Ancient Warfare 3

About

"Ancient Warfare 3" is a sandbox-style action game with customization options and various game modes. Explore content from different eras, from the Stone Age to futuristic sci-fi, with over 3400 units, 1100 objects, and 580 equipment items. Use the in-game editors to create your own scenarios, share your creations, and access a wide range of user-generated content through Steam Workshop integration.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,922 reviews

gameplay30 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game offers extensive customization options for units and maps, allowing for endless creative possibilities.
Regular updates from the developer enhance the gameplay experience and keep the community engaged.
The sandbox nature of the game allows players to create unique battles across various historical and fictional settings.

The AI is often simplistic and can lead to unengaging combat experiences.
Performance issues can arise, especially with larger battles, leading to lag and crashes.
The controls and user interface can be clunky, making it difficult for new players to navigate the game effectively.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
49%
15%
The gameplay of Ancient Warfare 3 is a mixed bag, with some players praising its extensive customization options and vibrant modding community, which enhance the sandbox experience. However, many criticize the core mechanics as clunky and lacking depth, particularly in gunplay and AI performance, leading to a perception of boredom and frustration. Overall, while the game offers potential for creativity and replayability, it suffers from optimization issues and a need for more engaging gameplay elements.
- “Beyond its core gameplay, Ancient Warfare 3 boasts a vibrant modding community that enhances the game's experience.”
- “The customizability and variety of units, objects, and terrain makes this game a very fun sandbox experience that could possibly offer endless gameplay.”
- “It's a massive range of units to choose from, excellent battle mechanics, simple yet fun graphics, and a very large amount of possible structures to use make this game a must for any fan of custom battle simulator games.”
- “This on its own wouldn't be a dealbreaker, but then comes the gameplay, which has zero complexity nor satisfaction to it.”
- “Had this in my wishlist for a while, decided to go ahead and get it during the summer sale this year, but was just disappointed by what I just experienced playing just now... gameplay is very clunky and boring... lots of small glitches and bugs throughout, AI is trash, battle editor is glitchy as well.”
- “In terms of performance and gameplay, the game is extremely lacking.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
39%
9%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a blocky and polygonal aesthetic that appeals to many players, offering a charming and fun visual experience despite being less demanding on hardware. While some users note that the graphics may not be top-tier, they appreciate the game's ability to handle large-scale battles with minimal lag, and the extensive customization options enhance replayability. Overall, the visuals are seen as a good trade-off for the engaging gameplay, though there are calls for improvements in character and weapon designs.
- “I enjoy the blocky and polygonal aesthetic of the graphics engine, and the dismemberment and destruction within the game overall is pretty cool. The gameplay, paired with the ability to modify in-game units and content, allows for a lot of replayability that can be lacking in some other sandbox titles. Overall, an impressive indie game that I'm glad to have seen released after being a passion project for so long.”
- “On high graphics, it can be really pretty, especially on maps that are more open-world style.”
- “The game has charming graphics and looks like it would be fun to play.”
- “We need better characters, weapons, maps, graphics, and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is boring, the graphics are ugly, and the weapon equips are confusing.”
- “Boring, boring, boring. I mean, if you haven't run out of ideas for engagements, then you are bored out of your mind. Do you see the graphics?”
optimization
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
69%
19%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing performance issues and sluggish gameplay. While some users noted significant improvements in optimization over time, others still feel that the game lacks essential quality of life enhancements and control refinements. Overall, there is a consensus that further optimization could elevate the gaming experience, especially for those with lower-end hardware.
- “Update: I noticed a huge improvement in game optimization; in my opinion, now the game's worth the price.”
- “All in all, this has the potential to be a great game with enough quality of life improvements and optimization.”
- “Well optimized with fun gameplay that doesn't get old and has consistent updates.”
- “I used to play it a lot but now it's horribly optimized, plays poorly, has lame community content, and as far as I know they got rid of all the fun parts of the game (simple melee mechanics, working ground and air vehicles).”
- “The gameplay is sluggish and awful, as is the performance.”
- “In terms of performance and gameplay, the game is extremely lacking.”
story
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The game's story aspect is largely centered around user-generated content, allowing players to create their own maps, missions, and narratives, which can lead to engaging and lengthy campaigns. However, some players express disappointment with the lack of a structured, traditional campaign, feeling that the reliance on user-created content detracts from a cohesive story experience. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy sandbox-style gameplay and customization, but may not satisfy players seeking a polished, linear narrative.
- “I highly recommend this game to anyone who likes sandboxes, shooters, RTS, and heck, some people have even created long story-driven campaigns that take hours to complete.”
- “It's also a great place to expand or design a storyline, or simulate things.”
- “This game is shit because the campaign has no actual level next to it. I expected them to give us a story campaign, not a campaign made by others. What the actual fuck?”
- “☑ no story”
- “These days there's even enough opportunity in the game to not have warfare at all; instead, story or linear maps.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches, bugs, and freezing issues that disrupt gameplay. Many players experience problems with the customization features, AI performance, and map editing tools, leading to a frustrating experience, especially when managing larger units. While some still find enjoyment in the game, the overall consensus is that its stability issues significantly detract from the experience.
- “The game is so-so; building the maps, terrain editing, and FPS or custom units are cool, but the game glitches every time I play with over 70 men. I don't know if it's a glitch for everyone or just me, but I would still recommend it.”
- “Great game, I love it, but it freezes at random times while playing, forcing me to restart.”
- “There is an immense amount of glitches and bugs, and the building system barely even works.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its fun and engaging battles, with players enjoying the comedic elements of the action and physics. Users appreciate the ability to create custom battles, which adds to the game's charm and entertainment value. Overall, the game is described as funny and enjoyable, appealing to a wide range of players, including younger audiences.
- “This game is really fun and can be funny.”
- “Again, tabs is a great, funny, and cheap game.”
- “Nice little game that's kinda concealed and not many people know about it. Such fun battles and the physics are funny as well. There are so many props, and this is what's fun about the game. It's not just spawning men and battling; you can create your own battles. Considering this game is on the Unity engine, it runs well and is stable. 10/10, really you should buy it if you like games like Tabs or Ravenfield.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to its sandbox nature and extensive modification options, allowing players to explore creativity and varied gameplay experiences. However, some users find the AI clumsy and the weapons unsatisfying, which can lead to boredom over time. Overall, while many appreciate the replay value, opinions vary on its long-term engagement.
- “I like this game for many reasons, one of them being that it inspires creativity and is overall fun to play. With you being able to do whatever you want, it has a lot of replayability.”
- “The AI is slow, the weapons are unsatisfying, and for me, it has no replayability.”
- “I like this game for many reasons, one of them being that it inspires creativity and is overall fun to play, but with you being able to do whatever you want, it has a lot of replayability.”
- “The AI is slow, the weapons are unsatisfying, and for me, it has no replayability.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music and sound effects in the game are well-received, contributing positively to the overall experience. Players appreciate the updates that introduce new elements, although some express a desire for the return of older music tracks. Overall, the game's audio complements its engaging gameplay.
- “Love the game! Every update brings new cool things. The music really enhances the experience.”
- “The sound effects and music are fantastic, adding a lot to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- “For those who enjoy the old music, you can check out 'Ancient Warfare 2' on itch.io.”
- “It's not the game settings either; all the sound effects and music are turned on.”
- “I love the game, but I think it should have more music options. It's only $11 right now, and they could easily charge $30 for it. One last thing, to anyone who would like to hear the old music, go to itch.io and get 'Ancient Warfare 2'; it has the old music.”
- “The music in the game is lacking compared to previous versions. I miss the old tracks.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and time-consuming, particularly criticizing the map creation process, which can take over an hour and feels unfulfilling. The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and lacks depth, leading to frustration and a desire for improvements to enhance the experience. Overall, many feel that the game requires excessive effort for minimal reward, detracting from its initial fun.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Game is fun for an hour without mods; this is just if Tabs and Ravenfield had a baby and it mutated into a piece of wet tissue that bites you when you touch it. You have to create your own maps that take at least an hour, and then at last when you play, it is broken and boring. So you decide to go to the workshop, but alas, that only lasts you a bit because all you do is shoot and stab random people. This would be fun if they just improved the map editor to be less tedious. Give me my money back, you scam artist.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere in the game is highly praised for its diverse and immersive environments, ranging from fully-functional casinos and zero-gravity combat to detailed WW1 battlefields and trauma simulations. Players appreciate the meticulous attention to detail that enhances the overall experience, making each setting feel unique and engaging.
- “People have made fully-working casinos, zero-g combat, airships boarding each other with glider troops, a WW1 hilltop battle with impeccable atmosphere, arcade-style maps, and a trauma team simulator complete with a detailed limb-to-limb health system.”