Total War is a series of strategy games created by the British company Creative Assembly for computers. These games mix turn-based strategy and resource management with real-time battle control. Unlike many other real-time strategy games, flanking moves and group arrangements are important in the game. The first game in the series, Shogun: Total War, was released in June 2000. The most recent major game, Total War: Pharaoh, was released 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. The game takes place in feudal Japan. The single-player version includes interactive videos that show possible choices players can make, such as converting to Christianity. The original Shogun was not widely popular, but it gained 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. The game is set in medieval Europe. The expansion pack is named Viking Invasion, and the combined version is called the Battle Collection. This game was one of the best-selling titles in the Total War series.
Rome: Total War was released in 2004. It is set during the Roman Republic. This game introduced free map movement, a feature that allowed players to move freely across maps, unlike earlier versions that used province-based movement. It was also the first game in the series to include a 3D map. An expansion pack called Barbarian Invasion was released on September 27, 2005. A version called Rome: Total War Gold Edition, which combined the original game and its first expansion, was released on February 14, 2006. This version was on one DVD instead of three CD-ROMs. A CD-ROM version with four CDs was also made. A Mac version of the Gold Edition, developed by Feral Interactive, was released on February 12, 2010. A second expansion pack, Rome: Total War: Alexander, was released on June 19, 2006. A compilation of the original game and both expansions, called Rome: Total War Anthology, was released on March 16, 2007. The series also includes popular mods like Europa Barbarorum and Rome: Total Realism, which aim to make the game more historically accurate. A simplified version of the game was later released for mobile devices. Rome: Total War won many awards for its realistic campaign and battlefield animations. A remastered version called Total War: Rome Remastered was released on April 29, 2021, by Feral Interactive.
Medieval II: Total War, a sequel to Medieval: Total War, was released on November 10, 2006, in Europe and November 14, 2006, in North America. The game includes more detailed characters and covers events like the Age of Discovery, the colonization of the Americas, and the Mongol and Timurid invasions. An expansion pack called Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms was released on August 28, 2007. A Gold Edition containing the original game and the expansion was released on February 1, 2008. The Kingdoms expansion includes four campaigns: the Britannia Campaign, set in the British Isles in 1258; the Crusades Campaign, set in the Middle East in 1174; the Teutonic Campaign, set in the Baltic region of Eastern Europe in 1250; and the Americas Campaign, set in the New World in 1521 during the decline of the Aztec and Maya civilizations.
Empire: Total War was announced on August 22, 2007, by Sega. It had been secretly developed since the release of Barbarian Invasion. Players choose an 18th-century faction and aim to dominate the world through military, diplomacy, espionage, and economics. This game introduced real-time 3D naval battles for the first time in the series. It also allowed provinces to have features outside their capital, adding realism. Empire: Total War was released on March 3, 2009, in North America and March 4, 2009, in Europe. An expansion pack called Warpath was released in October 2009. Warpath is set in the Americas and allows players to control one of five Native American nations. While the game received praise for its innovation, it faced criticism for bugs. Sega claims most issues were fixed after release. Creative Assembly, the game's developer, explained the problems several months later. This was the first Total War game to use Valve’s Steamworks DRM and achievements system, requiring Steam to play. A mobile version of the game, developed by Feral Interactive, was released on November 21, 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: Standard Edition, Imperial Edition, and Emperor’s Edition (available only in Australia and New Zealand). Players take the role of Napoleon Bonaparte or one of his rivals in a turn-based campaign and engage in real-time battles. Like its predecessor, Empire: Total War, this game includes three separate campaigns: the Italian and Egyptian campaigns, the
Spin-off games
Spartan: Total Warrior was created by Creative Assembly and released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. It is an action game where players fight enemies, and it aimed to bring the large-scale battles from the Total War series to consoles. Instead of focusing on historical facts, the game used ideas from Greek and Roman myths to create a setting with imaginative battles and enemies. Players control a Spartan warrior guided by the god Ares, who must defeat the Roman Empire. The game includes two modes: a "campaign mode" with 14 levels and an "arena battle" mode where players face 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 generals from history to battle other players in head-to-head matches.
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 managing troops, combat, and building structures. Players can use samurai, archers, ninjas, and cavalry. The battle system uses hexagon-shaped tiles for movement, and a special rule called "Bushido" requires units to move forward only once they are placed. The game includes 1 vs. 1 local multiplayer.
Total War Battles: Kingdom entered open beta on PC on March 9, 2015, after a closed beta. Set in medieval England, the game combines managing a kingdom with real-time battles. It was released for PC, Android, and iOS, but support ended on April 28, 2022, and the game is no longer available.
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 strategy gameplay from the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world to mobile devices worldwide. It will be available for Android and iOS platforms.