox will add depth to its various mechanics.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Nov 16, 2020
    90
    A worthy successor to Crusader Kings II. Right now, it is not as deep and demanding as its predecessor with all its expansions installed, but it still is an excellent strategy game. For newcomers it’s a great way to dive into the world of crowned tyrants, treacherous vassals, unfaithful wives, and inconvenient babies strangled in their cradles. [11/2020, p.56]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 21, 2020
    92
    Crusader Kings III is definitely a success. The developers made a huge self-evolving world where the players can do as they please. It’s unrivaled both in scale and level of detail. [Issue#248, p.68]
See all critic reviews »