15 Best Games Like Total War You Must Try

The Total War game series began with Total War: Shogun in 2000. Since then, the series has garnered a massive fan base and currently has many titles out there that provide a variety of historical and strategic experiences.

The Total War franchise covers a wide variety of settings from the Roman Empire to the French Revolution to Medieval Japan and plenty others. As a player, you can explore each of these eras with historically appropriate factions, units, and technology.

The most notable feature of Total War is its blend of tactical turn-based and real-time grand strategy. This combination of genres has allowed adherents of both sub-genres to interact with each other and enjoy a gaming experience.

Below, we go over games that look and feel like Total War. These games are a mix of the best from turn-based and real-time grand strategy sub-genres, where you’ll take part in huge battles. Most of these titles are also centered around historical periods to provide you with the very same experience as the variety of Total War games.

1. Mount and Blade

Mount and Blade boast millions of fans all over the world. It began as an independent game and basically altered how medieval battle unfolds. With a great fan base behind it, the game boasts a fabulous modding community that improves the gameplay and brings various new features to the game as well as its mechanics.

The Mount and Blade series is made up of two main titles that most players spend their time on, as well as a third game that’s in Early Access on Steam. The franchise is a good example of well-made historical titles with real factions that aspire to conquer the world.

Mount and Blade enable the player to master all sorts of weapons and perfect their skills in swordsmanship, throwable weapons, archery, and loads more. Another fantastic feature of Mount and Blade is the option to leave any fights your faction participates in.

While one warrior hardly makes a dent in terms of loss, a capable fighter without serious training and gear can easily turn things around. The Mount and Blade franchise boasts outstanding cities and locations that are sought after in tactical strategies and battles. Anyone who loves good strategy titles would enjoy this game thoroughly thanks to its strategy aspects and battle mechanics.

2. Civilization

For fans of the strategy side of the Total War gameplay, the Civilization franchise is an ideal alternative to play since it’s one of the top real-time strategy games on the market and the whole franchise has been running consistently in the gaming industry for decades. Developed by Sid Meier, the Civilization franchise was lauded for its immersive gameplay and attention to detail.

As a player, you start off by selecting a country (where each country has unique units and attributes) and progressing through game-time so your country can advance itself in culture, war, science, or finance.

You can manage each minor aspect of your in-game and progressively advance from simple weapons like arrows and bows to advanced weapons of large-scale destruction like nuclear warheads and bombs. Civilization is also popular for its emphasis on life and things like religion, society, economics, art, and so on, making it a perfect option for your next real-time strategy adventure.

3. Crusader Kings

The year is 1060 and you’re set to take part in crusades. Vanquish your enemy with fire and sword in the blink of an eye. Be an avaricious schemer or a religious fanatic.

Crusader Kings offers you many chances to lead your folks to success in the era of religious conquests, crusades, and feudalism. It’s a really fantastic game with sufficient depth to please any history geek. If you’re into great history strategies, this game will definitely knock your socks off.

While Crusader Kings is no masterpiece, it’s got all the necessary details and quirks to make any player appreciate the effort put into the series.

While gameplay mechanics and graphics may not be that impressive, there’s plenty of juice to keep players engaged. Despite the game’s strict gameplay rules and defined historic period, you’ll find it replayable.

Crusader Kings centers around the war in its various guises. By taking part in numerous battles, you boost your power and standing, which means more lords will follow or fear you. Moreover, the game focuses on many management aspects, including diplomatic relationships and resource management.

4. Knights of Honor

This is an empire management game with real-time strategies. The content is so huge that players have the option of playing in nearly 100 kingdoms. The gameplay takes place in Europe and you can pick a different area of cities here. To be victorious, you must wisely strategize on how to obtain other cities and establish your kingdom there.

Each area boasts a special bonus you can get after picking it to host a battle. You also can trade in Knights of Honor and if you get it right, you can be able to expand your kingdom.

You can play Knights of Honor on your personal computer.

5. Europa Universalis

Europa Universalis is a famous series of strategy titles that gives you the chance to alter history by politicking and organizing your military activities based on the geopolitical situation.

Lauded for its interesting technology trees, advanced AI, and different game mechanics that leave each session unpredictable and unique, Europa Universalis offers Total War a run for its money. It’s one of the rare strategy titles you can’t afford to miss out on if you’re a true fan of this genre.

The 4X gameplay means that you must constantly explore the environment around you, fight your enemies to protect or expand your borders, collect resources, and run your empire.

Owing to the complex nature of the game environment and its mechanics, Europa Universalis never gets boring and repeatedly presents challenges to even veteran players who supposedly know the game inside out.

You’re also most likely to enjoy a multiplayer experience as the game lets you spend quality time with your nearest and dearest while fighting for global supremacy.

If you’re seeking a workable strategy in which you can remain competitive but still be able to relax, this game series won’t disappoint you!

6. Age of Empires

The Age of Empires game series is one of the largest in gaming history. It consists of excellent titles including the ageless Age of Empires 2, which is one of the very best multiplayer games with a large community.

As the series name suggests, you’re tasked with leading your country to prosperity in a string of quests. The game’s one-player campaign was special. Each historic game provided an awesome tale about a historical individual. Custom campaigns provided even greater versatility.

When Age of Empires first came out, its graphics impressed many players. The game was a powerful isometric real-time strategy with quality sprites and various countries, each with interesting kinds of technology and unique units.

The second installment offered various gameplay mechanics, branched campaigns, and more countries to play for that made each combat intense and unforgettable.

All in all, Age of Empires remains one of the best real-time strategy titles of all time. It blends the speed of real-time strategy behemoths like StarCraft and WarCraft 3 while maintaining the appeal of games like Total War and Civilization.

7. Imperial Glory

Created by Pyro Studios, Imperial Glory is a strategy title that comes with a detailed management model. You will take part in real-time naval and land battles which are all soaked in full 3D aspects. You can take the reins of power and run one of the great empires in the 19^th century, namely Great Britain, France, Prussia, Austro-Hungary, and Russia. Each faction has its own unique abilities and features.

You’ll be taken to awesome places such as the ice-filled plains of Russia, lush green turfs of England, and deserts of Morocco as the game develops. The success of each faction is in your hands, so dabble in trade diplomacy, resource management, political greatness, and technological research with severe caution.

8. Stronghold 2

Released by Firefly Studios in 2005, Stronghold 2 is one of the best real-time strategy games where you have to build a stronghold during the Middle Ages. In this game, expect serious siegecraft and castle-building, with the sequel boasting much-improved graphics than the original Stronghold.

Stronghold 2 provides real castle life gameplay as you opt to govern in your own style, either by mollycoddling the peasants or ruling with an iron fist.

There’s plenty of detail and thought that has gone into Stronghold 2—the crime and penalty systems are complex, not to mention the numerous forces of anarchy that weigh you down from every angle. If you can bring the lands together and deliver security and prosperity, you’ll prove to be the one genuine King.

You can play Stronghold 2 on Windows.

9. Hegemony Gold

This classic strategy game takes place in the world of Ancient Greece. You assume the role of Athens, Sparta, or Macedonia in the three historic campaigns or select from 26 groups in sandbox mode. You fight and campaign in a whole range of warfare from exploration and invasions to field combats and mountain barricades.

The game involves a great deal of strategy as you decide when to start creating your own supplies, or when to surround and starve the enemy by taking out their crops.

You can play Hegemony Gold on Windows.

10. Dawn of Titans

Dawn of Titans is another good alternative to Total War. The game takes place in the sky, allowing you to get into any battle in multiplayer mode. Structure-building is a major aspect here as you build troops and prepare them for battle.

The environments represent 3D battles in various campaigns and exploring means looking for the resources. The game has strategic gameplay, and you move through a series of maps to do battle using a variety of tactics. All your troops are in the Titans world and making progress equips you with fresh skills along with better mechanics.

You can play Dawn of Titans on Android and iOS.

11. Age of Wonders 3

In Age of Wonders 3, you take the reins of power and command your army to fight whatever stands in its path. It’s another empire management title where you look into and fight the enemy, so it’s filled with 4X features.

Gameplay lets you use all the resources and weapons you gain along the way. Accomplishing every mission gives you extra weapons and powers so you can improve your army. As a result, the battle aspect remains exciting for hours on end and you must always devise strategies to bring down the enemy’s city.

You can play Age of Wonders 3 on PC.

12. Tom Clancy’s EndWar

Tom Clancy’s EndWar takes place in the period where wars broke out due to a lack of oil supplies in countries. This situation forces some countries like the United States, Europe, and Russia to fight each other to save their future.

Gameplay gives you a substantially large battlefield where you must stay focused in order to win. In this game, you command your army with a mouse or other control device and manage your vehicles, weapons, and planes as well, making your experience the epic rock-paper-scissors system.

You can play Tom Clancy’s EndWar on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

13. Might & Magic Heroes 6

This latest installment in the Might and Magic series showers you with exceptional turn-based strategy gameplay. Might and Magic Heroes 6 comes with some really glittering visuals as well as several big improvements compared to its predecessors.

Might and Magic Heroes 6 lets you take control of several towns and heroes associated with different factions, even while you command legions of creatures between a turn-based fight system and tactical overland exploration.

You can play Might and Magic Heroes 6 on Windows.

14. Takeda 3

Takeda 3 is one of the leading real-time strategy games centered around the life and times of an eminent Japanese lord in the country’s feudal system, Takeda Shingen. Takeda lived during the latter years of the Sengoku era.

Created by Magitech Corporation, Takeda 3 allows you to manage 25 historic clans in Japan’s feudal era, while managing your castles and remaining territory, engaging in diplomacy, and commanding your troops in battle. It has two modes—a real-time combat mode and turn-based world mode.

15. Grand Ages: Medieval

This real-time strategy focuses on traveling through time through construction projects, conquest, technology research, and so on.

The gameplay revolves around an area stretching from North Africa and Scandinavia to the Caucasus, Portugal, as well as the Middle East. Moreover, there’s significant attention to detail in terms of historical accuracy, an engaging campaign, as well as the ability to progress from one developmental stage to another.

An intricate strategy game, Grand Ages: Medieval focuses on things such as economic management and others to make the title as realistic as it can be. Like in the Total War series, you have the power to command epic battles containing thousands of units at the same time.

This creates more authentic gameplay and the engaging level of detail brings a complexity that the more casual player may not favor. Grand Ages: Medieval is for folks who are into strategy and all aspects of governing a nation via growth and conquest.

FAQs About Best Games Like Total War

Enjoy these Best Games Like Total War Today!

Simply one of the best and most popular acclaimed series in history, it’s difficult to find titles that can hold a candle to the Total War series. With 14 games in the franchise, Total War continues to rule the real-time and turn-based strategy roost. While decent strategy games are difficult to find (especially good historic ones), the above 15 awesome Total War-like games are worth a try.

While the majority of these Total War alternatives are available only on PC, there are lots of similar games available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Give these games a try and find out which ones you like the most. You never know—you might find an epic new real-time strategy game to keep you engrossed and entertained!