Total War: SHOGUN 2
Total War: SHOGUN 2 screenshot 1Total War: SHOGUN 2 screenshot 2
Strategy

Playing nowFewer than 10

Updated hourly · Source: Steam

Total War: SHOGUN 2 Steam store

Game description

Total War: SHOGUN 2 is the perfect mix of real-time and turn-based strategy gaming for newcomers and veterans alike.

Basic info

DeveloperCREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux)
PublisherSEGA, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux)
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckPlayable
Release dateMar 15, 2011
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 7 / Vista / XP
Processor2 GHz Intel Dual Core processor / 2.6 GHz Intel Single Core processor, or AMD equivalent…
Memory1 GB
Graphics256 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible card (shader model 3)
Storage32 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 413 reviews from the past 1 year

86.4/ 100
Top 30%

Steam rating: Very Positive (90%)

Metacritic: 90 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

Feudal clan wars play out in turn-based campaigns and real-time battles here, scoring 86.4, top 30% of games we analyzed.

👍 Strengths

175 reviews find it fun and replayable, and some still recommend it years after release. 48 praise how the battles look, and some admire the realistic combat animations and the clean art style. 38 value its strategy, and some say diplomacy, positioning and army composition all matter. Gameplay ranks 185th of 1396, Story & World ranks 224th of 1096, and Multiplayer ranks 237th of 642.

👎 Where it falls short

33 reviews raise balance issues, and some find the clans too similar or only a few unit packs truly useful, while others say the AI stays weak even on the hardest setting. 19 find it difficult, and some describe punishing sieges and a sudden spike when rivals unite against them late in the campaign. 18 report bugs and crashes, and some say a campaign can crash at a certain turn or the game fails to start. Tech & Support ranks 778th of 1399, and Pricing & Fairness ranks 612th of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“last great game in the series before decline” · 175 reviews
“battles are stunning with archers, cavalry, and samurai rendered beautifully” · 48 reviews
“battles are 10 times more tactical, wars more strategic, elegance and balance” · 38 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 48% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Strategy +3.42 · Depth of builds, tactics, and meaningful choices
Positive “battles are 10 times more tactical, wars more strategic, elegance and balance” · 38 reviews
Negative “many ideas unrealizable due to age and engine limitations” · 5 reviews

Progression 3% · Difficulty 15% · Onboarding 14% · Freedom 4% · Controls & feel 6%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 25% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

World +3.47 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “atmosphere and soundtrack are timeless” · 25 reviews
Negative “worst historical recreation of the Sengoku period on the market” · 2 reviews

Story 4% · Characters 0%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 20% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +2.53 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “staggering amount of content and quality” · 5 reviews
Negative “vanilla content falls short for long-term expectations despite mods saving it” · 6 reviews

Variety 10% · Replayability 7%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 25% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +3.54 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “battles are stunning with archers, cavalry, and samurai rendered beautifully” · 48 reviews
Negative “Graphics are outdated, naval battles kinda trash, UI slightly stupid” · 6 reviews

Audio 8%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 10% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Playing together +2.27 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals
Positive “morale system well-implemented, 45-minute siege felt realistic and engaging” · 10 reviews
Negative “multiplayer is consistently broken beyond playability” · 2 reviews

Community 4% · Servers & Connection 1%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 25% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.05 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “sparse cities in some regions and limited truly useful unit DLC options” · 33 reviews
Positive “no one exceptionally powerful, every outcome feels grounded and believable” · 11 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 5% · Matchmaking 1%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 18% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Stability -0.22 · Crashes, freezes, save loss, and game-breaking bugs
Negative “game crashes around turn 87, a known bug still sold” · 18 reviews
Positive “most stable and reliable Total War game” · 1 review

Performance 7% · Developer support 5%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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