Blitzkrieg 3

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Blitzkrieg 3 is a tactical real-time strategy game with a historical theme. It was developed by Nival and was released on June 5, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

Blitzkrieg 3 is an online WW2 RTS made for true admirers of strategic mastery! Challenge your tactical skills in historical campaigns and defeat other players or powerful Neural Network AI in competitive matches. Each of three campaigns provide a unique blend of PvE, PvP and PvAI missions. Blitzkrieg's impressive Neural Network AI acts like no machine before. In total, game features 60+ histori…

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46%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,010 reviews

story75 positive mentions

stability73 negative mentions

Visuals and effects are impressive for a WW2 RTS, with detailed units and environments.
The game offers 3 campaigns with over 60 missions, providing a good amount of content.
The persistent army and unit leveling system adds a rewarding progression element, especially for single player fans.

Always-online DRM causes frequent disconnections, authentication errors, and prevents offline play.
The game suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes, freezing, and issues with mission completion recognition.
Gameplay is overly simplified with limited tactical depth, poor infantry utility, frustrating balance, and lack of base building or repair mechanics.

story
653 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
84%
5%
The story in this game is generally criticized for being disjointed, lacking an overarching narrative, and reduced to a series of largely unconnected missions with minimal character development or plot depth. Many players experience significant bugs preventing mission completion and campaign progression, with frequent server issues and mission loading failures that disrupt story continuity. While some missions offer historical context and varied objectives, the overall narrative experience is undermined by technical problems and repetitive gameplay, resulting in a frustrating and fragmented campaign.
- “The story and little details in the campaign and interactions between characters and troops is entertaining.”
- “You actually follow some kind of timeline in the campaign with all fronts available and do have multi-phase main fights from the get go which was not the case for bk1 besides i believe 1 main mission in the middle and 1 at the very end.”
- “These campaigns also feature side missions aside from the main story missions which give you special units and other rewards.”
- “Completed missions are simply not registered as such, stopping advance of the story line and unlocking future missions; total halt!”
- “The game has lots of problems like not continuing the campaign; the campaign uses a target light to show the next missions but instead of the lights going out when you complete a mission, they stay lit and the game will not advance any further, and you have to delete the game user file from the Steam game install library.”
- “You do the tutorial, the first mission, then wait; you can't progress to the next mission. Play the mission again, complete every task, and wonder of wonders you still can't get to the next mission.”
gameplay
223 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
58%
13%
The gameplay is divisive, featuring a mix of classic RTS mechanics and unique elements like suppression and base defense, but many criticize it for lack of depth, repetitive missions, bugs, and arcade-style simplicity compared to its predecessors. While some appreciate its tactical components, fast pace, and faction differences, others find the mechanics shallow, unpolished, and hindered by server issues or forced online play. Overall, it may appeal to fans of the series or those seeking casual RTS experiences but falls short of the strategic complexity and polish found in earlier titles or competitors.
- “I think this is practically the same thing as Blitzkrieg 2 but with more uniqueness to it, with different mechanics like the suppression ability the machine gunners have, the 'assault' mechanic, where infantry can wreak havoc inside of enemy-occupied buildings, using MP points to call reinforcements and other bonuses like artillery strikes.”
- “Blitzkrieg 3 is a niche but very fun strategy game that stands out for its more gritty and tactical gameplay.”
- “The gameplay itself was almost Total War-esque in its execution, you start each real time battle with a limited pool of units and make use of their individual talents to overcome the enemy to secure victory, infantry for urban battles, neutralizing garrisons, scouting, and cannon fodder.”
- “The game looked promising during beta, but the final game turned out quite different; I found the gameplay unsatisfying, lacking depth, and too unrealistic.”
- “Bad gameplay mechanics: you cannot move your troops in formations, you cannot collectively position a group of selected troops (which was a feature of old versions of the game), bad camera movement, the theatre of war is so small compared to previous versions of the game.”
- “Blitzkrieg 3 revolves around the same stale selection of maps, with a hard counter combat triangle making units lose their versatility, practicality, and individuality. The game mechanics and campaign missions fall flat due to shallowness, lack of meaningful engagement, and cookie-cutter nature. You feel more like you are grinding through a chore than actively participating in grand strategy.”
graphics
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
Reviews of the graphics highlight that Blitzkrieg 3 offers improved and generally good visuals compared to its predecessors, with detailed environments, unit models, and effects praised for creating an immersive WWII atmosphere. However, some users find the graphics outdated or lacking innovation, with issues like small unit size, occasional glitches, and performance drops on certain systems. Overall, the graphics are considered solid for an RTS, though not cutting-edge, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic but not fully compensating for other gameplay shortcomings.
- “The graphics are gorgeous and the developer really have made what so many RTS missed namely a solid campaign system with a complex yet easy understandable structure.”
- “The graphics, the effects and the maps are great.”
- “Luckly the devs learned their lesson and are making Blitzkrieg 3 the way it should've been and not some online game trash. The graphics, art style, voices, and sound effects are all amazing!”
- “Visuals: For RTS visuals are not that important, but the fact that they are the same as visuals in "Blitzkrieg 2", if not worse, is a bit disappointing.”
- “Well, everything, I just hate the game engine generally & the graphics are terrible; it looks like you are playing an RTS that was made 10 years ago or more.”
- “Graphics are pretty weak and with a 6GB GTX 1060 I had huge framerate drops.”
stability
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game is widely criticized for persistent and severe stability issues, including frequent freezes, crashes, bugs, and loading problems that disrupt gameplay and campaign progression. Despite some fun and historically themed elements, these technical problems make the experience frustrating and often borderline unplayable. Attempts at fixes by developers have been slow or ineffective, leaving many players disappointed with the game's overall polish and reliability.
- “This game freezes near-constantly, and for seconds at a time while playing.”
- “My internet is fiber optic and still constantly freezes, crashes and refuses to load missions; if you post a complaint in a forum and are lucky to get a response from the devs, don't have hope as they'll tell you they're working on a fix, but later you'll run into the exact same issues.”
- “I tried several reinstallations, looked through forums for troubleshooting, but every time I clear the first mission, it darkens and jumps back to the main menu without any progress or rewards saved.”
grinding
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is heavily criticized for its excessive grinding, requiring players to repeatedly replay short missions and invest extensive hours to progress, especially in research and unit upgrades. This grind often results in tedious, unbalanced gameplay with frustrating AI, repetitive campaigns, and a lack of meaningful engagement, making the experience feel more like a chore than fun.
- “Progression is earned through grinding very short missions, even the main ones can be replayed infinitely, which takes away the significance of playing and winning them.”
- “It sometimes means some battles are literally impossible without grinding, which is really anti-player.”
- “"Research" trees require even more grinding than the above to max out – probably a solid hundred hours to get a single faction's tree finished.”
optimization
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
25%
60%
The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to frequent stuttering, performance drops, and graphical glitches even on decent hardware. Several users report that recent updates have worsened these issues, making gameplay frustrating despite good graphics and missions. Additionally, clunky controls and bugs further hamper the experience, indicating a need for substantial performance improvements.
- “The game has great graphics, runs smoothly, has very well put together missions, and a really nice unit unlock system.”
- “Another odd thing in this extremely streamlined optimized game is that you can’t go out with your infantry from a house by right/left clicking on the ground with the mouse; you have to press "u" or click on the icon in the right corner instead.”
- “I also play regularly other RTS games like Steel Division and they all run smoothly.”
- “I have also heard about all the bugs and poor optimization of the game so all that speaks for itself.”
- “On top of that the last update destroyed performance.”
- “Performance is my biggest gripe.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
44%
25%
The music in the game is generally considered decent but somewhat repetitive and generic, leading to a lowered desire to replay for some users. While some praise its fitting, historically themed tracks and old-school style, others feel a wider variety and more engaging soundtrack would enhance the experience. Overall, the music supports the game but lacks standout elements or significant innovation.
- “Excellent music.”
- “Like a marching song for Germany; an overall sad mood track with cello to show the great sacrifice Soviet had made to defend the motherland; and a victorious song for the allies.”
- “Great oldschool music, artwork, map decorations (some with borderline humour)... you'll like it when you notice it :)”
- “The game itself is fun to play, yet there is a significant con which I realized after 2 weeks of playing: the soundtracks, voice acting, and background music are really repetitive.”
- “The music is boring as well, which lowers my desire to play another round of battle sometimes.”
- “The soundtrack is fairly generic and is what you would expect from a game like this; the sound effects are just enough to keep your mind in the game.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The humor in the game is often unintentional, stemming from bugs, server issues, and quirky in-game elements like graphic glitches and poorly designed units, which some players find amusing. However, attempts at comedic content, such as character portrayals, tend to fall flat. Overall, the humor arises more from the game's flaws and charm than from deliberate jokes or writing.
- “Fine Russian RTS, funny and charming and moderately enjoyable for many hours in a proper campaign reminiscent of Men of War, except it is much easier and thus generally enjoyable.”
- “A few bugs (e.g., can't save game), units doing funny things sometimes, server problems, lack of tutorials, initial single missions too hard (so will turn off new players).”
- “Gfx is funny sometimes like square wheels on the airplane in the operation "Compass", but in-game graphics, especially battlefield detail, is completely amazing.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Replayability opinions are mixed: some players find the game suffers from bugs and repetitive, scripted missions that limit replay value, while others appreciate multiple modes, varied commanders, and ongoing updates that enhance content and encourage different playstyles. Additional deluxe missions and new units are suggested to further boost replayability and player engagement.
- “Several different modes allow you quite a bit of content and replayability.”
- “By using different commanders, one can adjust play style and unit selection giving replayability.”
- “The replayability is outstanding and the developers aren't lazy as the game stays updated.”
- “There are hordes of visual and gameplay bugs, which make this game fun to complete a single time, but absolutely not replayable.”
- “I would also like to see an update with new units and additional 'deluxe' missions for each nation rather than just one for each, like say 2 or 3 (doesn't have to be 2 or 3 for each nation, can be 2 for one and 3 for another) as I think not only new units would add more replayability for those who have already grinded through most of the units.”
- “Adding additional deluxe missions would also add the chance to not only get these new units to use but to add more playable content, for example a mission where you can use the Karl Gerat and actually use yourself as an actual unit, or (this may be met with some salt) where you get to play as the Russian side in the capture of 'Dora'. Missions like these would make getting the deluxe edition of the game more 'worth it' and 'valuable'.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's monetization is viewed as a potential cash grab, with concerns about future introduction of microtransactions, especially in multiplayer. While currently not overwhelmed with microtransactions or DLCs, users feel the model seems leaning towards free-to-play multiplayer with microtransactions rather than a pure pay-to-play experience. Some fans feel the game doesn't fully align with its pre-purchase marketing promises.
- “Not swamped with microtransactions or DLCs, yet.”
- “If I'm right, the developers say at the start they think about a free-to-play multiplayer and a pay-to-play singleplayer. In my opinion, the multiplayer is still leaning towards a free-to-play model with microtransactions instead of a pay-to-play multiplayer, because they say they will sell the game like a full game.”
- “This game is just a cash grab and an insult for Blitzkrieg fans.”
- “This game is a cheap (albeit good looking) cash grab.”
- “If I'm right, then the devs say at the start they think about a free-to-play multiplayer and a pay-to-play singleplayer. In my opinion, the multiplayer is still moving towards a free-to-play multiplayer with microtransactions instead of a pay-to-play multiplayer, because they say they will sell the game like a full game.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The atmosphere is generally praised for its fitting visuals and sound that successfully capture the style of the original game. However, some users felt that certain changes negatively impacted their overall experience. Overall, the game's art and audio design contribute significantly to an immersive atmosphere.
- “Nice graphics, creating a fitting atmosphere.”
- “They manage to rebuild the art style of the first game, visuals, sound, and atmosphere.”
- “Small changes to sound can make a big difference to the atmosphere and characteristics of a unit.”
- “This was where my opinion of the game plummeted like an asteroid dropping through the atmosphere.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally engaging, evoking nostalgia and excitement similar to previous titles, though technical issues like crashes can lead to frustration and disappointment.