Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Total War vs Total Battle

Total War 4.9★ · $14.99 65
Winner Total War
Total Battle 4.6★ · Free + IAP 40

Total War is the better choice for players seeking a deep, classic real-time strategy experience, despite its stability issues, while Total Battle is a free-to-play city-builder with significant pay-to-win mechanics and misleading advertising.

Full reviews: Total War · Total Battle

Total War, a paid port of a classic PC strategy game, offers deep gameplay but is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, especially on newer devices. Total Battle is a free-to-play city-builder with misleading ads, criticized for its aggressive monetization and slow progression for non-paying users.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay edge: Total WarR2R5R8R11
Total War Total War is praised for its deep strategy, big battles, and being a faithful port of the PC version, offering many factions and a cinematic experience R2R8. However, users desire mod support, multiplayer, and controller support R5R11. Some find the campaign sluggish and the AI illogical or frustrating R24.
Total Battle Total Battle is criticized for misleading advertising; many users downloaded it expecting direct battle gameplay shown in ads, but found it to be a city-building, clan-based strategy game R61R70. While some enjoy the strategic depth, story, and clan system, others find it convoluted and boring without constant action .
Ease of Use and Interface tieR15R21R24R26
Total War Total War's touch controls are surprisingly good for a PC port, and the UI is simplified for mobile . However, many users find the interface horrible, difficult to operate, and struggle with unit commands not being followed R21R24R26. Issues like archers charging instead of shooting and cavalry bugs are reported R15R26.
Total Battle Total Battle is described as confusing and overly complicated by some, with too many steps and storylines . Some users also report issues with finding specific buildings or understanding tasks, like rebuilding a second mansion .
Reliability and Performance edge: Total WarR1R3R4R6
Total War Total War suffers from frequent and widespread crashing, especially during large battles or after updates, making it unplayable for many R1R3R4R6. Users report issues with launching, frozen screens, and glitches, even on newer devices like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPad Pro M4 . Some also experience no sound .
Total Battle Total Battle users report glitches, frequent disconnections, and the app refreshing too often when switching away . Some also mention slow performance, especially during new events .
Price and Value edge: Total WarR7R8R15R27
Total War Total War costs $14.99, which some users consider expensive, especially for an older game R8R28. Many are frustrated by having to pay extra for DLC or to unlock the 'other half of the game,' feeling it's a waste or greedy R7R15R27R28.
Total Battle Total Battle is free to download but is heavily criticized as a 'money pit' and 'pay-to-play/win' game with aggressive microtransactions R64R69. Users report progress slowing to a crawl without spending money, with upgrades taking days and high prices for supplies, up to $250 for 'very little' R69R79R90. The game is seen as catering only to those who spend money .
Support and Localization tieR37R44R46R58
Total War Total War users report issues with customer support regarding refunds for buggy games R58. There are also requests for simplified Chinese support R37R44R46.
Total Battle Total Battle users complain about poor customer service, with one reporting no action taken after a child made a $65 purchase . Another user reports support not caring about unfair gameplay mechanics related to paying players . The game also had a serious issue with racial and rape-related messages appearing within the game .
Pick Total War if

you are a fan of classic PC real-time strategy games and are willing to tolerate potential bugs and crashes for a deep, engaging experience R2R8.

Pick Total Battle if

you enjoy free-to-play city-building and clan-based strategy games, are prepared for aggressive monetization, and don't mind a slower progression without spending money .

Evidence note: Total War's reviews, while generally positive in lifetime ratings, show a significant number of recent negative reviews focusing on crashing and performance issues. Total Battle's free-to-play model heavily skews negative reviews towards monetization and misleading advertising, which is common for this genre.

Frequently asked

Is Total War worth the $14.99 price?
Total War is considered a great port of a classic PC strategy game with deep gameplay, but many users feel the $14.99 price is high, especially with additional costs for DLC, and the game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs R7R8R15R28.
Is Total Battle a pay-to-win game?
Yes, Total Battle is widely described as a 'money pit' and 'pay-to-play/win' game where progress slows significantly without spending money, with high prices for in-app purchases up to $250 for minimal supplies R64R69R79R90.
Does Total Battle's gameplay match its advertisements?
No, many users report that Total Battle's actual gameplay is nothing like the direct battle scenarios shown in its advertisements; it is primarily a city-building and clan-based strategy game R61R70R73R81.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Total War 5/5 · US Best game: An amazing game and won worthy of the title with seventeen and more factions two choose from it is an amazing game,e
  2. [R5] Total War 5/5 · US please make it mod accessable: or have it like DOOM where they have pre installed mods built in. make it more replayable. even if you added 10 preinstalled mods we could use. it would still be amazing and add so much more replay value
  3. [R8] Total War 4/5 · US My personal ideas and thoughts on this game: This is a cool game and if you want to have big battles and cool strategy, then this is the game for you. Yes it does take a chunk of your bank account but it’s worth it. The reason for 4 stars is, well, the price. Also I don’t know if the developer would do this but, I think it would be cool if you could be one of the soldiers. This is my honest review
  4. [R11] Total War 5/5 · US This game is awesome but will iOS support mod support like android: This port is probably the best one I have kingdoms as well but I’d say it lacks replay ability so can you please allow mobile mod support like on pc or androids I’m using iOS iPad and wanna play great mods like tsardoms Finale rating 5 stars
  5. [R15] Total War 3/5 · US Cavalry?: This game is a complete scam, you buy it for 15 dollars and then have to pay even more to unlock the full game, I don’t mind that much since the game is fun but what I find a huge problem is that even on easy battles one group of cavalry can’t kill 1 group of Norse archers cause of some stupid bug where either cavalry doesn’t run or when it does it doesn’t charge, it just runs at the ene
  6. [R21] Total War 3/5 · US Great game but hard to operate: This is my favorite PC game and it definitely caught my eye when I saw it was on mobile so I had to get it. I understand it’s hard turning a PC game to mobile but it’s pretty difficult to use the game. The graphics are very smooth but still it’s hard for me to even operate the game.
  7. [R24] Total War 3/5 · US Campaign: The campaign is so sluggish and boring even on the short mode And the combat is just annoying and your soldier won’t even do what you tell them to do and it never lets me move my soldier and go into my towns in the campaign
  8. [R26] Total War 4/5 · US Archers charge into battle instead of shooting arrows: WTF- Cannot for the life of me stop my archers from charging into battle. Melee switched on or off, line of sight is good, guard mode activated… those guys just want to charge to their death! Just got this game on iPad to try out. Looked up online and this seems to be a problem for years. Very frustrating for someone trying to learn the ga
  9. [R1] Total War 1/5 · US Sucks: This game sucks AND it runs horribly. I can’t stress enough how horribly the game truly runs
  10. [R3] Total War 3/5 · US Big battles = crash: I loved this game back in the day, and was so excited to see it offered on a mobile platform. HOWEVER, don’t bother trying to fight the Mongols. Their armies are so huge, this app is almost guaranteed to crash. Beyond frustrating, especially after you’re already an hour or so invested in your carefully planned out and executed battle. Your options to reduce the graphics lo
  11. [R4] Total War 1/5 · US Crash: Crashes randomly all the time, latest iphone & ios
  12. [R6] Total War 3/5 · US Keep crashing: Keep crashing since the new update can’t spam cheat no more
  13. [R7] Total War 1/5 · US Waste: So you’re telling me I spent all this money just to have to pay even more money to unlock the other half of the game. What a waste!
  14. [R27] Total War 3/5 · US Different Modes: Bought the expansion package “Americas”, did not know it limited me to playing just that?? How can i still play the Medieval 2 original mode that comes with initial purchase?
  15. [R37] Total War 1/5 · US Dear Creative Assembly/SEGA team: Dear Creative Assembly/SEGA team: ** I am a strategy game enthusiast from China. I recently bought the iOS version of Total War: MEDIEVAL II on the App Store for **$9.9**. Although I appreciate the historical reduction and strategy depth of the game, unfortunately, the current version ** lacks simplified Chinese support**, which makes it very difficult for me to u
  16. [R44] Total War 5/5 · US Please Chinese: Chinese,please
  17. [R46] Total War 2/5 · US The game is good,but there is no Chinese.: The game is good, but there is no Chinese.
  18. [R58] Total War 1/5 · US Can I not get a refund?: I played the game for 5 minutes and instantly hated it. It’s too glitchy and buggy even on the newest iPhone. I tried to request a refund but it says not eligible for a refund. Even after only playing for 5 minutes? Can someone assist me?
  19. [R28] Total War 1/5 · US Greed: The game is med 2 one of the best total wars it’s an amazing game and their phone version isn’t too bad, my issue is the greed with DLC you pay basically full price for the game which in steam gives you all the DLC since this game is very old instead they up charge every DLC and kick their new updates like hot-seat behind it most computers can run this game so if your just playing from home
  20. [R64] Total Battle 1/5 · US This is a money pit: Avoid this game… it’s all paywalls
  21. [R69] Total Battle 3/5 · US The ultimate pay-to-play&win game: If you don’t mind paying tons of money, this game can be fun. I definitely think they hired some psychologists to figure out how to get people to spend money in a game. The first day they give you all the perks, after that you have to start paying for them and it is not cheap…at all. If you’re exceedingly patient and don’t mind waiting five days between actions
  22. [R79] Total Battle 2/5 · US Fun but you have to pay for everything: Don’t get me wrong this game is fun but at the same time it feels like a scam. The game almost seems unfinished and in order to do anything you have to PAY. The prices are completely unrealistic, it goes from $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $250 for very little supplies. But $250 for barely anything and a game???? Be serious that’s being greedy at this point. Like
  23. [R90] Total Battle 3/5 · US Glad for lack of ads but impossible to play without microtransactions: Progress slows to a crawl once upgrades start taking half a day, and chapters require multiple tiers of upgrades. I don't even care about anything story or strategy related at all... But the progression is needed for the battles so it makes the game unplayable for days at a time unless you're buying ridiculous premium items. No
  24. [R61] Total Battle 1/5 · US terrible: this game is no fun because you want to constantly shoot as they show you as the example of the game but then as you play, it seems to jump to some other level of game about rebuilding a city which is totally boring and you cannot follow it and thus what you think you’re getting and what you’re getting are two different thing
  25. [R70] Total Battle 1/5 · US Not what you think: This is not a scrolling direct battle game. It is a world building clan battle game. A lot of of push a button and wait. A lot of weeks of nothing active from the player unless you spend money. Bait and switch
  26. [R73] Total Battle 1/5 · US Scam, avoid: Game doesn’t match the ads. Nowhere near as fun as the ads.
  27. [R81] Total Battle 3/5 · US Misleading advertising: While the game is fun, and offers this specific playing mode, it is very limited, and hasn’t been revisited since I started playing a few years ago. It is largely a pay to play game and is designed to make you heavily rely on paid resources to be competitive.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store