Total War: Three Kingdoms

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: May 23, 2019
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 400 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 282 out of 400
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 400
  3. Negative: 66 out of 400

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Cree26
    Aug 18, 2020
    4
    Zzzzzzzz...Cluttered poorly explained and distracting UI...discount cartoony WoW style graphics and colours, historical mode (Records Mode) seems tacked-on, poorly organized settlement building system.

    Battles are smooth, thats a pro. For the record I played on hard my first try and am winning despite not understanding or engaging with many mechanics such as generals liking each    Zzzzzzzz...Cluttered poorly explained and distracting UI...discount cartoony WoW style graphics and colours, historical mode (Records Mode) seems tacked-on, poorly organized settlement building system.

    Battles are smooth, thats a pro.

    For the record I played on hard my first try and am winning despite not understanding or engaging with many mechanics such as generals liking each other or not.

    Don't buy unless there's a big sale.    … Expand
  2. ChumaGG
    May 28, 2021
    0
    Este juego se encuentra abandonado e incompleto. Es un juego de lo 3 reinos que no cuenta la historia completa de los 3 reinos.
    La razon es que a la desarrolladora se le hizo muy facil abandonarlo y comenzar a hacer una secuela, ¿para que?, para sacarle mas dinero a la gente.
    Ni siquiera han podido arreglar algunos bugs de salida. Por no decir que cancelaron las ultimas expansiones para    Este juego se encuentra abandonado e incompleto. Es un juego de lo 3 reinos que no cuenta la historia completa de los 3 reinos.
    La razon es que a la desarrolladora se le hizo muy facil abandonarlo y comenzar a hacer una secuela, ¿para que?, para sacarle mas dinero a la gente.

    Ni siquiera han podido arreglar algunos bugs de salida.

    Por no decir que cancelaron las ultimas expansiones para hacer esto.    … Expand
  3. Haveaseatson
    Jul 18, 2019
    4
    I cant understand why these games get such high ratings, where do i start? Boring campaign gameplay, (if youve ever played a paradox 4x game total war games are extremely simple and boring on the map) repetitive battles that all play out the same way if they arent just auto resolved, long loading times, bad graphics, bad performance, bad interface. Just in general this series entireI cant understand why these games get such high ratings, where do i start? Boring campaign gameplay, (if youve ever played a paradox 4x game total war games are extremely simple and boring on the map) repetitive battles that all play out the same way if they arent just auto resolved, long loading times, bad graphics, bad performance, bad interface. Just in general this series entire premise of meshing a watered down 4x experience with the real time battles is just dated, it needs an overhaul, the battles are not fun.. they arent even interesting and your actual tactics are extremely limited, youll end up auto resolving them all rather than sit through the 60 second load screen and spending 10minutes doing the usual flank/ cavalry charge routine just to save 100 casualities.

    This series has not evolved very much for the time its been going, the developers seem content in reskinning the same game and releasing it as a new $60 game every couple of years.

    I hope someone swoops in and takes this concept and makes it actually fun because it is a good concept, its just executed poorly by todays standards.    … Expand
  4. Legendofmind
    May 30, 2019
    4
    I bought this game based on the glowing reviews. After seeing all the mechanics added, I thought 'why not?'. This is one of the worst Total War games. I've been playing Total War since Shogun 1. The mechanics introduced in this game should have been released with the Empire. Alas, most of what is introduced is too little too late.

    The creators of Total War have a tendency of taking 1    I bought this game based on the glowing reviews. After seeing all the mechanics added, I thought 'why not?'. This is one of the worst Total War games. I've been playing Total War since Shogun 1. The mechanics introduced in this game should have been released with the Empire. Alas, most of what is introduced is too little too late.

    The creators of Total War have a tendency of taking 1 step forward, 1 step backward for every Total War release. This is no different. They somehow managed to make the battles more streamlined. It is like playing Rome 2 at launch; Except less crashes. All the battles are over with quick. The average was 4 minutes for 1vs1. I THINK they are doing this to make Total War more presentable for the Esports. If you do not like the way a certain unit/building works? Pick another -Ad infinitum.

    The 3 hero armies are a nice addition. They can be devasting. One hero can take on 3 units at once. +Plus the drama they can add to the overall campaign.

    The game begs to be modded. It seems like CA thought of a bunch of half-baked ideas and said: "Allow the players to decide on where to take it".

    The biggest deal killer for me is the lack of Artifical intelligence. CA has been given a pass for far too long regarding bad AI. Total War is unique, but I am tired of playing the same battle but with different units.

    If you're new to Total War, give it a try. Based on the majority of the reviews, I am in the minority for disliking this iteration.

    As of May 29, 2019, this game has an 8.9 user score.

    Pros:
    -Optimized
    -It has Great music/Voice acting.
    -Good Story.
    -A step in the right direction for duels.
    -New Mechanics regarding the strategic map. IE, the population for cities, resources, gravitas expanded, diplomacy.
    -Welcomed addition of 3 heroes per army.

    Cons:
    -Horrible AI.
    -Graphics look worse than Warhammer.
    -UI needs more time in the oven.
    -Battles are streamlined.    … Expand
  5. Joseve
    Jun 5, 2019
    3
    hello, I have played the total war series since rome total war. while not all the games are on my steam account it is because I have purchased them on disks... back when those were a thing.

    This game isn't as good as warhammer 2 total war overall. While its campaign is marginally superior, its battles are Extremely boring as it is always mirror matches, due to this historical nature of    hello, I have played the total war series since rome total war. while not all the games are on my steam account it is because I have purchased them on disks... back when those were a thing.

    This game isn't as good as warhammer 2 total war overall. While its campaign is marginally superior, its battles are Extremely boring as it is always mirror matches, due to this historical nature of it. Often times battles end up being mirror matches. I have looked at previous historical total wars such as medieval 2 total war which had some unit overcross there was massive unit variation in terms of what each faction had. While I accept that it is more than probable that they all used the same units in history... there was probably slight variation in training that would result in different functions in their real life applications, which means that you can have different units and not have every unit be a copy paste. There is a faction leader that has the title "pacifict lord", you would think that this faction would have heavy defense units as it's lord is a pacifist, but its units are the exact same.

    Rebellions are nothing you have to worry about. They are no threat to you and as such I felt no reason not to crank up my taxes as soon as I could and not worry about food or public order. I never lost a fight even in auto resolve to a rebellion as assaulting a settlement filled with chokepoints and powerful towers that for if you can hold them you are almost always going to win defending against a siege. I had a garrison filled with only militia this militia had 9 ji militia 6 archers and 3 cavalry. it held against a full stack of elite "defenders of earth/heaven" that only the 3 who have put forward claims to rule china can field. I won that siege against units that I had no business beating and in any other game my units would have routed and I would have lost this little farming village but these chokepoints are a joke.

    Missiles and defensive play are the easiest way to win a campaign as the range on bows is absolutely huge. Not only that they can do insane damage. In campaign I ran 6 units of repeating crossbows and a majority of the time 1-2 whole units of medium infantry would be absolutely crushed before even reaching the front line. In history crossbows had very little arc... But in this game they can shoot like regular bows and you can proceed to shoot over the heads of your units and right into the enemy which results in very high damage from your side and minimal losses per battle. Artillery is extremely strong as well often times killing 480 men before it runs out of ammunition which all happens before they can even reach you. that is equal to 4 units in losses. with the strength of range in this campaign it is nearly impossible to lose a campaign battle if you have a good range core.

    The AI often times loves engaging in diplomacy for ancillaries which is quite annoying as they often come with a small amount of cash for something very small and this happened to me generally 3-4 times per end turn which was quite annoying. I am happy though that the ai is generally better at diplomacy than any other installment. along with the ability to see what will be necessary for them to accept a certain deal. Vassals work in this game at least in my experience.

    If you are thinking of buying this game I would highly recommend not buying this game if you prefer battles being good and not endless mirror matches go and play warhammer 2 total war. Overall I think it is a better game with more unit variation, better battles, and better unit models.

    Speaking of unit models... there is very little unit model variation. For example in warhammer 2 lizard men you could clearly tell the difference between the elite and non-elite. For the Lizardmen there is a clear difference between temple guard, the most elite infantry for them vs the skinks which are the basic infantry. The temple guard are decked in gold armor with giant weapons and are massive, the skinks have virtually no armor and a tiny weapon. The same goes for older titles as far back as rome 1 where urban cohorts were way decked out in armor compared to hastati, and cataracts were completely layered in mail when their non-elite counterparts were wearing almost no armor. almost all units have just a small bit of armor in terms of looks and the only massive difference is when you lay a claim to rule china and get the defender of heaven/earth units. those are the only elite looking units that look really and truly elite.

    all in all this game in my book is a 3/10 and I will never play this game again.    … Expand
  6. Kadirov
    Jul 5, 2019
    0
    This is for not allowing allowing adult mods. Totalitarism must be punished.
  7. BoredGamer42
    Jun 24, 2019
    0
    Game's bloody awful. Negative fun. Save your money.

    Exploits aside (like free no upkeep cavalry units that kill everything - I'm sorry, did I say exploit? Working as intended), there is zero strategy to Rock Paper Scissors when Rock beats everything (Cavalry or Catapults). Infantry are an afterthought, and archers are useless. They don't even have Chinese trebuchets, but Western    Game's bloody awful. Negative fun. Save your money.

    Exploits aside (like free no upkeep cavalry units that kill everything - I'm sorry, did I say exploit? Working as intended), there is zero strategy to Rock Paper Scissors when Rock beats everything (Cavalry or Catapults). Infantry are an afterthought, and archers are useless. They don't even have Chinese trebuchets, but Western trebuchets with counter-weights (hey, maybe that's why they work so well?).

    The voice acting SUCKS. This is a Three Kingdoms game, which's all about passion, romance and characters, and your voice choices are sniveling dweeb or girl with testicles. Expect a hefty dose of PC bullcrap, with characters who could've been interesting, like Sun Ren, dropping her plotting shrew wife schtick and becoming a general (with stats like Sun Ce's for no good reason), and the "Bandit Queen" who only exists in two sentences in the original records that probably were about two different people. Every other general is female, even though all of the citizens of cities are men, so go figure that one out (Maybe they're all home cooking?).

    The game is boring lategame. It's scripted early game. It's unfun. Avoid.    … Expand
  8. Mammolo1234
    May 26, 2019
    2
    In this state, there are more problems than other TW games launch. The Campaign UI is an utter mess, clumsy, absolutely not clear, and the tutorial and other infos (the “I” button) are definitely not sufficient in explaining the various options amd mechanics. Obviously, as is a custom nowadays, the manual in the boxed version of the game is almost non existent, and the other way to learnIn this state, there are more problems than other TW games launch. The Campaign UI is an utter mess, clumsy, absolutely not clear, and the tutorial and other infos (the “I” button) are definitely not sufficient in explaining the various options amd mechanics. Obviously, as is a custom nowadays, the manual in the boxed version of the game is almost non existent, and the other way to learn something is to watch videos that more than often don’t address tour questione. The Campaign AI, in 20 hours of gameplay in normal difficluty (record mode) is decent, albeit a bit passive.

    Battles are ever worse in my opinion. Super
    Fast (the fastest ever in a Tw game, scores of people die in a matter of seconds), they’re severely imbalanced toward machine-gun archers (even levy ones are crazy killing machines) crossbows and cavalry (that can charge from the front halberd infantry, kill tens of people without losses, then cycle-retreat-and-charge without any penalty whatsoever, mowing hundred of people in the process). The battle AI got no improvement from post TW titles, and this is also a minus.

    Add unbalance between general classes (why can’t a max level sentinel recruit a freaking catapult, but a low level strategist can? It’s a mistery) and, in Romance mode, the absolute dominance of heroes (they’re stronger than warhammer heroes), and this is the result.

    It’s my opinion, and I don’t pretend to hold absolute truth, but this is, for me, by far, the worst TW ever. And a Histoical One too    … Expand
  9. Turbo823
    May 31, 2019
    0
    Worst AI of the Total War series.

    The battles are too fast and the AI is easy to beat. The strategic AI isn't much better. The factions have similar unit models and are uninteresting. The graphics are a cartoony look, which I detest.
  10. druout1944
    Sep 16, 2019
    1
    This is the second worst Total War game after Thrones of Britannia, that I have ever played. It's all looks and 0 depth. Still missing the emergent traits and mass of RTW1/MTW2. This is the culmination of idiocracy.
  11. BootyBang
    Aug 30, 2019
    2
    This game is a big step back after Warhammer 2 variety and originality. Waste of money.
  12. Tornan
    Jun 2, 2019
    0
    There are improvements in campaign yet most fans just play TW for battles and in Three Kingdoms there is nothing exciting for people who played previous titles. I had high hopes for that one but CA's DLC lust makes every new reelase feel empty.
  13. lone_dissident
    Jan 29, 2020
    0
    For those of you who are critical of this game, I'm here to wake you up. That's right, ever wonder why it always seems that, as quoted from one of the reviews below, WHY "The creators of Total War have a tendency of taking 1 step forward, 1 step backward for every Total War release."? It's because it's on purpose.

    It's really quite simple. On a basic marketing level, TW games are    For those of you who are critical of this game, I'm here to wake you up. That's right, ever wonder why it always seems that, as quoted from one of the reviews below, WHY "The creators of Total War have a tendency of taking 1 step forward, 1 step backward for every Total War release."? It's because it's on purpose.

    It's really quite simple.

    On a basic marketing level, TW games are actually designed to be digital hamster wheels. People will argue with you tooth and nail over the things that make this game bad, namely the all-around incompetent AI, auto-spamming of garbage troops, AI cheating, etc;. But these things have already been formally established as known fact among the TW community as evidenced by the tropes, memes and colloquial references among said community that lament, mock, and caustically celebrate those very flaws.

    So therefore, bearing in mind that there's already an established consensus as to the existence of all those recurrent flaws, why is this game so popular?

    Because it was actually discreetly designed under the principles of something called "Behavioral Game Design", something adapted from the work of psychologist CF Skinner, and it's a method used to make video games that hook players, whether they like it or not.

    Don't believe me? Look it up. Think about it-- Why else would people be willing to put up with so many flaws, for so long considering all the many things that are wrong with every reiterated version of this game? Why do you think these games get consistently high ratings on game review websites despite the overwhelming flaws that leave the games unplayable?

    Because this game wasn't designed with you to have fun in mind. That was never the idea. It was designed, it was always designed to reinforce addictive behavior.

    I just want you who criticize the game and wonder why they release the same **** with the same issues over and over again to know it's because Creative Assembly doesn't have to give you anything else. They're never going to give you the game you want because the skinner box method is the perfect way to create, and sell their games. By exploiting players expectations and never delivering on the illusory promise of their games, they can keep players mindlessly captivated, having a fake strategy game that functions as a digital drug that keeps people blind to both the fact that this a broken game series and always has been, and that they're hooked.

    I know the only reason many players still play is because you think the next game is going to be better. Then you buy it, are disappointed, can't get a refund, and end up playing it anyway because you have to settle for whatever crap Creative Assembly churned out.

    It's obvious that this game is just designed to exploit your dopaminergic system and feed into addiction. Why do you think you see 900+ hour reviews on Steam still giving this game negative reviews? This game is JUST pervasive and exploitative enough for the devs to have plausible deniability yet keep players hooked on the drip feed cycle of Total War.

    It's shameful that this game series receives awards due to to the brainwashed masses being seduced into failing to realize they're not really rating a game, and they're being subliminally controlled. This game is digital smack. That's why you are always disappointed by this games series despite the hype, that's why no one seems to be criticizing it. Because people are being stimulated and sedated by this crap without even realizing it.

    CA treats their fanbase like hamsters in a cage, and they don't expect you to wake up and stop buying their games, stringing you along on a string of empty promises and making you chase the Total War dragon because they know the main oversight most of you make when engaging with them is the presupposition that they have your best interests in mind, that you share some commonality. I'll tell you you don't. The only thing you have in common is you have money and THEY want it. This game series is designed to get money out of your pocket. This is a fraudulent game series designed to make you chase the Total War dragon and Creative Assembly are a deceitful and immoral publisher. Not that this stuff is anything new. But the way which Creative Assembly does it is just blatant and insulting. It's one thing if you're addicted to something because it's fun. But this is just intentionally designed, blatant manipulation.    … Expand
  14. Quatra
    May 23, 2019
    3
    UI is painful to look at. Graphics are sub par and combat is short and boring on Very Hard everything is an auto battle so far. The building UI is confusing and the most cumbersome in any TW game. I find it boring, confusing, and weird; even tho I have played every Total War made.
  15. Mikelitoris88
    Dec 6, 2019
    3
    I cannot comprehend why this game so highly scored, the UI is a mess, the army recruitment process is horrible, the graphics are frankly a drawback, cant build several buildings at the same time, ......
  16. Cannily
    May 14, 2022
    0
    This game is rubbish. It is not enjoyable to play at all.

    When it came out, it was a different take on a historic total war game. I did not mind the romantic hero based armies, and I really enjoyed the new and improved diplomatic system. But since then, with every DLC, new bugs were introduced. For instance, the load times between rounds are now a minute or longer on a high-end CPU.    This game is rubbish. It is not enjoyable to play at all.

    When it came out, it was a different take on a historic total war game. I did not mind the romantic hero based armies, and I really enjoyed the new and improved diplomatic system.

    But since then, with every DLC, new bugs were introduced. For instance, the load times between rounds are now a minute or longer on a high-end CPU.

    Will CA fix these bugs and fulfil the Three Kingdoms timeline? Of course not. CA gave up on this game and works on the successor instead. The officially said so. DO NOT BUY IT.

    This game is a hit in the face of honest buyers, who expected to play in the Three Kingdoms based
    China. If you really want to try it out, buy it directly at Steam, so you can give it back or take other means to play it for free. It is not worth a single dollar.    … Expand
  17. purple_laser
    Apr 25, 2020
    3
    i rate a game basis,
    1. story, character driven , how much it get me emotionally involved
    2. graphics 3. battlesystem, gameplay 4. MOST importantly.. FUN well on a scale of 1 to 5 , i give it a 2 on first 3 points and negative 3 on FUN.. bloody after watching so may tutorials and playing this game after finally getting a hang of it after 20 hours, i finally realized, i was more    i rate a game basis,
    1. story, character driven , how much it get me emotionally involved
    2. graphics
    3. battlesystem, gameplay
    4. MOST importantly.. FUN

    well on a scale of 1 to 5 , i give it a 2 on first 3 points and negative 3 on FUN.. bloody after watching so may tutorials and playing this game after finally getting a hang of it after 20 hours, i finally realized, i was more frustrated than entertained..

    waste of money.. waste of time.    … Expand
  18. Mister_Jey
    Jan 12, 2021
    3
    → Tristesse et désespoir, nouveau proverbe Chinois après Tree Kingdom !
    J'avais des doutes avant de me lancer car l'univers Chinois ne m'attirait pas, J'aurais mieux fait de m'écouter. Entre l'ergonomie catastrophique de l'arbre de recherche, ainsi que pour la construction des bâtiments, mais aussi les batailles de piètres qualités avec un énorme manque de diversité dans les troupes, sans    → Tristesse et désespoir, nouveau proverbe Chinois après Tree Kingdom !
    J'avais des doutes avant de me lancer car l'univers Chinois ne m'attirait pas, J'aurais mieux fait de m'écouter. Entre l'ergonomie catastrophique de l'arbre de recherche, ainsi que pour la construction des bâtiments, mais aussi les batailles de piètres qualités avec un énorme manque de diversité dans les troupes, sans parler des héros qui n'en impose pas et de son univers qui ne me parle pas, cet opus de Total War n'a décidément pas grand chose pour me plaire…

    Sortie en mai 2019 / Développé par Creative Assembly.    … Expand
  19. smablood
    May 27, 2021
    2
    A great total war game that has added lots and lots to make the game unique and replayable. I just have one major qualm. ITS NOT THE THREE KINGDOMS ERA! It is before and after but not the actual "Three Kingdoms." This really ticks me off that the main game isn't the actual time. Sure the Leading up to the time is fun and the post era is fun but why call it Three Kingdoms if it doesn'tA great total war game that has added lots and lots to make the game unique and replayable. I just have one major qualm. ITS NOT THE THREE KINGDOMS ERA! It is before and after but not the actual "Three Kingdoms." This really ticks me off that the main game isn't the actual time. Sure the Leading up to the time is fun and the post era is fun but why call it Three Kingdoms if it doesn't contain misses the actual three kingdoms. Should have made the main game with the actual three kingdoms and then added what the game currently has as dlc. Did I mention Three kingdoms enough?… Expand
  20. nitocris
    Jun 1, 2021
    0
    Greedy CA. Abandons game after 2 years. Don't buy this game. They've ended all support.
  21. Misaka_Complex
    Jun 22, 2021
    0
    This so called "three kingdoms" game doesn't even have a three kingdoms starting date as the last starting date of the game is only 200, the official Three Kingdoms period begins from 220. Furthermore CA has left the game in a terribly bugged state and even dropped support for future patches, and this is completely unacceptable. RNM 退钱！！
  22. Godagesil
    Sep 9, 2021
    1
    This game is awful. I've played every one of the Total War series since the first release. This is by far the worst. It is aimed at role playing pogues, not war gamers.

    The battle algorithm makes it impossible to win. The predicted outcome is predetermined it seems. No matter what tactics you use, you units will break and run to ensure the predicted outcome is the one that occurs.    This game is awful. I've played every one of the Total War series since the first release. This is by far the worst. It is aimed at role playing pogues, not war gamers.

    The battle algorithm makes it impossible to win. The predicted outcome is predetermined it seems. No matter what tactics you use, you units will break and run to ensure the predicted outcome is the one that occurs.

    Since when do you win battle points and a great victory, when you outnumber the enemy two to one?

    How do you lose when everything is going your way, you're inflicting more casualties and have nearly twice as many men after the battle than the loser does? The fix is in, obviously.

    WTF are the superhero characters about? Are they impervious to arrows? They can single handedly cause a unit of seasoned combat troops to rout? This is a cartoonish game for fanboy role playing geeks and not a true war game.

    It is nothing like Shogun Total War. The game tweaks are idiotic and the algorithms are biased. Avoid it and save your time and money.    … Expand
  23. denisc205
    Nov 10, 2021
    0
    насколько я знаю это единственная Total War: которая нельзя по сражаться на кораблях
  24. humansoul
    Aug 14, 2023
    0
    i know must of the people are not agree
    but this game is one of the best total war for me

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PC Game of 2019
39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 64
  3. Negative: 0 out of 64
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Aug 2, 2019
    88
    There’s a definite focus shift from tactics to strategy – which is risky, considering that tactical combat had always been a staple of Total War series. It couldn’t be avoided, though: unlike Medieval and Rome settings, China simply lacks variety in troops types. So fights end up being very predictable – while Chinese politic field is anything but! [Issue#239, p.48]
  2. The Overpowered Noobs
    Jul 24, 2019
    70
    The Total War series finally takes on land wars in Asia with this latest installment, bringing its signature RTS/TBS hybrid gameplay to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Series veterans will find a lot to love about this new iteration, and fans of the source material will find this a great jumping on point.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Jul 8, 2019
    90
    One of the best entries in the series yet, deep enough for veterans and approachable for the new players.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »