Total War is a set of strategy games created by a company in the UK called Creative Assembly for personal computers. These games mix turn-based strategy and managing resources with real-time control of battles. Unusually for real-time strategy games, moving around enemy sides and using different group arrangements are very important in the gameplay. The first game in the series, Shogun: Total War, was released in June 2000. The latest main game, Total War: Pharaoh, came out on October 11, 2023. By April 2021, the series had sold more than 36 million copies.
Main games
Shogun: Total War was released in June 2000. It is the first game in the series and is set in feudal Japan. The single-player game includes interactive videos that show choices players can make, such as converting to Christianity. The original Shogun was not widely popular but had a loyal group of fans. An expansion pack called The Mongol Invasion was included with the original game in the Warlord Edition.
Medieval: Total War was released in August 2002. It uses the same game engine as Shogun: Total War and takes players to medieval Europe. The expansion pack is called Viking Invasion, and the combined version is called the Battle Collection. It was one of the best-selling games in the Total War series.
Rome: Total War was released in 2004 and is set in the Roman Republic. It was the first game in the series to allow free map movement instead of movement based on regions. It also introduced the first 3D map. The first expansion pack, Barbarian Invasion, was released on September 27, 2005. A version called Rome: Total War Gold Edition combined the original game and its first expansion into one DVD in February 2006. A Mac version was released in February 2010. A second expansion, Rome: Total War: Alexander, was released in June 2006. A compilation of the original game and both expansions, Rome: Total War Anthology, was released in March 2007. The series also includes popular mods, such as Europa Barbarorum and Rome: Total Realism, which aim to make the game more historically accurate. A simplified mobile version of the game was also released. Rome: Total War has won many strategy game awards for its realistic campaign and battlefield features. A remastered version, Total War: Rome Remastered, was released in April 2021.
Medieval II: Total War, a sequel to Medieval: Total War, was released in Europe on November 10, 2006, and in North America on November 14, 2006. The game includes more detailed characters and covers events such as the Age of Discovery, the colonization of the Americas, and the Mongol and Timurid invasions. An expansion pack, Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms, was released in August 2007. A Gold Edition containing the original game and the expansion was released in February 2008. The Kingdoms expansion includes four campaigns: Britannia (set in the British Isles in 1258), Crusades (set in the Middle East in 1174), Teutonic (set in the Baltic region in 1250), and Americas (set in the New World in 1521, during the decline of the Aztec and Maya civilizations).
Empire: Total War was announced in August 2007 and had been secretly developed since the release of Barbarian Invasion. Players choose an 18th-century faction and aim to dominate the world through military force, diplomacy, espionage, and economics. It was the first Total War game to include real-time 3D naval battles. The game also introduced the decentralization of provinces, making features like production and technology development occur outside of a province’s capital. Empire: Total War was released in March 2009 in North America and Europe. An expansion pack, Empire: Total War: Warpath, was released in October 2009. Warpath is set in the Americas and allows players to control five different Native American nations. While the game was praised for its innovation, it faced criticism for technical issues, which Sega claimed were mostly fixed. It was the first Total War game to use Valve’s Steamworks DRM and achievements system, requiring the Steam platform to play. A mobile version was released in November 2024 for iOS and Android.
Napoleon: Total War was released in North America on February 23, 2010, and in Europe on February 26, 2010. The game focuses on the politics and major military campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. It was released in several editions, including the Standard, Imperial, and Emperor’s Editions (available only in Australia and New Zealand). Players take the role of Napoleon Bonaparte or his rivals on a turn-based map and engage in real-time battles. The game includes three campaigns: the Italian and Egyptian campaigns, the European campaign, and the Battle of Waterloo. A separate campaign called Campaigns of the Coalition allows players to control Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, or Russia in a map spanning Europe. A second campaign, Peninsular, is available as DLC and focuses on the Iberian Peninsula, where players can control France, Spain, or Great Britain. A Mac version of the Gold Edition was released in June 2013.
On June 2, 2010, Creative Assembly released a preview of Total War: Shogun 2, set in 16th-century Japan during the Sengoku Jidai (the Warring States period). The game’s new battle engine supports up to 56,000 soldiers in a single battle, more than in Napoleon: Total War. Shogun 2 was the first Total War game to use the franchise’s name as the primary title to increase brand awareness. It
Spin-off games
Spartan: Total Warrior was created by Creative Assembly and released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. This action game was designed to bring the large-scale battles from the Total War series to console systems. Instead of focusing on historical accuracy, the developers used ideas from Greek and Roman mythology to create a setting with imaginative scenes and enemies. Players control a Spartan warrior guided by the god Ares, who must defeat the invading Roman Empire. The game includes two modes: "campaign mode," which has 14 levels, and "arena battle" mode, where players survive increasingly difficult enemy attacks. A later game called Viking: Battle for Asgard was released in 2008, but it no longer used the "Total Warrior" name.
Total War: Arena was a free-to-play game that stopped being available in February 2019.
Total War: Elysium is a new free-to-play strategy game where players use digital collectible cards to control generals from history in battles against other players.
Total War Battles: Shogun was released on April 20, 2012, for iOS devices. It was also released for Android and Microsoft Windows. Set in medieval Japan, the game uses real-time strategy and combines troop management, combat, and building systems. Players can use samurai, archers, ninjas, and cavalry. The battle system uses hexagon tiles for movement, and a special rule called "Bushido" requires units to move forward only, without retreating. The game supports 1 vs. 1 local multiplayer.
Total War Battles: Kingdom entered open beta on PC on March 9, 2015, after a limited closed beta. Set in medieval England, the game combines realm building and real-time battles. It was released for PC, Android, and iOS, but support ended on April 28, 2022, and the game is no longer playable.
Total War Battles: Warhammer is the next game in the Total War: Battles series. Developed by NetEase, it is officially licensed by Creative Assembly and Games Workshop. The game will bring strategic gameplay from the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world to mobile devices worldwide. It will be available for Android and iOS platforms.