Total War: Three Kingdoms

Total War: Three Kingdoms is a Total War installment by Creative Assembly focused on China during the legendary Three Kingdoms chronicles. Like the other episodes, it mixes a turn-based strategic mode with real-time battles.

The main scenario begins in 190 AD, during the fall of the Han dynasty. The young emperor’s manipulation by the warlord Dong Zhuo and his excesses lead to the rebellion of a coalition of local lords, plunging China into a civil war that will last for decades. Each lord pursues his own dream: restore the empire, build a kingdom, or simply survive the turmoil.

Two Ways to Play

The game offers two distinct modes. Record mode, faithful to history and the chronicles, focuses on managing generals, their armies and the balance of power between factions. Romance mode, more romanticized, borrows from epic tales and hero duels, with characters whose individual abilities are remarkable. This duality lets you approach ancient China both from the historical angle and from the heroic tale angle.

The game was particularly praised at launch, with scores of 16/20 on Jeuxvideo.com or 8/10 on Gamekult. Unfortunately, in 2021 Creative Assembly announced the end of support for the game, provoking a wave of anger and heavy bashing on Steam. Despite this premature end of support, Three Kingdoms remains one of the most polished episodes of the saga in terms of real-time battles.