Crusader Kings III Reviews

Crusader Kings III is ranked in the 99th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

They all laughed, except for the king; choking on his food, he had lost his voice

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9 / 10
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III remains as inscrutable as its ancestor. But it is a whole new brand of fun, folly, and misery.

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Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III is all about the dynasty you’ve built, and the legacy you leave behind for a future of fame, fortune, and family in an ever-unfolding drama that’s brought unto you, or what you create for yourself. There’s a chasm-wide cast of characters to play as from real royal families from hundreds of countries, many of which you’ll want to see them through. Whether a new or returning player, hours will pass like minutes, and you’ll realize the game has a hook on you that you won’t want to remove. This is grand strategy at its finest, and Crusader Kings III is an immensely replayable, unscripted narrative masterpiece.

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9 / 10
Aug 31, 2020

Successfully modernises the medieval strategy series, preserving much of what's good and adding some interesting new ideas. While it still needs to iron out a few details, it's a worthy successor to the series' august crown.

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Luke Plunkett
Top Critic
Unscored
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III may begin in what we used to call the Dark Ages, but it’s a Renaissance for strategy gaming in 2020.

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TJ Denzer
Top Critic
9 / 10
Aug 31, 2020

All things considered, Crusader Kings 3 is perhaps one of the most immersive and flexible strategy games ever put together.

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T.J. Hafer
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader King 3 takes the throne as the new king of historical strategy by expanding on and deepening the best parts of what made its predecessor memorable and unique.

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94 / 100
Aug 31, 2020

The stuff that made Crusader Kings 2 so enduring has been pushed to the front even more, while some of the bloat that accumulated over the better part of a decade has been chipped away. It's a very sensible sequel.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Without many words, Crusader Kings III is one of the best Paradox Interactive grand strategy games to date.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III is an excellent kingdom management game, more intimate but no less intricate than the likes of Civilisation VI, it's as unforgiving a simulation as you're going to find while still being more fun than you'd expect it to be.

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Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III's near perfect marriage of robust grand strategy with compelling roleplaying means both fans of wargames and storytelling aficionados will find something to love in its medieval world of politics and intrigue, whether that's crunching numbers to efficiently conquer the known world, or rolling with the punches as they scheme their way into the annals of history.

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Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings 3 is a fantastic entry in Paradox's historically-rooted strategy series. New RPG elements help to create a more engrossing character-driven experience, while lots of quality-of-life improvements make it more accessible and digestible to both Crusader Kings veterans and newcomers. There are still a couple of issues, such as as inconsistent AI-controlled allied armies, but this is still nonetheless one of the absolute best strategy games you can currently buy.

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Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings 3 takes the massively-popular formula of its predecessor and distills it into a much more accessible and attractive package. The drama is even better, the plots sneakier, and it’s a game you can play for hundreds of hours without getting tired of it.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III pulls off a difficult dual victory, bringing a new level of depth, charm, and polish to the franchise, while also making it far more approachable than before. Some aspects of Crusader Kings III still aren't as user-friendly as they could be, but overall, this is a worthy heir to the throne.

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10 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Every detail of Crusader Kings III feels like the perfect evolution of the series.

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8 / 10
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings 3 is an intricate story-telling device weaving countless threads as long as you have the will to keep it spinning.

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9.5 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

I might have mentioned that Crusader Kings 2 was one of my favorite games. All I really want out of a game - any game - is to lose myself in a good story. Crusader Kings gives me that, fresh, every time I sit down to play. Crusader Kings 3 is at the start of its own story - I'm estimating we're going to see around 300 DLCs for this beast before it's all said and done - and already through its clarity of interface and intelligent design decisions I can see years of amazing "OH MY GOD, you'll never guess what happened in CK3" moments clogging up Felix's email inbox as I continue on my own journey with this wonderful, wonderful game.

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9 / 10
Aug 31, 2020

The best way to think of Crusader Kings 3 as a sequel is in terms of its own dynastic gameplay. Sure, Paradox have started from scratch with a new game, but it's still full of scheming, warring amidst an impressive breadth of cultures and religions. Crusader Kings 3 is an heir that has been born from Crusader Kings 2 and its many expansions, including and improving on so much of what made that game great, but it can still grow and improve in its own right.

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Unscored
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings III is a truly great sequel; a fascinatingly deep and rewarding game with options to make it easier than ever for newcomers to get acquainted.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2020

Crusader Kings 3 is a compelling strategy game that deserves to be played. Paradox Development Studios outdid themselves on this one.

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