The Most Important Real-Time Strategy Game of All Time Just Got a Stunning New Expansion
An all-time classic gets even better.
When I was ten years old, I suddenly became obsessed with history because of two very specific video games — Age of Empires 2 and Dynasty Warriors 3. These very different games were both steeped in historical battles, and I couldn’t get enough. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the two would see crossover in any way, but here we are in 2025. The Three Kingdoms expansion for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is a thematically exciting idea, but even past that, it’s the single best expansion the game has seen to date — adding on three fantastic campaigns that fill a void overlooked by almost every other real-time strategy game in recent history. If you’ve been craving dynamic RTS campaigns, Three Kingdoms is a must-play.
If you’re unfamiliar with the idea of the Three Kingdoms, it was a period of time in ancient China (roughly 220-280 AD). During this time period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty, three separate kingdoms emerged and warred for control of China. This massive conflict was adapted in one of the most famous pieces of historical literature ever made — the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Three Kingdom’s maps add some fantastic color and visual flair.
The Three Kingdoms story has a wealth of characters and historical figures, but centrally features three main factions. The Shu lead the sandal maker-turned-warlord Liu Bei, the Wu led by Sun family and descendants of Sun Tzu, and the Wei led by the ruthless warlord Cao Cao.
For most of the Dynasty Warriors games, there’s been three campaigns centered around these factions, and the same idea applies in Age of Empires 2. On top of five new factions to play as, Three Kingdoms adds on three highly dynamic campaigns that weave together a single tale, and put a surprising emphasis on player choice.
Age of Empire’s biggest strength has long been its historical focus, and that’s still true here. The Three Kingdoms is a tremendously complex period of time, but the three campaigns manage to cut to the heart of what makes the story so compelling — the warrior personalities and ideologies of its leaders. Each campaign has a distinct flavor to it, Shu features a heroic man of the people trying to save the common folk, Wei is all about ruthless conquest, and Wu is a scrappy kingdom fighting for every scrap of power against those bigger.
It’s remarkable how different each campaign feels while still contributing to an overarching narrative, and the big reason for that is this is simply the best campaign design I’ve seen in the entire franchise, not just Age of Empires 2.
Three Kingdom’s story is told organically in missions and through lavish water-color cutscenes.
Like with Age of Mythology, there’s a dynamic feel to each scenario that provides completely unique objectives and strategies — all of which are based around historic battles. These lean into the different styles of each leader’s story. In the Battle of Changban, you help Liu Bei flee from Cao Cao’s army, fighting the clock while trying to save as many civilians as you can. In another mission you play as famous historical figure Cao Cao, sabotaging as many enemy facilities as you can before they invade with their full army.
The infamous battle of the Red Cliffs is also here — where Liu Bei and the Sun forces launched a surprise fire attack that changed the course of the conflict. That fire attack is, of course, a vital part of the mission, but you can choose whether to pursue it or not.
But what gives these campaigns an extra edge is a decision-making system that can change how the entire campaign plays out, and gives you some interesting elements that carry over between missions. In almost every mission you get the chance to make choices. Some of these are small but carry over for the whole campaign — traveling to a hidden temple in the mountains lets you start each mission with a free relic, or choosing between three different groups of soldiers will determine which upgrades you start with.
But there are larger decisions you can make as well. In one, Liu Bei allies briefly with Cao Cao, and you can send him villagers to get some useful bonuses to make the mission easier. However, if you don’t send villagers your people will trust you more, giving villagers a permanent +10 HP bonus. Another choice during Cao Cao’s campaign gives you the option to execute the fearsome warrior Guan Yu, meaning you don’t have to fight him later but you’ll incur the vengeful wrath of Liu Bei.
Three Kingdoms does a good job of making its campaigns feel “epic,” with progression elements and choices that are meaningful.
This choice system adds a phenomenal layer of intrigue to the campaign, along with real replayability. It’s the kind of dynamic design I’ve been desperate for from RTS campaigns since the days of StarCraft 2.
There are some smaller additional elements that helps this campaign stand out even further, like a major focus on heroes. Seemingly taking some inspiration from Dynasty Warriors itself, each hero is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, with a passive skill and active one that helps gives you even more strategic options. For example, Liu Bei heals any units in his immediate area, making him perfect for drawn-out battles where numbers are the key. Meanwhile, Cao Cao’s active ability boost all cavalry’s attack and defense, making him the lynchpin of hit-and-run mounted attacks.
Age of Empires 2 has long secured its place as one of the most important strategy games ever made, but over the last few years, World’s Edge and Forgotten Empires has utterly transformed the game into something that feels new and fresh. The second life this game has been given is truly remarkable, and nothing feels more emblematic of that than Three Kingdoms.
While this expansion obviously uses the foundations of a decades-old game, these campaigns manage to feel like some of the most inventive ones I’ve seen from RTS games in the last decade. And that’s on top of five new civilizations to play as, new visuals, and more.
In some ways, it feels like we’re in the midst of an RTS renaissance, and there’s some sweet irony in the fact that one of the genre’s defining titles is helping to leads its charge toward revitalization.
