A Complete Beginner's Guide to Every Total War Game in 2023

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It is quite astonishing how many Total War games we have these days, and if you haven't been following the series, then it can seem daunting to dive in. But even if you have some experience and wanna try out other games, how would you know which ones are good, or what differentiates them or indeed, is similar between them? In this video, that's a question I'll be answering, as we'll go through every single Total War game and give you my opinions, recommendations and tips on which ones you should try and why.

From A Total War Saga Troy, Total War Pharaoh (soon) and Rome Remastered, all the way up the age of Medieval 2, Empire, Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai and even the Warhammer series' fantasy universe, I showcase them all, so make sure to stick around or jump ahead to the game you're the most curious about!

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[griffglowen]

I would love an Empire 2. The game had so much potential with the incredible world scale but loads of things that get in the way of enjoying it.

[Doweyyy]

One thing you didn't mention which is sorely missing from the newer Total War Games..

The "weight" of units. In Rome & Medieval 2 units on the battle map had real weight and you could almost feel them colliding. Units didn't glide around as they do in the later games.

[KaiserOfPrussia]

I think that a Lord of the Rings game would be best for the series. It will satisfy both fantasy and history fans because Lotr is what I would describe as “historical fantasy” with everything feeling more realistic. Hell, it’s even set in a medieval world

[maksc]

On my wishlist are:
Shogun 3
Medieval 3
Empire 2

Sometimes they should also improve what has worked and not always reinvent the wheel.

[damic]

Medieval 2 and Shogun 2 were truly peak of Total War series. The amount of mods for Med2 is astonishing!

[akrav]

Great effort on this video. Though I do think that Shogun 1 and Medieval 1, can show how far we came in gaming in general. For me Medieval 2 will always be the best, but I recognize that adding a fantasy setting is a neat idea.

[tristanvanvalckenborgh]

Imagine WW1 as a total war game where you can dig your trenches front and back lines. Order men to attack in ranged combat using rifles or melee charge using bayonets. Also don't forget about fighter and bomber aircraft and helium balloons to see further behind enemy lines just like it was in this time period. Last but not least TANKS to crush enemy trench lines and destroying houses in villages that you can take as defense points.

[orangekitty]

Just did a medieval 2 campaign last weekend and agree with all your points 100% can't wait for them to announce medieval 3

[incurableromantic]

I just finished a short campaign from Shogun 1 from 2000, and it's still surprisingly playable and atmospheric. Though the battle mechanics have definitely aged worse than the campaign.

I'm a TW fan boy, and although I definitely have games I love more and less: I don't think there's ever been a really bad TW edition.

[seloimperija]

2004 Rome Total War is an undisputable masterpiece

[dannygld]

For me, Rome 2 was my first TW game so I love it quite a lot. Though i do recognize the great mechanics that the earlier games had too. They just gotta take the favorite bits of each one and make a game with that lol

[markuskalmi]

In Attila, if you play as eastern rome, the key is to not use money because they have the trait of interest and in like turn 20 u have unlimited amount of money, very easy. And in Empire, the key is to send one cheap ship to each point, no matter if its destroyed or the spot is occupied but its a huge boost in money.

[AEspiral]

Three kingdoms is the best total ever made in my opinion, it only lacks a proper horde mechanic for some factions, like Liu Bei for instance. If you don't know the setting get Dynasty Warriors 8 (not the 9) that it will tell you the whole history (or story) of the period. And then when you play three kingdoms everything will make sense, including the faction mechanics and the relationship between leaders.

[tylerman]

I love all the changes Rome 2 made 🤷‍♂️

[gm]

You didnt cover Medieval I, but my favourite mechanic was that every unit had a named character leader. So if you lose the character you lose the unit. You can give titles to characters increasing loyalty and how well the region is administered. It was awesome and something I miss from subsequent games. Sure Rome I had individual units, but having those be named characters would be better. It also shows how hard it was to promote on merit when you have lower social status leaders with better stats have to serve higher status leaders.

[ElderGod]

The best campaign memories I have from shogun 2. The most interesting factions are from warhammer . The most intense campaigns I had in attila . The most beautiful was three kindoms . But by far the greatest battles I have ever fought by a mileeee is .. napoleon . Dude that game, playing online was insaneee. Ive never felt anything since so intense so strategical so epic! Made me feel like a general in the 18 century .

[SWDarmanfan]

Shogun II / Fall of the Samurai and Empire are love! Wish we would get another game in these time periods.

[centurion]

Rome 1 still has the absolute best soundtrack in total war.

[isken]

a GOT setting would be so amazing, I think it's perfect for total war. It would be the first to be both historical and fantasy.

It would make sense gameplay wise for everyone to kill eachother to access THE throne, maybe even an alliance and betrayal mechanic

The diversity of the factions, the rich Lannisters, the battle hardened northmen, the dothraki horde, the ironborns with their fleet and Island, the targaryans with their dragons, the wildlings raids, the white walkers and their undead army chaos invasion style

The rich lore ..

[mrbencroft]

About Shogun 2, I think you did it a bit dirty: the base roster is the same for *almost* anyone, but clan bonuses, locations and special units significantly change how you build your armies, sometimes even when everyone has ashigaru tier units. This is very, very important. With the clan that starts with warhorses and improved and cheaper cav, are you really not going to take advantage of that? The clan that has stupid good shock infantry: use it, it's better and cheaper. But little armour, so you best put that blacksmith you start with to good use.
The point of this is that each faction has a markedly different tendency branching out from a basic template which is fairly balanced, but no faction is really restricted to a specific playstyle. The odd exceptions here are Ikko Ikki, Hattori and to an extent Otomo.
Also, the economy seems more "malthusian". Growth is based on food above all, so get that surplus going and be careful with how much your buildings consume