Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 299 sampled Steam reviews (250 positive / 49 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
Positive reviews don't converge on specific aspects.
What negative reviews complain about
- Bugs & crashes16% mention it
- Difficulty & balance14% mention it
- Story & writing10% mention it
- Controls & UI8% mention it
- Grind & repetition8% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
66%
29 reviews
5-15h
89%
53 reviews
15-40h
95%
64 reviews
40-100h
75%
60 reviews
100h+
84%
93 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.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 86 | 20 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 93 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 79% | 73 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 78 | 55 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 18 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 50 reviews sampled · 47 total reviews in window · weighted 38.2 up / 3.7 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (100)
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
“Where the previous Total War instalments have tried their best to faithfully recreate 15th century Japan or 200 BCE Rome, Warhammer's setting is a love letter to the devotees who painstakingly create miniature figures, infused into a game that combines high strategy and micro-management.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“After some mishaps in the past, Creative Assembly delivers one of the greatest Total War games ever. Its bold, its factions are unique and it’s a perfect fit for both Warhammer and strategy fans.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“After more than 70 hours spent with Total War: Warhammer I can confidently say that it is one of the best strategies of the year (and the year isn't over yet). Creative Assembly has used its experience and applied well known solutions but there's a ton of new stuff that freshen up the Total War brand in a very good way.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As a Total War game, Total War: Warhammer comes off as being a bit confined in terms of bounds, yet varied within said bounds. Boasting a lot of options, it is a genuinely enjoyable experience as it does take advantage of its licence. As a Warhammer title, it is a solid and enjoyable experience even if it's quite clear a lot was filed off either to make it work as a game or for future DLC. As a whole? It's a good new direction for the series to head in, and, hopefully, will let it expand beyond the confines of history into new, fantastical realms.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“The match-up of Warhammer and Total War is as harmonious as hoped, adding tremendous faction diversity and fantasy flavour to the familiar series mechanics. It’s technically sound too, but several old flaws (like AI blind spots in sieges) remain. An invigorating addition to the series, nonetheless.”
read full review ↗ - 91
“The fantasy setting of Warhammer provides the perfect canvas for the mass-scale battles of the Total War series. While very approachable to potential new players, it will appease the demands of seasoned veterans. Creative Assembly has managed to capture the essence of Warhammer and transfers its epic feel in their best iteration of the Total War series, yet. All this has been delivered in a stellar performance-optimized package. It's a title which should not be missed.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Despite performance quibbles and a repetitive endgame for the campaign, Total War: Warhammer is an exciting strategy game that stands on its own. The four factions offer unique playstyles with compelling strategic options, and the hero units, fantastic creatures, and monstrous enemies make for spectacular battles that are almost as much fun to watch as they are to command. ”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Total War: Warhammer should be given credit for breathing new life into the Total War franchise, a task it primarily accomplishes with distinct factions and a fun battle system.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“I have historically been extremely critical of the Warhammer/Warhammer 40k franchise so when I first learned of Total War: Warhammer I was a bit skeptical. I love the Total War series and with the exception of Total War: Attila they have produced some of the best strategy titles to date. Attila was not bad, just not up to par with previous titles and that, along with the abysmally bad pile of Warhammer crap that has come out in recent years, had me seriously concerned for the franchise. Fortunately Total War: Warhammer is actually really, very good. So good that it almost washes the bad taste of over a dozen horrible Warhammer/Warhammer 40k titles out of my mouth.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“With the most exciting unit roster yet, Creative Assembly's latest is a godly blend of franchises.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“It's a triumph of real-time strategy design, and the best the Total War series has ever been.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Total War: Warhammer is an excellent representation of the Warhammer Fantasy setting, and the multi-tiered layers of strategy make it a compelling game to play.”
read full review ↗
Gadgets 360
Hu3br
GRYOnline.pl
Cubed3
PC Invasion
GameWatcher
ZTGD
Chalgyr's Game Room
Eurogamer
GameSpot
Rocket Chainsaw…and 88 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Total War: WARHAMMER II - Development UpdateDec 5, 2017
- Total War: WARHAMMER II - Development UpdateDec 5, 2017
- The Norsca Hotfix - Now LiveAug 23, 2017
- The Norsca Hotfix - Now LiveAug 23, 2017