Choose Oriental Empires
Choose Oriental Empires if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. Oriental Empires launched in 2017.
Oriental Empires vs Total War: THREE KINGDOMS
Oriental Empires and Total War: THREE KINGDOMS both land in Strategy on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Strategy games on Steam. Oriental Empires (2017) is 2 years older than Total War: THREE KINGDOMS (2019). Total War: THREE KINGDOMS scores higher on Steam reviews (84% positive) than Oriental Empires (73.9% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Total War: THREE KINGDOMS
Choose Total War: THREE KINGDOMS if you want an Action game with LAN PvP, LAN Co-op, and Color Alternatives. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 84% positive across 17,216 reviews.
Both Oriental Empires and Total War: THREE KINGDOMS sit in Strategy on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Oriental Empires |  Total War: THREE KINGDOMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Action, Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 73.9% positive (793 reviews) | 84% positive (17,216 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, LAN Co-op |
| Developers | Shining Pixel Studios | CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both are Strategy games on Steam.
- Oriental Empires (2017) is 2 years older than Total War: THREE KINGDOMS (2019).
- Total War: THREE KINGDOMS scores higher on Steam reviews (84% positive) than Oriental Empires (73.9% positive).
- Oriental Empires is currently ~50% cheaper on Steam than Total War: THREE KINGDOMS (29.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Steam Deck: Oriental Empires is Deck Playable, Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is Deck Unsupported.
Oriental Empires vs Total War: THREE KINGDOMS — FAQ
- Which is better, Oriental Empires or Total War: THREE KINGDOMS?
- On Steam reviews Total War: THREE KINGDOMS scores higher (84% positive) than Oriental Empires (73.9% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Oriental Empires or Total War: THREE KINGDOMS first?
- If you want chronology, Oriental Empires (2017) came out before Total War: THREE KINGDOMS (2019). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Oriental Empires and Total War: THREE KINGDOMS similar?
- They overlap on Strategy on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Oriental Empires and Total War: THREE KINGDOMS have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Oriental Empires ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Total War: THREE KINGDOMS ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.