Four out of five players have poured more than ten hours into this tactical masterpiece, and they keep coming back for more. The samurai-era warfare is so compelling that 94% of long-term players still sing its praises, long after the 2011 launch.
« 0/10, this game has too much love and care put into it. Please feed me more Total Slophammer, Creative Ass-embly-san. »👍 anonymous review · 265 h played3« The last great total war game before 1 man doomstack and elite unit slop »👍 anonymous review · 105 h played21« Called out sick, made coffee around 8am, launched game. Played for the next 13 hours. »👍 anonymous review · 31 h played1« Most unique and fun total war ever, can live my dreams of being a sudo shogun chud with my harem of anime women. 10/10 »👍 anonymous review · 45 h played1« I LOVE this game, it was one of the first games I ever got when I was still a kid and it helped me develop a passion for gaming. It is also one of the best Total War games ever made and I highly recommend it to any fan of strategies! »👍 anonymous review · 491 h played111« Best Total War of all time. Plovers flying over Omi, My heart flies with you, Back to the days of my youth. »👍 anonymous review · 85 h played1
« bought this game years ago on disk, they have recently update the eula to say no ownership and they can remove when they want. scummy »👎 anonymous review · 440 h played11« Le jeu est injouable sur Mac, il crash tout le temps vraiment passez votre chemin... »👎 anonymous review · 139 h played« i change my mind, i'm rich now »👎 anonymous review · 125 h played« Crash at campaign, its been month unable to play, keep on crashing »👎 anonymous review · 159 h played« One of the best warhammer games in terms of atmosphere, gameplay, immersion, and replayability, Unfortunately turns my GTX 3070 laptop into a raging furnace even when scaled down to half my native resolution a d on low settings. »👎 anonymous review · 257 h played« One of the best Total War games ever made, even by today’s standards. Now they just need to make Shogun 3. »👍 anonymous review · 320 h played1
In players' words
« 0/10, this game has too much love and care put into it. Please feed me more Total Slophammer, Creative Ass-embly-san. »👍 anonymous review · 265 h played3« bought this game years ago on disk, they have recently update the eula to say no ownership and they can remove when they want. scummy »👎 anonymous review · 440 h played11« The last great total war game before 1 man doomstack and elite unit slop »👍 anonymous review · 105 h played21« Le jeu est injouable sur Mac, il crash tout le temps vraiment passez votre chemin... »👎 anonymous review · 139 h played« Called out sick, made coffee around 8am, launched game. Played for the next 13 hours. »👍 anonymous review · 31 h played1« i change my mind, i'm rich now »👎 anonymous review · 125 h played« Most unique and fun total war ever, can live my dreams of being a sudo shogun chud with my harem of anime women. 10/10 »👍 anonymous review · 45 h played1« Crash at campaign, its been month unable to play, keep on crashing »👎 anonymous review · 159 h played« I LOVE this game, it was one of the first games I ever got when I was still a kid and it helped me develop a passion for gaming. It is also one of the best Total War games ever made and I highly recommend it to any fan of strategies! »👍 anonymous review · 491 h played111« One of the best warhammer games in terms of atmosphere, gameplay, immersion, and replayability, Unfortunately turns my GTX 3070 laptop into a raging furnace even when scaled down to half my native resolution a d on low settings. »👎 anonymous review · 257 h played« Best Total War of all time. Plovers flying over Omi, My heart flies with you, Back to the days of my youth. »👍 anonymous review · 85 h played1« One of the best Total War games ever made, even by today’s standards. Now they just need to make Shogun 3. »👍 anonymous review · 320 h played1
Anonymized excerpts from public Steam reviews — picked among those most voted "helpful" by the community.
What players say, by aspect
PositiveMixedNegative
Gameplay
92 % pos · n=125
Content / longevity
86 % pos · n=22
Story / writing
100 % pos · n=13
Performance
64 % pos · n=11
Graphics / art
73 % pos · n=11
Stability / bugs
0 % pos · n=9
Multiplayer
25 % pos · n=8
Audio / music
100 % pos · n=5
Value for money
75 % pos · n=4
Interface / UX
50 % pos · n=2
Detailed data (table)
Aspect
Mentions
Positive
Mixed
Negative
Gameplay
125
115
9
1
Content / longevity
22
19
1
2
Story / writing
13
13
0
0
Performance
11
7
0
4
Graphics / art
11
8
0
3
Stability / bugs
9
0
0
9
Multiplayer
8
2
0
6
Audio / music
5
5
0
0
Value for money
4
3
0
1
Interface / UX
2
1
0
1
Positive reviews by playtime
🎮 Players who like it have spent 92 h on median; those who dislike it: 44 h.
<2h
57 % (n=14)
2-10h
90 % (n=40)
10-25h
94 % (n=70)
>25h
94 % (n=367)
Fixed or still broken? Sentiment over time
➡️ Stable reception over time
% of positive reviews per month (months with ≥ 15 sample reviews).
of players have unlocked the rarest achievement — the upper bound of those who "100%'d" it. 106 achievements in total; the median achievement is unlocked by 4,8 % of players.
Tactical depth and gameplay shine brightest: 115 positive mentions out of 125, with only a handful of mixed reactions.
Campaign narrative earns universal acclaim: 13 glowing mentions and zero criticisms.
Stunning historical presentation: 8 positive mentions out of 11 for visuals, while audio garners perfect praise with 5 out of 5.
Endgame value shines through—19 out of 22 players highlight the sheer volume of content as a highlight.
Weaknesses
Performance hiccups persist for some: 4 negative mentions out of 11 call out framerate dips or crashes.
Multiplayer struggles to match single-player appeal: only 2 positive mentions versus 6 negative ones.
Game-breaking bugs haunt a vocal minority: every single one of the 9 bug-related mentions reflects frustration.
Who is it for?
Hardcore fans of deep, historical strategy games who crave a timeless experience with endless replayability. Novices might find the learning curve steep, but those who persist are rewarded with one of the genre’s finest entries.
Is Total War: SHOGUN 2 worth it in 2026?
Yes — player reception is very positive: 92% of 67,290 Steam reviews are positive (player score 93/100). Most-praised strength: Tactical depth and gameplay shine brightest. The game is free to play.
Verdict
A near-flawless 92% positive rating on Steam proves Shogun 2 remains a benchmark for grand strategy. Performance and multiplayer hold it back from perfection, but its tactical brilliance and immersive campaign secure its legendary status. A must-play for anyone who loves a challenge.
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