Summary
- Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord offers vast open-world gameplay and strategic control, rewarding players with deep sandbox progression.
- Crusader Kings 3 transforms medieval politics into a multi-generational narrative full of unpredictability and emergent storytelling.
- Chivalry 2 delivers intense sword-fighting in large-scale battles, blending gore with nuanced gameplay and rewarding strategy.
Video games have something for everyone, whether the player is looking to fly a spaceship across dozens of planets or set up camp in a barren wasteland. Medieval games have been popular for a long time now, and part of the draw comes from the ability to create a world and immerse oneself in a past that is both accurate and faithful to reality.
Some titles offer expansive open worlds full of quests and villages to discover. Others opt for a more strategic approach, letting players flesh out their kingdom in real-time. Whatever the style, the medieval genre has virtually no limits. There are more than a few incredible games that lean heavily into the fun factor, whilst still keeping all the historical flair intact.
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8 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Lead An Army To Shape A Living Medieval World
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
- Released
- October 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- TaleWorlds Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Few medieval games offer the same level of scope and freedom as Bannerlord. Whether commanding hundreds of troops in real-time battles or navigating complex political alliances, players are given so much control over how their story unfolds in the world around them. From a small village to a raging empire, the sandbox progression is deep and open-ended, offering lots of replay value and reward in every session.
The fun lies in the sheer variety that is afforded to the player. Every aspect of the management system, from trading to war, is entirely in the player's hands, and the world has a dynamic evolution that continues to push forward, forcing the player to adapt. It's hard to find another game that gives the same level of joy when succeeding in a large-scale war and creating the perfect civilization.
7 Crusader Kings 3
Dynasty-Building In Its Purest Form
Crusader Kings 3
- Released
- September 1, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teens: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Grand Strategy
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Crusader Kings 3 transforms medieval politics into a controllable narrative that spans more than one generation. It’s not just about winning wars, but about navigating the treacherous waters of legacy, faith, and betrayal. Players rule dynasties across centuries, shaping the fate of empires through marriage alliances and religious conversions, all while fending off ruthless enemies and evil political schemes.
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What makes the game so engaging is how unpredictable it is. A trusted heir might turn on the player, or a court jester may become a powerful foe that wreaks havoc from within the castle walls. With its deep simulation systems and emergent storytelling, no two campaigns feel the same. The game is strategy at its most personal and dramatic. It's less about micromanagement, and more about shaping history through long bloodlines through both good and evil.
6 Dark And Darker
Extraction Shooter Meets Spells And Swords
Dark and Darker
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Violence
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ironmace
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, First-Person, RPG
Extraction shooters have become quite the phenomenon recently, and it was only a matter of time before the guns got stripped away and were replaced with more primitive tools. Dark and Darker sees players diving into a dungeon full of loot and enemies, with the one goal of gearing up and getting out alive with whatever resources they can find along the way.
Like any extraction game, other players become a constant threat in the dark corridors underground. The fight becomes a battle against the environment as much as against the rival swordsmen looking to make a name for themselves. The tension and fun come from the desire to go deeper, paralleled by the risk of dying. One wrong move could spell the end for the player and their hard-earned loot, but one extra room could give them treasures beyond their wildest dreams.
5 Chivalry 2
Sword Fighting Never Felt So Good
Chivalry 2
- Released
- June 8, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Torn Banner Studios
- Genre(s)
- Hack and Slash, Action
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Chivalry 2 is everything a sequel should be and so much more. It offers large-scale cinematic fights that can take hours to end, intense 1v1 duals that require skill and mastery, and an over-the-top level of brutality that is hard to find anywhere else. Put everything together, and the result is a hilarious, thrilling brawler that demands careful timing and strategy in a battleground full of chaos and destruction.
Every match feels like a scene straight out of a movie, and the amount of detail in the combat is both gory and funny at the same time, with limb chopping and catapulting of players. But underneath all the bloodshed and aggression lies a surprisingly nuanced gameplay system that rewards good players and punishes mistakes severely.
4 Thronefall
Minimalist Strategy Meets Intense Tower Defense Action
Thronefall
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- GrizzlyGames
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, City Builder
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Thronefall strips strategy down to its most addictive core. Players build small settlements during the day, then defend them from waves of enemies at night. The game features simple mechanics, clean visuals, and a tight gameplay loop that makes it easy to pick up and hard to put down. The art style is quite stunning, and the lack of high graphical fidelity makes it perfect for Steam Deck users and gamers on lower-end systems that still want all the medieval fun.
What makes it so enjoyable is how streamlined it is. There are no long-winded tech trees or micromanagement — players just build, fight, and adapt. Each map presents a puzzle of how best to spend limited resources, and every successful defense fills the player with a sense of accomplishment and joy. With new levels and mechanics still rolling out, Thronefall is the perfect choice for a bite-sized medieval strategy experience.
3 Besiege
Build Wild Medieval War Machines And Let Physics Take The Wheel
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Developers: Spiderling Studios, Ultimate Games SA
- Release date: January 28, 2015
- Genres: Simulation, Action, Strategy, Puzzle
Besiege is an incredible game that leans less into realism and more into absurdity. Tasked with creating increasingly elaborate war machines to wreak havoc on a series of levels, players are invited to use all their creative juices to build the most complex or simplistic structures they can think of, with varying degrees of success with each test.
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The appeal lies in the experimentation aspect, with each stage posing a new challenge that needs to be thought through with care and precision, in a similar way to a real-life engineer. Players are rewarded for embracing the chaos. Each failure brings with it new knowledge regarding enemy types and how best to tackle the range of problems that the game throws their way.
2 Manor Lords
Tactical Warfare In A Grounded Medieval Sim
Manor Lords
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, City Builder
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Manor Lords combines the intricate resource management of a city-builder with the large-scale tactics of a real-time strategy game. Set in a historically inspired medieval world, players develop full-scale towns that involve managing supply chains and leading troops into battle, all with a stunning level of realism.
Its fun stems from how grounded everything feels. Buildings aren’t placed arbitrarily, but rather grow organically based on terrain and trade routes. Battles aren’t chaotic skirmishes; instead, they require planning, morale management, and real strategic formations to be successful. With its blend of strategy, authenticity, and aesthetics, the game offers an immersive medieval experience where every peasant and soldier matters.
1 Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Authenticity Like Nothing You've Seen Before
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Released
- February 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
A direct sequel to one of the most ambitious historical RPGs ever made, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 promises a continuation of the slow-burning, story-rich journey of Henry, a blacksmith’s son turned unlikely hero. Set in 15th-century Bohemia, it focuses on realism and pushes every aspect of in-game life to its limits, from skill management to consequence-based character building.
Unlike most medieval games, Deliverance 2 avoids fantasy entirely. Swordplay is grounded, and dialogue choices have a real impact, with the world reacting to how the player dresses, fights, and behaves. It’s a game about living in the period and not just dominating it through large-scale conflicts. With improved combat, expanded regions, and deeper narrative branches, the sequel demonstrates a level of immersion and complexity that even the original can't compete with.
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