Total War Turns 25!

Posted by Richard Robins on .
Total War Turns 25!
Editorial

"On the 13th of June 2025, the Total War franchise turned 25 years old. To celebrate this milestone, here is our coverage of every mainline and saga game released in the quarter-century since Shogun: Total War changed the strategy genre forever."

Our Total War Reviews

Is Shogun: Total War Worth Playing?
Retro-Review
5/10

Is Shogun: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 13 June 2000
While Shogun: Total War was ahead of its time when it released in June 2000, almost 25 years later, there is no reason to play beyond curiosity or nostalgia.
Is Medieval: Total War Worth Playing?
Retro-Review
6/10

Is Medieval: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 19 August 2002
While Medieval: Total War was ahead of its time in 2002, there is no reason to play it 20+ years later beyond curiosity or nostalgia.
Is Rome: Total War Worth Playing?
Retro-Review
9/10

Is Rome: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 22 September 2004
Over 20 years after its original release, Rome: Total War is still one of the best strategy games I have ever played.
Is Medieval II: Total War Worth Playing?
Review
9/10

Is Medieval II: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 10 November 2006
While Medieval II: Total War is almost 20 years old, it remains one of the best titles in the history of the Total War franchise and is as fun to play in 2025 as in 2006!
Is Empire: Total War Worth Playing?
Review
7/10

Is Empire: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 3 March 2009
Bloated, Laggy, occasionally problematic, and the last of an era, Empire: Total War is all these things. Yet despite all of this, it still is one of the unique titles in the history of the Total War Franchise.
Is Napoleon: Total War Worth Playing?
Review
9/10

Is Napoleon: Total War Worth Playing?

First Released: 23 February 2010
While Napoleon: Total War may not be the best Total War game, it is an excellent game in its own right, and I would love to see the developers return to it in some fashion.
Is Total War: Shogun 2 Worth Playing?
Review
7/10

Is Total War: Shogun 2 Worth Playing?

First Released: 26 July 2012
Total War Shogun 2 is an excellent title, albeit one held back by a lack of identity, and some design choices which are questionable to say the least.
Is Total War: Rome II Worth Playing?
Review
8/10

Is Total War: Rome II Worth Playing?

First Released: 3 September 2013
Despite a shaky start, after five years of developer updates and community feedback, Total War: Rome II is a worthy successor to Rome: Total War in almost every way.
Is Total War: Attila Worth Playing?
Review
7/10

Is Total War: Attila Worth Playing?

First Released: 17 February 2015
Total War: ATTILA was developed with next-generation hardware in mind. Unfortunately, that hardware would not arrive in the way that the developers envisioned.
Is Total War: Warhammer Worth Playing?
Review
10/10

Is Total War: Warhammer Worth Playing?

First Released: 24 May 2016
Total War: Warhammer is, without question, one of the greatest strategy games of all time, and the start of a series whose legacy continues to grow even as it races towards its 10th birthday
Is Total War: Warhammer II Worth Playing?
Review
9/10

Is Total War: Warhammer II Worth Playing?

First Released: 28 September 2017
While not as good as Total War: Warhammer I & III, Total War: Warhammer II is one of the best Total War games ever made, and without doubt one of the greatest Warhammer games on the market.
Is Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Worth Playing?
Review
8/10

Is Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Worth Playing?

First Released: 3 May 2018
The main reason A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia failed is that it was not Total War: Medieval 3, which for many fans of the series was reason enough to review bomb it into oblivion.
Is Total War: Three Kingdoms Worth Playing?
Review
10/10

Is Total War: Three Kingdoms Worth Playing?

First Released: 23 May 2019
Total War: Three Kingdoms is without question one of the best Total War titles in the 25-year history of the franchise, which makes it early demise even more unfortunate.
Is Total War Saga: Troy Worth Playing?
Review
10/10

Is Total War Saga: Troy Worth Playing?

First Released: 13 August 2020
Despite the Total War Saga: Troy being described as a spin-off title with a smaller scope than a traditional Total War game, it is one of the deepest and most comprehensive titles in the 20+ year history of the franchise.
Is Total War: Rome Remastered Worth Playing?
Review
4/10

Is Total War: Rome Remastered Worth Playing?

First Released: 29 April 2021
While Rome: Total War is one of the best strategy games ever made, Total War: Rome Remastered is perhaps the worst Total War game ever released.
Is Total War: Warhammer III Worth Playing?
Review
10/10

Is Total War: Warhammer III Worth Playing?

First Released: 17 February 2022
Total War: Warhammer III's Immortal Empires campaign is without question the best way to play Total War Warhammer and arguably Total War in general, and will likely remain so for many years to come.
Is Total War: Pharaoh Worth Playing?
Review
7/10

Is Total War: Pharaoh Worth Playing?

First Released: 11 October 2023
While Total War: Pharaoh is not the worst Total War game ever made, it is certainty the one which is most out of touch with its core demographic.

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Is Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Worth Playing?
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Is Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Worth Playing?

"While Sid Meier's Civilization IV represents the franchise's first teetering steps into modern gaming and remains an important part of PC gaming history, it has been well and truly surpassed in every single way by new titles in the series."

Is Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II: Anniversary Edition Worth Playing?
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Is Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II: Anniversary Edition Worth Playing?

"For better or worse, Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II is a perfect example of the type of RTS titles that were released in the years following the end of the golden era (1995-2005)."

Richard Robins

Richard Robins

As a follower of Jesus Christ, Richard believes that the message taught by Jesus is radically different from what is taught in churches today, and that the influence of his message can be felt across various mediums, including pop culture and video games.

Richard enjoys gaming on a variety of platforms, reading speculative fiction, and exploring how gaming can be used to discover deeper truths.

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