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Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

TaleWorlds Entertainment · released Oct 24, 2022

ActionIndieRPGSimulationStrategyPCPlayStation 5, PlayStation 4Xbox Series X, Xbox One

A strategy/action RPG. Create a character, engage in diplomacy, craft, trade and conquer new lands in a vast medieval sandbox. Raise armies to lead into battle and command and fight alongside your troops in massive real-time battles using a deep but intuitive skill-based combat system.

Steam page ↗OpenCritic ↗Metacritic 77 · users 8 ↗
81
VGC Score
■Stablehigh confidence

anchored at patch: “Beta Patch Notes - WS v1.3.0 / BL v1.5.0” (13d ago)

80%
At launch
88%
Steam all-time
76%
Press
67%
Player sentiment
88%
Recent sentiment

PC 81 · PlayStation 71 · Xbox 58

Screenshots & trailers

What players say

Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 416 sampled Steam reviews (348 positive / 68 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.

What positive reviews talk about

  • Combat4% mention it

What negative reviews complain about

  • Bugs & crashes28% mention it
  • Combat13% mention it
  • Story & writing9% mention it
  • Controls & UI9% mention it

Satisfaction by hours played

Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.

Under 5h

56%

25 reviews

5-15h

75%

28 reviews

15-40h

82%

60 reviews

40-100h

87%

90 reviews

100h+

87%

213 reviews

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (OpenCritic)–7636
All-time Steam reviews88%811473
Metacritic user ratings–84175
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)88%821691
Calibration prior (typical game)–7250

Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Aug 19, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 1691 total reviews in window · weighted 219.9 up / 32.7 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (45)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 90
    Jump Dash RollJump Dash Roll
    trust 76Dec 1, 2022

    “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord is, in spite of some missing features, a must-play experience for anyone who's remotely interested in kingdoms, claymores and combat.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    GRYOnline.plGRYOnline.pl
    trust 75Nov 4, 2022

    “Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is a game that can swallow you whole and make you forget about everything else - including its own flaws. That's the beauty of this series - the gameplay, and particularly the large-scale, real-time combat, makes us shrug off ugly face models, underdeveloped diplomacy, or dumb AI.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    Arabhardware Arabhardware
    trust 70Nov 24, 2022

    “Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord is a masterfully crafted game, an absolute spectacular successor to the first game that will satisfy the hunger of any strategy games fnatics ou there though we don't recommend going for a third installement for this franchise at least for the time being.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    PC InvasionPC Invasion
    trust 69Oct 31, 2022

    “Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord comes back with improvements to everything we liked about the previous games and some new systems as well. However, it's not a perfectly polished game, so you'll have to navigate a few edges on your path to restore/destroy the Empire.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    Push SquarePush Square
    trust 69Nov 17, 2022

    “Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord combines RPG mechanics with grand strategy and features battles so epic they can be overwhelming at times. It has some rough edges, and the interface can be unwieldy, but at its core lies a roleplaying experience that is virtually unrivalled in scope - especially on console.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    RageQuit.GR
    trust 69Oct 31, 2022

    “Slightly or greatly improved in most areas, still lacking in a few others when compared to Warband and its essential mods, Bannerlord is an altogether updated version of the Mount & Blade series' addictive gameplay and the undisputed king of Sandbox RPGs.”

    read full review ↗
  • 85
    GameWatcherGameWatcher
    trust 69Nov 23, 2022

    “Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is very much a superior sequel in so many ways. It’s still a bit of a brick wall to get past in terms of understanding its finer points, but keep hammering away and you will find them.”

    read full review ↗
  • 55
    ZTGDZTGD
    trust 68Nov 15, 2022

    “Like Total War, when the players massive armies clash in battle it is a sight to behold, luckily the game offers the option to simulate battles and watch the AI troops clash. This, to me was massively more enjoyable than trying to struggle through the games clunky combat. While I loved the depth offered in the RPG elements of the world, I came away disappointed enough by the combat that is just made the whole experience feel like a chore to play; combine that with the lack of a real story and I Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord just didn’t turn out to be the total medieval simulator game I was hoping for.”

    read full review ↗
  • 79
    Merlin'in KazanıMerlin'in Kazanı
    trust 68Oct 30, 2022

    “Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord takes you to the Calradia and then makes you drink wine from someone's skull. Good game but still has the potential to be better. I can't wait to see it.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    CFG GamesCFG Games
    trust 66Nov 22, 2022

    “Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord is the pinnacle of sandbox medieval RPGs. There is much to learn and master for those willing to spend hundreds of hours perfecting their command.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    SECTOR.skSECTOR.sk
    trust 66Nov 11, 2022

    “Ten long years have passed since the announcement of the latest installment of Mount & Blade. Then the game was in early access, and now it's finally finished and fully battle-ready. Not all fans are thrilled with the result, as not everything is as it could have been, but it's still a trip worth taking part in.”

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    GameLusterGameLuster
    trust 66Oct 24, 2022

    “Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a medieval RPG and strategy game with a realistic and challenging combat and army management, tons of different features and various gameplay styles. It's fun and addicting, but it's not without flaws. If you forgo the performance issues and minor bugs, you can enjoy playing the game for a long time.”

    read full review ↗

…and 33 more tracked reviews.

Patch history

  1. Beta Patch Notes - WS v1.3.0 / BL v1.5.0
    Aug 19, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  2. War Sails Modding Kit Release & Patch WS v1.2.8 / BL v1.4.8
    Aug 10, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  3. Patch Notes - WS v1.2.7 / BL v1.4.7
    Jul 8, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  4. Patch Notes - WS v1.2.6 / BL v1.4.6
    Jun 11, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  5. Patch Notes - WS v1.2.5 / BL v1.4.5
    May 21, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  6. Beta WS v1.2.1 / BL v1.4.1 - Seaborne Village Raids
    Apr 22, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  7. Community Tales #17
    Apr 15, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  8. Dev Update & Beta WS v1.2.0 / BL v1.4.0
    Apr 9, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  9. Patch Notes - WS v1.1.2 / BL v1.3.14
    Feb 3, 2026significant · resets scoring window
  10. Patch Notes - WS v1.1.1 / BL v1.3.13
    Dec 24, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  11. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.7 / BL v1.3.11
    Dec 16, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  12. Beta Patch Notes - WS v1.1.0 / BL v1.3.12
    Dec 12, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  13. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.6 / BL v1.3.10
    Dec 8, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  14. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.5 / BL v1.3.9
    Dec 2, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  15. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.4 / BL v1.3.8
    Nov 29, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  16. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.3 / BL v1.3.7
    Nov 28, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  17. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.2 / BL v1.3.6
    Nov 27, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  18. Patch Notes - WS v1.0.1 / BL v1.3.5
    Nov 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  19. War Sails & Patch v1.3.4 Release
    Nov 26, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  20. Beta Patch Notes v1.3.0
    Sep 15, 2025significant · resets scoring window
  21. Patch Notes v1.2.12
    Dec 2, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  22. Patch Notes v1.2.10
    Jun 27, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  23. Patch Notes v1.2.9
    Feb 1, 2024significant · resets scoring window
  24. Patch Notes v1.2.8
    Dec 21, 2023
  25. Patch Notes v1.2.7
    Dec 14, 2023
  26. Patch Notes v1.1.6
    Sep 18, 2023
  27. Regional Pricing Update
    Sep 11, 2023
  28. Development Update #12: Weather System, Formation Targeting and Warehouses
    Jun 28, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  29. Beta Patch Notes v1.2.0
    Jun 23, 2023
  30. Patch Notes v1.1.5
    Jun 23, 2023
  31. Patch Notes v1.1.4
    May 18, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  32. Patch Notes v1.1.3
    Apr 17, 2023
  33. Patch Notes v1.1.2
    Mar 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  34. Patch Notes v1.1.1
    Mar 11, 2023
  35. Patch Notes v1.1.0
    Mar 1, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  36. Beta Patch Notes v1.1.0
    Jan 12, 2023significant · resets scoring window
  37. Patch Notes v1.0.3
    Jan 5, 2023
  38. Beta Patch Notes v1.0.3
    Dec 30, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  39. Patch Notes v1.0.2
    Nov 30, 2022significant · resets scoring window
  40. Beta Patch Notes v1.0.2
    Nov 17, 2022significant · resets scoring window

…and 5 earlier patch announcements.