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

Total War vs Rise of Castles

Total War 4.9★ · $14.99 70
Winner Total War
Rise of Castles 4.2★ · Free + IAP 45

Total War is the better choice for a classic strategy experience, despite its technical issues, while Rise of Castles is a pay-to-win mobile game that requires significant financial investment to progress.

Full reviews: Total War · Rise of Castles

Total War offers a rich, classic strategy game experience with deep gameplay, but is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs on mobile. Rise of Castles is a free-to-play mobile strategy game that many users describe as heavily pay-to-win, requiring substantial spending to be competitive.

Head to head

Features and Gameplay edge: Total WarR2R5R8R11
Total War Total War is praised for its deep strategy, large battles, and extensive factions, offering a faithful port of the PC classic R2R8. Users appreciate the complex strategy and world-building R8. However, some find the campaign sluggish and combat annoying, with soldiers not following commands . There are requests for mod support to increase replayability R5R11 and multiplayer options . Some users also noted a lack of unit variation and issues with AI diplomacy .
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles is described as an addictive strategy game where players can progress at their own pace R98. However, many users feel the game is repetitive and lacks originality, with ads often misrepresenting the actual gameplay . There are complaints about the game becoming a 'money pit' and 'pay to win' R73. Users also mention issues with resource gathering slowing down significantly at higher levels R75 and the game requiring a lot of time and money to be competitive .
Ease of Use and Performance edge: Total WarR1R3R4R6
Total War Total War struggles significantly with performance and stability, with numerous reports of crashing, especially during large battles or after updates R1R3R4R6. Users on newer devices like the iPad Pro M4 and iPhone 17 Pro Max experience launch issues and crashes . The interface is described as horrible and difficult to operate for a mobile game . Some users also report specific bugs like archers charging instead of shooting R26, cavalry not charging R15, and hotseat mode issues . There are also complaints about lack of controller support and optimization issues for newer iPhones .
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles also has performance issues, with users reporting frequent crashes and the game freezing . Some users experience problems with in-game updates not downloading and the game consuming a significant amount of storage . Glitches are common, such as inability to connect roads or tap on tiles . However, some users find the graphics and gameplay enjoyable .
Price and Value edge: Total WarR7R8R15R28
Total War Total War is a paid app at $14.99, with additional costs for DLC, which some users feel is excessive for an older game that includes all DLC on PC R7R8R15R28. Some users believe the game is worth the price for the strategy and big battles R8, while others feel it's a 'waste' to pay more for content R7. The pricing structure for DLC is a significant point of contention R28.
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles is free to download but heavily criticized for its 'pay-to-win' model R73. Many users state that significant spending, sometimes thousands of dollars per month, is necessary to be competitive or even progress effectively R73. Free-to-play users report being left behind or becoming 'farms' for larger castles R73R75. Some users acknowledge it's possible to play without spending but requires immense patience R80R98.
Support and Community tieR15R26R34R37
Total War Total War reviews do not frequently mention direct customer support, but issues like lack of sound R34, language support R37, and specific bugs R15R26 suggest a need for developer attention. The game's age and the nature of it being a port might contribute to less active direct support for mobile-specific issues.
Rise of Castles Rise of Castles receives strong criticism for its customer service, with users reporting unresponsiveness, issues being closed without resolution, and developers not caring . Players also report difficulties retrieving bound accounts after switching phones and problems contacting support outside the game . The community aspect is mixed; some users enjoy making friends , but others report being targeted by scammers within alliances and experiencing racism due to country flags .
Pick Total War if

You are a fan of classic PC strategy games, value deep gameplay over perfect mobile optimization, and are willing to tolerate occasional crashes and bugs for a rich experience.

Pick Rise of Castles if

You enjoy free-to-play mobile strategy games, are prepared to spend significant money to be competitive, or are content with slow progression as a non-paying player.

Evidence note: Total War's reviews are heavily skewed towards technical issues and bugs, making it difficult to assess its core gameplay value for new users without prior experience with the PC version. Rise of Castles' reviews are overwhelmingly focused on its 'pay-to-win' monetization model.

Frequently asked

Is Total War worth the $14.99 price tag?
Total War is considered by many to be worth its $14.99 price for the deep strategy and large battles it offers, providing a faithful port of the PC classic, though some users express frustration over additional costs for DLC R8R28.
Can I play Rise of Castles without spending money?
Yes, you can play Rise of Castles without spending money, but many users report that progression will be very slow and you will struggle to be competitive against paying players, often becoming a 'farm' for larger castles R73R75R80R98.
Do either of these games have significant technical issues?
Both games have significant technical issues; Total War is frequently reported to crash, especially during large battles or after updates, and has interface problems R1R3R4R10, while Rise of Castles also experiences frequent crashes, freezing, and in-game update problems .

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. [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
  6. [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
  7. [R4] Total War 1/5 · US Crash: Crashes randomly all the time, latest iphone & ios
  8. [R6] Total War 3/5 · US Keep crashing: Keep crashing since the new update can’t spam cheat no more
  9. [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!
  10. [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
  11. [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
  12. [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
  13. [R34] Total War 1/5 · US No sound: I would love to play this game, but there’s just no sound. My volume is all the way up, everything else on my phone has sound, the volume settings in the game or all the way up, but no sound can be heard.
  14. [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
  15. [R73] Rise of Castles 1/5 · US 5 years wasted time: Loved at first but became money pit. Played many years, what others are saying is true, you don’t spend, you’re left in the dust. I finally woke up and sucked up the money lost and deleted my accounts..
  16. [R75] Rise of Castles 3/5 · US Honest Review-To Play or Not: After several months playing, here’s the reality: I’ve played free to castle level 20. Material gathering slows to a crawl now, as millions of materials are needed to progress. You are limited to 4 army/gatherers, and they don’t harvest fast. You easily have the ability to shield your base - provided you log on every 8-24 hours to reset the shield, which come i
  17. [R80] Rise of Castles 4/5 · US Weird reviews, good game: All the Reviews say it’s ONLY pay to win but it is very possible to play the game without spending anything. all you need is patience and a brain and I have made it very far doing just that. I do think that the developers made it too easy to progress by spending money but you don’t need to. In all I think it’s a step below an amazing game but still good if you have time t
  18. [R98] Rise of Castles 5/5 · US Addicted to this game: I am not a spender and love playing this game. Granted it takes longer to accomplish your goals but I stil get a lot of satisfaction when I reach an objective. I have been playing for about 3 years and have multiple castles and have reached level c31. This game is what you make of it. If you cry and whine about what others are doing, this game is probably not for you.
  19. [R10] Total War 1/5 · US Keeps crashing: Most the time it just stays on the opening screen and will not let you click anything.

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