Strategy
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition
Give it 5 hours
Gets good by 5h then rated almost like by veterans
Fully opens up by 20h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 24% of players who started
Started playing 75% of owners
Steam reviews 91% positive of 38,278
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 3 reviews are negative (37%); after 20h it's 1 in 14 (7%).
- Fully opens up by hour 20.
- 24% of players who start reach the ending.
- Most players drop off before “American Hero”: only 24% of starters get there.
- 75% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 38,337 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 297 reviews: 69.1h for positive, 62.6h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (75.4% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- American Hero Complete the Road to Independence campaigns freeing the American colonists from British rule! Most players quit here 24% −76
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (30)
story milestone ending side
- Founding Father Take one region by conquest, somewhere in the world. 100%
- Expansionist Power Capture ten regions, anywhere in the world. 71%
- A New Rome Demonstrate outstanding ability, and capture one hundred regions. 33%
- American Hero Complete the Road to Independence campaigns freeing the American colonists from British rule! 24%
- Raw Recruit War sir, is a terrifying experience! Take part in a multiplayer battle. 24%
- Master of the Americas Conquer or control all the provinces and regions in the Americas at the same time. 22%
- Bloody Madman Carve a bloody path to victory: kill a hundred thousand enemies! 20%
- Polymath Have your natural philosophers and scientists research all the technologies available to your nation. 18%
- Maharajah of the Indies Have mastery over all the provinces and regions in India at the same time. 18%
- Assassin! Use your assassins to kill, in unlooked-for fashion, twenty men who hinder your plans. 16%
- Veteran Strategist Complete the main campaign game on the medium difficulty setting. 12%
- Whiff of Grapeshot Gain some experience of combat: complete one ranked battle. 11%
- Accomplished Strategist Complete the main campaign game on the easy difficulty setting. 9.3%
- Only Obeying Orders Ensure that thirty missions, regardless of detail or type, are successfully brought to a conclusion. 9.2%
- The Efforts of Others Successfully steal five technologies researched by other nations. 9.2%
- Blooded Demonstrate your sense of duty and honour: complete ten multi-player battles. 8.0%
- Emperor of Europe Subdue and hold all the provinces and regions in Europe at the same time. 7.8%
- Perfidious Beast Use treachery to best effect by turning against at least five allied nations and attacking them. 7.4%
- Drumbeat to Victory Draw the sword and march onwards: complete one quick battle. 6.8%
- Affairs of Honour Use your duellists to kill twenty men on the "field of honour" 4.8%
- l337 Guard Achieve victory in ten multiplayer battles, cutting a bloody path to greatness through your enemies' plans. 4.4%
- Grand Tactician Win ten classic multi-player battles. 3.4%
- Tyrant and Ogre Bring terror to the hearts of men: kill half a million enemies! 3.3%
- Strategic Genius Complete the main campaign game on the hard difficulty setting. 1.7%
- Conqueror of All Be hailed as a true conqueror: kill a million enemies! 1.5%
- Marshal's Baton Achieve victory in fifty multiplayer battles, dashing your enemies' hopes in pieces in the process! 1.3%
- Command of the Ocean As a commanding admiral, win ten multi-player naval battles. 1.2%
- Observe Diplomatic Niceties Use diplomatic threats to good effect by making gains from five separate negotiations. 1.1%
- Into the Breach! Attack! Attack! Attack! Win ten multi-player siege battles when commanding a besieging army. 0.8%
- The "Chevaux de Frise" Defend, sir, defend! Win ten multi-player siege battles when commanding the defenders of a fortress. 0.8%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-18.