Ask ten fans to name the best Total War game and you will get ten different answers. Each one comes with a good reason, and none of them is wrong.
The series is more than 25 years old, and almost every entry changes what a campaign feels like. Because the games differ so much, one score never tells the full story.
One player wants a slow civil war in old Japan. Another wants dragons and giant armies.
A third cares most about talking rivals into a deal. A big map is freedom to one fan and a chore to the next, and a tight campaign can feel sharp or small.
Once you know which of those sounds like you, the choice gets much easier. First, here is how each game was judged.
How We Ranked the Best Total War Games
The Total War series combines two key experiences: managing an empire on a campaign map and controlling armies during real-time battles.
Each game is judged by how well it delivers its own style of strategy. Historical and fantasy titles are compared by their strengths because they aim to create different experiences.
The ranking considers:
Campaign design: How engaging expansion, decisions, and management feel.
Battle systems: How well tactics, units, and army choices work.
Replay value: How much variety different factions and campaigns offer.
Lasting appeal: How strongly players continue returning to the game.
The goal is to show why each entry earns its place and help you find the right Total War experience.
Best Total War Games Ranked: Every Major Entry Compared
Shogun 2 is the best Total War game for most players, Warhammer III is the pick for fantasy fans, and Three Kingdoms leads for diplomacy.
The full ranking below weighs overall design, replayability, player reception, and what each title does best.
1. Total War: Shogun 2 | The Best Total War Game for Most Players
Best for: Players who want a focused historical strategy experience.
Total War: Shogun 2 delivers a refined campaign set during Japan’s Sengoku period. Its focused design keeps diplomacy, economy, and warfare closely connected.
I rank it first because the battles stay readable and fair, and the campaign never buries you in menus. The Realm Divide turns every rival clan against you once you grow too powerful, which makes the late game a real fight.
Fall of the Samurai adds a separate gunpowder-era campaign set during the Boshin War. Its smaller scope is the main limitation compared with larger entries.
2. Total War: Warhammer III | The Best Modern Fantasy Total War Game
Best for: Players who want massive battles, unique factions, and fantasy strategy.
Total War: Warhammer III offers one of the largest fantasy experiences in the franchise.
Its Immortal Empires campaign combines factions from across the trilogy into one massive sandbox.
Each faction changes how you approach battles through different units, abilities, and systems. Players who prefer historical warfare may not enjoy its magic and monsters, but fantasy fans get a wide range of play styles.
3. Total War: Three Kingdoms | The Best Diplomacy-Focused Total War Game
Best for: Players who enjoy politics, relationships, and strategic decisions.
Total War: Three Kingdoms makes diplomacy and characters central parts of the campaign. Generals can form relationships that influence alliances, rivalries, and political choices.
Its Romance mode gives characters stronger heroic abilities, while Records mode offers a more grounded military style.
The diplomacy systems are among the series’ deepest, although its smaller faction selection limits some replay options compared with fantasy entries.
4. Medieval II: Total War | The Best Classic Total War Game
Best for: Players who enjoy medieval campaigns and mod support.
Medieval II: Total War remains a favorite because of its large medieval campaigns, kingdom management, and strategic freedom.
Players manage warfare, religion, diplomacy, and expansion across a detailed map.
Its modding community has created new factions, campaigns, and settings over many years. The older interface feels dated today, but its flexibility and customization options continue to attract players.
5. Total War: Warhammer II | The Best Alternative Fantasy Entry
Best for: Players who want a focused fantasy campaign experience.
Total War: Warhammer II offers a strong fantasy strategy experience with varied factions and campaign styles. Each race changes how you approach battles, resources, and objectives.
Its Vortex campaign and Mortal Empires mode provide different ways to play.
Warhammer III expanded the overall scale, but Warhammer II remains valued for its faction variety, campaign balance, and focused design.
6. Rome: Total War | The Game That Defined Historical Total War
Best for: Players interested in classic empire-building.
Rome: Total War helped establish the foundation of historical Total War games. It combined empire management with large battlefield conflicts and created a memorable ancient setting.
Its factions and campaigns still offer freedom and variety.
Later games improved many systems, but Rome is still the template for the series: build an empire on the map, then fight for it in real-time battles.
7. Total War: Attila | The Most Challenging Historical Campaign
Best for: Experienced players who want difficult campaigns.
Total War: Attila focuses on survival during a period of instability and decline. Its harsh conditions make managing an empire more demanding than traditional conquest campaigns.
The game stands apart through migration systems, economic pressure, and difficult decisions.
New players may find it challenging, but experienced strategy fans often enjoy its darker setting and demanding campaigns.
8. Total War: Rome II | The Biggest Historical Sandbox
Total War: Rome II offers one of the largest historical campaigns in the series. Its huge map, faction variety, politics, and empire management create a broad strategy experience.
The Emperor Edition updates improved balance, performance, and campaign systems after its difficult launch. Its scale is impressive, but its wider design can feel less focused than tighter historical entries like Shogun 2.
9. Napoleon: Total War | The Best Gunpowder Era Entry
Best for: Players who enjoy focused campaigns and tactical gunpowder battles.
Napoleon: Total War takes ideas from Empire and creates a more focused experience.
Its campaigns center on major conflicts while improving formations, artillery use, and battlefield control. The smaller scope helps it feel more polished than Empire.
However, players who want global campaigns, larger maps, and more factions may prefer other historical entries with broader strategic options.
10. Empire: Total War | The Most Ambitious Historical Experiment
Best for: Players who want global campaigns and naval warfare.
Empire: Total War expanded the franchise with worldwide campaigns, trade systems, and naval battles.
It introduced a larger vision of empire management beyond traditional land conflicts.
The game’s ambition influenced later titles, but technical problems and uneven mechanics affected the overall experience. Its global scale remains unique, even though some systems feel less refined than newer releases.
11. Total War: Pharaoh | The Most Modern Historical Experiment
Best for: Players interested in Bronze Age settings and newer systems.
Total War: Pharaoh explores the Bronze Age Collapse with a focused campaign and updated mechanics. Players manage factions through court politics, customization choices, and changing conditions.
Its setting gives the series a different historical direction.
However, it is newer than the classics, so it has not had the same time to build a community around it.
12. A Total War Saga: Troy | The Best Mythology-Focused Entry
Best for: Players who enjoy history mixed with mythology.
A Total War Saga: Troy combines the Trojan War setting with myth-inspired elements. It creates a different experience by mixing traditional armies with legendary creatures and heroes.
The game is approachable for newer players and offers distinct faction styles.
However, players looking for a strictly realistic historical campaign may prefer entries focused entirely on real-world warfare.
13. Shogun: Total War | The Original Foundation
Best for: Players interested in the beginning of the franchise.
Shogun: Total War created the formula that defined the series by combining a strategic campaign map with real-time battles.
Its importance comes from establishing ideas that later games expanded with deeper systems and larger worlds.
However, its age affects the experience today, especially for players used to modern graphics, interfaces, and more detailed campaigns.
14. Medieval: Total War | An Important Early Classic
Best for: Players curious about early medieval strategy.
Medieval: Total War expanded the franchise with a medieval setting and broader strategic goals. It brought siege battles to the series for the first time and set up the kingdom management that later games refined.
Its historical importance is clear, but its older design makes it harder for many modern players to return to.
It is mainly valuable for understanding the series’ early direction.
15. A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia | The Most Limited Modern Entry
Best for: Players who enjoy focused historical campaigns.
A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia focuses on conflicts across the British Isles during a specific period. Its smaller campaign creates a concentrated experience with detailed factions.
The game’s atmosphere and historical focus are strong points.
However, its limited map size and fewer campaign options reduce replay value compared with larger Total War releases.
Historical vs Fantasy Total War Games: Which Type Fits You?
The biggest choice between Total War games is whether you prefer realistic historical warfare or larger fantasy battles.
Historical titles focus on real-world settings, traditional armies, diplomacy, and political decisions. They usually reward careful planning and resource management within a grounded setting.
Fantasy entries focus on unique factions, powerful characters, monsters, and special abilities. They create more variety because each faction can completely change how battles are approached.
The best Total War game depends on your preferred experience. Players who enjoy realistic strategy may prefer Shogun 2, Three Kingdoms, or Medieval II.
Those who want unusual armies and massive battles may prefer Warhammer titles.I think fantasy games win on variety, while historical games win on tension.
Both styles offer different strengths, so the highest-ranked game is not always the best match for every player.
If you like the empire side of Total War more than the battles, our Stellaris review covers a space strategy game built around managing a growing empire.
Final Takeaways
The best Total War game is the one that matches how you like to play.
Shogun 2 suits most players, Warhammer III rewards fans of huge fantasy armies, and Three Kingdoms is the pick for politics.
Start with the era that excites you before you look at any ranking, because that choice decides how much you enjoy the first ten hours.
A game you keep wanting to open beats a perfect one you drop after ten turns.
Which Total War game did you start with, and would you rank it higher or lower than I did? Tell me your take in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Total War Game Should Beginners Start With?
Shogun 2 is the best starting point for new players. Its campaign is focused, and diplomacy, economy, and battles connect in ways that are easy to follow.
Warhammer III also suits newcomers because every faction plays differently from the first turn. Skip Attila at first, since its survival pressure punishes early mistakes.
Do You Need to Play Total War Games in Order?
No, you can start with any Total War game. Each entry has its own setting, factions, and campaign, so none of them needs an earlier one.
The Warhammer trilogy is the closest thing to a sequence, since Warhammer II and III let you use factions from earlier games. Pick the era you like and begin there.
Can You Play Total War Games on Console?
Not yet. Mainline Total War games have been PC releases so far.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is set to be the first on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC. No release date has been announced at the time of writing, so check the official site for news before you plan a purchase.
Are Older Total War Games Still Worth Playing?
Yes, if you can live with dated interfaces and graphics. Shogun 2, Rome, and Medieval II still hold up because their campaigns are strong, and mods keep Medieval II fresh.
Newer entries are easier to learn, so start with Shogun 2 if you want an older game that still feels sharp.
What Total War Games Are Coming Next?
Creative Assembly has announced two new games. Total War: Medieval III is in early development, and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 takes the series into the far future.
Neither has a release date at the time of writing. Check the official Total War site for current news before you plan around either one.
