In the years since, the game has frequently been referred to by critics as one of the greatest video games of all time. Upon release, the game received widespread acclaim from critics. On the battlefield, the player controls groups of soldiers and uses them to engage in combat with enemy forces. Within the campaign, players manage the economy, government, diplomacy, and military of their faction and attempt to accomplish a series of objectives on a map that encompasses most of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Gameplay is split between real-time tactical battles and a turn-based strategic campaign.
The player initially assumes control of one of three Roman families other non-Roman factions can be unlocked later. The game's main campaign takes place from 270 BC to 14 AD showcasing the rise and final centuries of the Republican period and the early decades of the imperial period of Ancient Rome. The game is the third title in The Creative Assembly's Total War series. The macOS version was released on Februby Feral Interactive, who also released the iPad version on November 10, 2016, the iPhone version on August 23, 2018, and the Android version on December 19, 2018.
The game was released for Microsoft Windows in 2004. Rome: Total War is a strategy video game developed by The Creative Assembly and originally published by Activision its publishing rights have since passed to Sega.
