Total War: ATTILA

very good game and with workshop will be endless one

This is the only game in my top 12 "games played by hours" that I haven't reviewed, and that's something of a travesty since this is one of the best Total War titles, even in the current era.

The standard Total War model is there - you have a strategic map where you build your pop centers and armies, and then move around your armies / nomad camps, and when you fight you go to a battle map where your two armies slug it out in real-time, RTS style, except without buildings on the map to provide reinforcements - the armies you bring to battle are all the forces you get for a battle (unless there is a reinforcement army nearby, and then it shows up after a couple of minutes of fighting).

This is probably the first Total War game to provide you with a ton of possible nations at game start and the selection can be pretty daunting. The nations are divided into types that give each nation an overarching playstyle - the Roman Empire nations (West and East) are trying to hold themselves together, the various types of barbarians (Goths, Huns, etc) are trying to invade it (and other stable nations), and the other stable nations (like Persia) are trying to do something of a combination of both. It works pretty well, it's fun to invade and pillage as a barbarian nation but it's also fun (even more so, for me) to try and hold the crumbling Empire together, which really is in a bad way at game start as you would expect. There are a fair number of late antiquity units to build your armies from at game start, and there are tech upgrade paths as well so you can build better buildings and hire better units as the game goes on.

A nice touch is how a few historical events fire over the course of the game, like the Little Ice Age, basically making everything worse and worse and making it even harder for the Empire to hold itself together (and giving the various barbarians extra incentives to conquer and pillage them).

Haven't played this extensively in a while but I still have nothing but fond memories of this game, years after my last difficult playthroughs. Strongly recommend.

A logical successor to Rome II and a more "classic" Total War compared to Three Kingdoms, Pharaoh, or Troy. While CA is off making who-knows-what, this game already has amazing mods that bring back the glory days of Medieval and Third Age (LOTR mod) — but with modern visuals.

The base game and DLCs feel average and uninspired, but the modding scene is where this title truly shines. If you’re buying Attila, buy it for the mods — not the vanilla campaign.

poorly optimised game, its like playing Star Citizen half the time, I love this fucking game too much

its a good game that doesnt deserve a load of hate it receives because it should be a rome 2 DLC. I think its good like this and encourage people to play

32 bits means that this game can maximum use 4 GB of your GPU. Impossible to play at 4K resolution. My favorite part of all total war games, buy now I can't play)

After watching YouTube videos, playing as the Saxon faction and "learning the ropes" Attila is extremely addictive.
My original review highlighted that this was unplayable due to constant crashing after I ended "my turn". I havemn't had crashes since playing as the Saxon faction.
This is a very good game. It def needs an update and the problems fixed. I have no idea why the devs release games then after a few years abandon them, Steam needs to address this major issue which is borderline product fraud IMHO. Ie, selling a product which the devs know is faulty but still flog it and just turn a blind eye. How hard would it be for the devs to put a couple of people on their older games to fix these? Be warned, the game is very good, a steep learning curve but has a tendency to crash out and has bugs. Other than that, buy it on sale only.

The game is not playable right now. Constant stuttering. Not sure what they did as it use to play just fine!

I loved Attila Total War the base game, but I would say the Mod 1212 AD would be the biggest selling point. Anyone who wanted Medieval 3 can experience it by playing the 1212 AD mod.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - "The Most Fun You'll Have Burning the World Down!"

Total War: Attila is like being handed the keys to a flaming chariot and told, "Go nuts!" Whether you're playing as Rome, desperately trying to keep your empire from collapsing like a house of cards, or as the Huns, galloping across Europe like an ancient biker gang, there's never a dull moment.

The battles are epic, the diplomacy is as backstabby as ever, and watching cities go up in flames never gets old (sorry, Constantinople). 10/10 would pillage again! 🔥🏇💀

I just installed this game again after two years of not playing. The game keeps crashing and freezing, and I have tried everything - new drivers, delete the cache (appdata), verify the game files, reinstalling and updating windows.

They dont have a support I can contact, just an useless guide, which does not work.

This game was fun, when I played it. But now its unplayable, and I would get a refund if i could.

unplayable, some sort of error with the way the game connects to your pc as all I get is freezing, then plays, then freezes etc. (nothing to do with my pc ability)

It's fun (and features some of the best mechanics in TW)


... but boy does it run like crap.

in 2025 still no UI upgrade for 4K, fix it please !

Best battles out of the historical Total War games. WRE campaign is super fun and challenging.

Grindy Mechanics, Boring, Ugly, & slow.

Coming from the older total wars, Shogun 2 is the last TW I have really enjoyed.

While I want to enjoy these newer ones because of the increased depth to the strategic aspects, I can't get over the changes to the building systems and new the new political system. The battles themselves are just okay, although Attila has vastly improved over Rome 2, and you no longer have generals that can single handily take on garrisons.

Nothing is more frustrating to me than trying to figure out the building system(I just ignore the political system lol). There are limits to the amount of buildings in a settlement like in Shogun 2. But while in Shogun 2 it was simple to understand and almost immediately clear as to what to build, in these Rome 2 type games, its very confusing. For example while in Shogun 2 you had clear building paths, in this game there is wildly different buildings even in the same building tree. A cultural building that starts as offering public order bonuses might upgrade into an economic building with public order penalties. Crucially, farms are no longer a separate building chain but a choice you have to make from every other building.

Add to the fact that these buildings are locked behind techs, different factions, money and turns to build, and region differences, properly diversifying your provinces is an incredibly daunting task. There is an in-game building browser which is quite competent, but regardless I just want to hop in the game and be competent without having to read a book like I was able to in TW games up-to Shogun 2.

The way I see it, while the public order, sanitation and politics systems aren't terrible, they are to me just a very annoying learning curve hurdle to get to parts of the game that are enjoyable. There isn't any fun in finding out building order metas, or uncovering the secrets to the political system I wish I could turn off, the fun is in having access to the money and late game units to toy around with in the sandbox.

After maybe another 30 hours ill have figured this stuff out and will have loads of fun, but right now its just incredibly annoying.

I have not played the game, tried installing on multiple computers, no info online. Scam

TLDR: I cannot recommend a broken game. CA needs to fix this, but most likely will not.

Another one of Creative Assemblies fumbles. Attila is one of my favorite total war titles in general. Combat is smooth, the setting is awesome and the scale is perfect. Other than that it falls short. Optimization DOES NOT EXIST, and patches stopped years ago (THAT MATTER, Removing chat but not fixing anything in the last patch....) Do not buy this game unless you are a Total War Vet/ Love the time period/ Want the best historical platform since Med 2. It may not even run for you at all just because of your hard ware OR software. Frustating, even the mod community has a tough time fixing these bugs due to lack of tools. CA release another version like rome 2, but I wouldnt hold my breath.

God this game runs like fucking ass on my laptop which is literally the best money can buy, what a peice of shit the total war series has turned into

Worst optimization in Total War History lags fps drops crashes 10 years old game and no fixes yet shame on you guys

I downloaded the game to play the Dawnless days mod but while expirimenting with game mechanics I realized that it has so much potential and a loving community and that you should play it if you havent already

Total War: ATTILA is to ROME 2 what Barbarian Invasion was to Rome 1. Highly recommend this to anyone as many of the ground-breaking mods use this game as its base. You'll find mods like 1212AD, Dawnless Days, Game of Thrones, Fireforged Empire, Age of Justinian, and Anno Domini. If you're bored and want something new, then this is the game for you.

Terribly optimized and not working well.

Unplayably laggy, I get time in which it runs ok, but most of the time I have to kill the process.
(Ryzen 9 5900X, Nvidia 2070S, 32GB RAM, installed on SSD)

love the end of the world doomsday setting
some of the best siege battles in the series
charlemagne campaign is nice
worth it

crashes, lags glitches. game is a mess

I like that you have both missions & base building. The different bio-domes makes every run through feel different. Also working in a group on horde night for shared experience is such a game helper it's insane.

Great game I played thrones of Britannia first so that is my favorite, but this one and EMPIRE are are perfect games as well excellent games well done.

Currently the game is a slide show. Freezes every couple seconds. Both as in its vanilla and modded forms.
My PC is not weak by any measure. I'm able to run Cyberpunk almost maxed out but this game barely functions.
Its really dependent upon CA to update this game to fix the current optimization issues that make it unplayable. Just several seconds into a campaign the freezing starts.

For reference I'm running:
-i7 12th gen at 3.25 GHz (water cooled)
-3080 TI 12 GB DDR6 (water cooled)
-64 GB DDR5 RAM
- game is installed on an SSD

As is the common trend with CA they rush development of a game and abandon it all too soon. That is what happened to this that even when coming back years later still find features missing such as UI scaling.

GAME UNPLAYABLE IN CURRENT STATE

Regardless if you have mods or no mods, the current state of Attila is unable to be completely processed anymore and has frequent and disastrous game freezes and odd rubber-banding (no idea how).

While PHYSICALLY you're able to load in you're still in for 90% waiting on a frozen screen and 10% actually playing.

I really love trying to preserve and rebuild a crumbling empire against an overwhelmingly powerful onslaught. It's so much fun!

This is the BEST Total War release that I almost completely ignored for 9 years after purchasing. The timing of the launch directly after Rome 2, marketing prevarications around compatibility issues meant most people could not make the game work even if they tried.

Now, after 500 hours in game - this is why Attila is the first game to try in the series:

- Success is almost completely dependant on skill. If you learn the mechanics and units, there is always a way to survive the apocalypse. These mechanics mimic the real challenges and solutions a countries' leader would face very well too. Sometimes you have to cut off an arm to save the patient, migrate to better lands, morale is a significant deciding factor.

- This game nails immersion. There are civilians running around the besieged city that your soldiers will stab, also in towns during field battles, your decisions will prompt interesting traits for governors and generals, the unit design is both historical, detailed, and varied across the map (although if you spend too much time around Germania/England, Creative Assembly was not too creative about how to make those factions feel distinctive).

- Surviving and defeating the Huns will affect the majority of the macro strategy for most factions. It is so rewarding if you can learn the game well enough to survive and defeat them. Sadly this was a total missed opportunity with the Sea Peoples in Total War Pharaoh Dynasties.

- Now after a decade of hardware improvements, this game runs well on most devices and you can truly make it look better than most modern releases with max settings and the extensive list of mods that improve graphics and combat animation.

Here are some great choices to write your chapter of history:

1. Succeed the failing Roman Empire as the Ostrogoths using your own AND Roman units. Hold the border with the Huns while expanding elsewhere and adopting a failed but wealthy empire.
2. (Hardest) try to hold on to as much as the crumbling Western Empire as possible and change history by surviving.
3. (Easiest) become a global trade superpower as the economically well-endowed Eastern Roman Empire. This gives you plenty of money for their sexy unit roster.
4. Take Egypt and the Holy Land as the emerging Himyar to create novo-Persian trade superpower in the Mediterranean. Yes, their elite units wear golden masks this is very important.
5. If you are an expert at keeping fighting family members together to preserve a powerful dynasty, play the Sassanids. They also have one of the most fun unit rosters.

You will have an exceptional experience with this game if you enter with the following expectations: learn to accept loss to survive sometimes, focus on mismatches and morale to beat armies 3x your size, and give it some time to grow on you. This game prepares you for how to deal with any coming collapse of empires pretty well.

An amazing game to get into and play. I have logged almost 500 hours into this game and soon I will be playing again for another campaign. It's one of those games that keep you in and wanting more, ranging from building your faction to being able to fight every battle and win against all odds. I would recommend this game to anyone.

I like the apocalyptic feel and that you actually have to struggle to survive.

It is the most detailed historic Total War, and a blast to play once you've gotten used to it.

A game for those who seek enjoyment through punishment. Mods are fun though.

the last great total war game before the klan (warhammer fans) infested everything

I only use this garbage game for LOTR mods. Make a LOTR Total War. Stop being gay and retarded Creative Assembly.

Total War: Attila gives me those vibes of surviving Armageddon against the last riders of the Apocalypse. Everything feels dirty; everything feels beaten up; everything feels desperate and weary. Very unique in the regard and gives me a lot of reason to comeback again and again.

Creative Assembly’s Total War: Attila (2015) stands as a brutal, often punishing strategy game that immerses players in the twilight of the Roman Empire. Unlike its predecessor, Rome II, Attila embraces a more apocalyptic tone, emphasizing destruction, migration, and survival mechanics that push both players and AI factions into constant turmoil. It delivers a gripping, if sometimes overwhelming, experience that thrives on chaos and resilience.

The game’s greatest strengths lie in its dynamic systems—scorched earth tactics, a reworked family tree, and the devastatingly unpredictable Huns. However, despite its depth, Attila suffers from occasional performance issues and Creative Assembly’s limited post-launch support. This is where the true heroes of Attila step in: the modding community.

The 1212 AD Mod – A Masterpiece of Dedication
If Attila is a solid foundation, the 1212 AD mod is the grand cathedral built upon it. Transforming the game into a late medieval epic, 1212 AD doesn’t just introduce new units and factions—it reworks mechanics, enhances visuals, and deepens gameplay to an extent that rivals full-fledged expansions. The mod offers a historically rich sandbox, breathing new life into the medieval period with its extensive faction roster, intricate economy, and overhauled battle dynamics.

More than just a mod, 1212 AD is a testament to what passionate developers—many of whom learned coding, scripting, and balancing along the way—can achieve. Whether fixing AI behaviors, refining diplomacy, or balancing mechanics via Lua scripting, the community-driven effort behind 1212 AD proves that Attila’s true potential lies in the hands of its players.

Final Verdict
Total War: Attila is a brutal, uncompromising strategy game with a vision that, while ambitious, was never fully realized by Creative Assembly. However, the modding community—especially the creators of 1212 AD—has turned it into a masterpiece of medieval warfare. If you own Attila and haven’t tried 1212 AD, you’re missing out on one of the finest Total War experiences ever crafted.

⭐ Base Game: 8/10 – Innovative but flawed
⭐ With 1212 AD Mod: 10/10 – A true medieval strategy masterpiece

units stutter like crazy unplayable

Fine Strategy games which give challenges and many route to create alter-history.

Welcome to the dark world of a collapsing empire. It's very difficult, only play if you hate yourself. This game may be brought up in divorce proceedings.

I just want to know what’s wrong with these million dollar companies leaving games in unfinished states. It’s absolutely impossible to enjoy this game because every action you do gives your characters a bad trait, including but not limited to garrisoning, recruiting, moving, governing and so on. Your characters all wind up useless after a couple turns and that’s if they’re not already born misshapen coward bad administrators. There is literally nothing you can do to stop this. 0 immersion. For once I would like to have a character with 0 negative traits or even just normal ones, it’s always the worst traits on my family members. You get traits like inbred even if you marry from a different country. The entire RPG aspect of this game is broken so if that’s why you want to buy it, don’t.

The campaign accurately recreates the experience a young English girl has with Pakistani immigrants

Great graphics and easy to start playing, but prefer the simplicity of Rome, Napoleon and Medieval Total War 2.

Very good game but for some reason it doesn't show the launcher when i launch in the game it just launches the game and because of that i cant play with mods. Can anyone help?? (i play on linux)

So far the best game in the Total War series. The replayability of the campaign is insane
10/10