Hey fellow commanders! I've been deep-diving into the Total War franchise lately and wanted to start a proper discussion about how everyone would approach total war games ranked from best to worst. There are now over 14 core releases, and opinions vary wildly depending on your playstyle and preferences.
For me personally, Rome: Total War sits at the absolute top. No other entry matches its combination of political depth and battlefield tactics. It set the gold standard for everything that followed. Shogun II comes in as a very close second it's arguably the most polished and balanced title in the entire series.
On the other end of the total war games ranked spectrum, Rome II was a genuine disappointment at launch. Bugs, crashes, and poor AI dragged it down despite its historical ambition. It has improved significantly through patches, but that launch-day experience is hard to forget.
The Warhammer trilogy is fascinating because it divides the community. Purists who love historical settings often rank it lower, while fantasy fans consider Warhammer II among the greatest strategy games ever made. Three Kingdoms deserves mention too its storytelling and diplomacy systems were genuinely innovative.
Where does everyone else stand? Do you prefer the historical titles or the fantasy spin-offs? Drop your personal total war games ranked list below I'd love to see how everyone else weighs these incredible games against each other!