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Rome: Total War

2004 The Creative Assembly Real-time strategy Updated 25 Jul 2026

Rome: Total War is a 2004 strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly, combining a turn-based grand-strategy campaign of empire management with spectacular real-time battles that can involve thousands of individually rendered soldiers on 3D terrain.

On the campaign map, players manage cities, taxation, trade, construction, diplomacy, and the shifting loyalties and ambitions of their ruling family members, then zoom into tactical battles where they maneuver detailed legions, cavalry, elephants, and siege engines, exploiting morale, fatigue, and terrain to break enemy lines. Its sense of scale and the drama of ancient warfare, from Roman testudo formations to war elephants, made a lasting impression, and its engine was even reused for historical television documentaries.

Highly influential, it set a benchmark for historical strategy, popularized the series worldwide, and cemented the signature Total War blend of two genres. A remastered edition has been released for modern platforms with updated visuals and interface, so commanders can readily conquer the ancient world on current hardware.

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Modern alternatives to Rome: Total War, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.

Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.

Modern alternatives to Rome: Total War compared: price, Steam Deck rating and the devices each one runs on.
Alternative	Price	Steam Deck	Runs on
Total War: Rome Remastered	€ 29,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC, Mac, Linux
Field of Glory II Indie	€ 39,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC
Total War: Pharaoh	€ 39,99	Steam Deck Unsupported	PC, Mac