Crusader Kings III

91%
Game Brain Score Based on 37 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Crusader Kings III Game Cover
Crusader King 3 takes the throne as the new king of historical strategy by expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique.

Crusader Kings III is a grand strategy game that simulates the Middle Ages, allowing players to choose a royal or noble house and guide it through the centuries. Experience historical and cultural accuracy with knights, pilgrimages, and Viking raiders, while managing kingdoms, gathering lands, and perfecting skills in military strategy or kingdom management. Choose a lifestyle, gather character traits, and even create your own splinter religion for everlasting fame or eternal damnation.

  • PC
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

91%
Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews
gameplay5 positive mentions
music2 negative mentions
  • Crusader Kings III offers a rich blend of grand strategy and RPG elements, providing players with deep character-driven experiences and emergent storytelling.
  • The game features significant quality-of-life improvements, making it more accessible to newcomers while retaining complexity for veteran players.
  • With a vast array of content, including diverse scenarios and character interactions, players can enjoy limitless replayability and engaging gameplay.
  • Some systems can feel opaque and overwhelming, particularly for new players, leading to confusion and potential aimlessness in gameplay.
  • AI-controlled allied armies are often unreliable, which can disrupt strategic planning and execution during warfare.
  • While the game has improved visuals, there are still minor technical issues and a lack of certain customization options that may disappoint some players.
  • gameplay8 mentions

    The gameplay of Crusader Kings III is praised for its expansive mechanics and new features that enhance the existing gameplay experience, offering both depth and accessibility for new players while retaining complexity for veterans. The game excels in emergent storytelling and replayability, with a beautifully designed map and engaging sound design that enrich the overall experience. Players can expect a rich, immersive experience that encourages exploration of its intricate systems and dynamics.

    • “Crusader Kings III has good mechanics and production, but what sets it apart is the way it connects to the era it depicts.”
    • “Regardless of whether you play solo or online, there are many hours of gameplay hidden beneath the surface of what is effectively a medieval sims game.”
    • “Markedly improved UI, amazing emergent gameplay, maximum replayability, approachable for newbies, but retains the complexity for longtime fans.”
    • “Regardless, whether you play solo or online, there are many hours of gameplay hidden beneath the surface of what is effectively a medieval sims game.”
    • “The gameplay loop constantly requires your attention, and while it has vast potential for emergent storytelling, it can feel overwhelming at times.”
  • graphics4 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received significant praise for their major updates and improvements, featuring nicely-detailed 3D visuals that enhance the user interface and overall experience. Reviewers highlight the unique and recognizable character designs, as well as the quality-of-life enhancements that contribute to a more accessible and visually appealing gameplay environment. Overall, the graphical advancements enrich the RPG elements and support the game's complex world simulation.

    • “The new visuals do a great job of creating unique and recognizable characters.”
    • “Improved visuals look fantastic.”
    • “Nicely-detailed 3D visuals.”
  • story4 mentions

    The game's story is characterized by its emergent and procedural nature, allowing player choices to create deeply personal and impactful narratives. While the freeform structure encourages creativity, some players may find moments of aimlessness when the story engine falters, and the tutorials could provide more context for decision-making. Overall, the blend of familiar and innovative systems enhances the role-playing experience, making for a captivating storytelling potential.

    • “Your choices can have profound consequences that can define your campaign in unexpected ways.”
    • “Its mixture of familiar and evolved systems enhances its roleplaying and emergent storytelling potential.”
    • “Vast potential for emergent storytelling, best new player experience of any PDS grand strategy, and without sacrificing complexity.”
    • “When the story engine isn't firing, your actions can feel rote and uninspired. The absence of win conditions means aimlessness can take hold without strong self-motivation. Tutorials pop-ups cover the 'what,' some of the 'how,' but little of the 'why, when, or where.'”
    • “The freeform structure is liberating in how it removes concerns over making the wrong call, but it can also lead to a lack of direction in the narrative.”
    • “While the mixture of familiar and evolved systems enhances its roleplaying and emergent storytelling potential, it often feels disjointed and lacking in coherence.”
  • music2 mentions

    The music in the game features a subdued soundtrack that can become repetitive and overwhelming at times, with some users noting missed customization options. Additionally, there are minor performance issues and occasional AI hiccups related to the music in the later stages of gameplay.

    • “Some customization options are missed, the soundtrack repeats a lot, and it can be overwhelming.”
    • “The subdued soundtrack has small performance issues towards the late stages of a playthrough, along with occasional AI hiccups.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    Reviewers highlight the game's exceptional replayability, noting its emergent gameplay and improved user interface that cater to both newcomers and veteran players. As a standout in the kingdom simulation genre, it offers limitless replay value, making it a compelling addition to the series.

    • “Markedly improved UI, amazing emergent gameplay, maximum replayability. Approachable for newbies, but retains the complexity for longtime fans.”
    • “One of the best kingdom simulators out there, new and improved addition to an already great series, limitless replay value.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, noting that choices lead to significant and often unexpected consequences that shape their campaigns. The procedural generation of storylines creates memorable and sometimes devastating experiences, while the focus on role-playing as a ruler enhances the personal impact of decisions. The freeform structure allows for a liberating experience, alleviating the fear of making wrong choices.

    • “Your choices can have profound consequences that can define your campaign in unexpected ways.”
    • “Systems collide to procedurally generate memorable, and even emotionally devastating, storylines.”
    • “Role-playing as the ruler, rather than the empire, means every decision is more personally affecting.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development in the new title has seen significant improvements and refinements, which are likely to satisfy long-time fans, despite the absence of certain features like the character designer.

    • “The character development in this game is incredibly deep, allowing players to form meaningful connections with each character as their stories unfold.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, with their backstories and motivations becoming more complex as the plot progresses.”
    • “The choices you make truly impact character development, making each playthrough feel unique and personal.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks the depth that I was hoping for.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, making it hard to connect with them.”
    • “There are not enough meaningful choices that impact character growth, leaving the experience feeling flat.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally solid, but players report minor performance issues that arise in the later stages of gameplay, along with occasional AI hiccups. The subdued soundtrack contributes positively to the overall experience, though it does not significantly impact performance.

    • “The subdued soundtrack combined with small performance issues towards the late stages of a playthrough really detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “I encountered occasional AI hiccups that disrupted the flow of the game, making it feel less polished.”
    • “The optimization leaves much to be desired, especially as the game progresses and performance starts to falter.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

91% average critic score

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