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.
« Les meilleurs Total War tout simplement, attention Total War Rome II est excellent aussi mais celui la, il mérite tout les centimes, surtout avec le dlc end of the samurai fin bref Creative Assembly PRENEZ TOUT MON ARGENT SUR CE JEU »👍 anonymous review · 227 h played« Marchant vers l'ouest, les premiers cerisiers en fleurs sont mon point de repère. So'oku, 1766 »👍 anonymous review · 116 h played« Mon premier Total War, qui m'a permis de découvrir et d'apprécier cette série. Contrairement aux anciens, les mécaniques n'ont pas vieilli et il reste toujours plaisant à jouer »👍 anonymous review · 225 h played« Je recommande ce jeux. Il est très agréable à jouer et permet de se plonger dans l'univers des samourai. »👍 anonymous review · 28 h played« très bon jeu de stratégie, bien équilibré et simple. Dans le top 3 des meilleurs Total war »👍 anonymous review · 250 h played« Toujours très bon malgré le temps ! »👍 anonymous review · 259 h played
« 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« :(((((( NO MULITPLAY I CANT PLAY AVEC MOI FEMBOY AMIGO »👎 anonymous review · 36 h played« Juste le meilleur total war pour moi. »👍 anonymous review · 176 h played
In players' words
« Les meilleurs Total War tout simplement, attention Total War Rome II est excellent aussi mais celui la, il mérite tout les centimes, surtout avec le dlc end of the samurai fin bref Creative Assembly PRENEZ TOUT MON ARGENT SUR CE JEU »👍 anonymous review · 227 h played« Le jeu est injouable sur Mac, il crash tout le temps vraiment passez votre chemin... »👎 anonymous review · 139 h played« Marchant vers l'ouest, les premiers cerisiers en fleurs sont mon point de repère. So'oku, 1766 »👍 anonymous review · 116 h played« i change my mind, i'm rich now »👎 anonymous review · 125 h played« Mon premier Total War, qui m'a permis de découvrir et d'apprécier cette série. Contrairement aux anciens, les mécaniques n'ont pas vieilli et il reste toujours plaisant à jouer »👍 anonymous review · 225 h played« Crash at campaign, its been month unable to play, keep on crashing »👎 anonymous review · 159 h played« Je recommande ce jeux. Il est très agréable à jouer et permet de se plonger dans l'univers des samourai. »👍 anonymous review · 28 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« très bon jeu de stratégie, bien équilibré et simple. Dans le top 3 des meilleurs Total war »👍 anonymous review · 250 h played« :(((((( NO MULITPLAY I CANT PLAY AVEC MOI FEMBOY AMIGO »👎 anonymous review · 36 h played« Toujours très bon malgré le temps ! »👍 anonymous review · 259 h played« Juste le meilleur total war pour moi. »👍 anonymous review · 176 h played
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 88 h on median; those who dislike it: 42 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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