Comparison

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 vs Total War™

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3

Build and manage your dream theme park in this classic PC strategy simulation, now on mobile. Design thrilling rides, keep guests happy, and explore five unique themes in stunning 3D. Enjoy the full depth of the original game with no in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Create ultimate theme park in 3D
  • Sandbox mode for free building
  • 18 original PC scenarios
  • Guest happiness management
  • Five distinct park themes
  • Controllable cameras and Coaster Cam
Features
Read full description

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 (RCT3) is the classic bestselling PC strategy simulation that now brings the fun of a roller coaster park right to your iPhone or iPad! With a new mobile-friendly UI, the creativity, depth and sophistication of the classic PC game is all here - with NO in-app purchases. ·         Create your ultimate theme park in stunning 3D! ·         Let your imagination run free in Sandbox mode. ·         Play through all 18 scenarios from the original PC game. ·         Watch your guests react to your park as you try to make them happy. ·         Happy guests earn you more in-game money to build out your parks even more. ·         Design your parks using 5 fun themes: Generic, Spooky, Western, Adventure and Sci-fi. ·         See every spine tingling detail with fully controllable cameras.  ·         Grab a front seat for the ride of your life with the jaw-dropping Coaster Cam.  ·         Cope with challenging objectives, changing weather patterns and enjoy beautiful vistas, sunsets, moonlight, and more.​​

About

Total War™

Lead a global empire in the 18th century, managing turn-based strategy and engaging in real-time battles. Conquer territories, master gunpowder warfare, and dominate naval conflicts. Develop new technologies and forge your nation into a superpower.

Highlights
  • Grand turn-based strategy
  • Real-time 3D battles
  • Global conquest
  • Naval combat
  • Technology development
  • Intuitive touchscreen controls
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

READ BEFORE BUYING: Please expand this description and read the full list of supported devices below to confirm that your device is supported. EMPIRE brings Total War’s real-time battles and grand turn-based strategy into the 18th-century age of exploration and conquest. Lead great powers in a race for dominance — from Europe to India and the Americas. Command vast fleets and armies in an era of rapid scientific advances, global conflict and momentous political change. This is the complete Total War: EMPIRE desktop experience, expertly adapted for iPhone and iPad, with redesigned user interfaces and extensive quality-of-life improvements. LEAD THE NATION Grow one of eleven factions into a military and economic superpower. DOMINATE THE BATTLEFIELD Master gunpowder warfare in seismic 3D battles decided by tactical genius and technological superiority. RULE THE WAVES Outmanoeuvre rivals in spectacular sea battles — where wind direction, cunning and a well-timed broadside can prove decisive. MASTER THE GLOBE Use statecraft and subterfuge to secure territory and lucrative trade routes. SEIZE THE FUTURE Develop new technologies to power industrial expansion and military prowess. COMMAND THE ACTION Forge your empire with intuitive touchscreen controls, or any iPadOS-compatible mouse & keyboard. === ‘A NEW WORLD’ NOW AVAILABLE Available via in-app purchase, this massive expansion unlocks: • 44 PLAYABLE FACTIONS: Lead all non-rebel factions in the Grand Campaign, from Greece and Gran Colombia to Mexico and the Mamelukes. • 2 NEW CAMPAIGNS: The Late Start Campaign brings EMPIRE’s global map into 1783, where technologically advanced empires fight to retain their distant colonies. In the Warpath Campaign, lead one of five Native American factions on a detailed, tightly focused map of the Americas. • 14 NAVAL UNITS: Enhances late-game naval combat with variants on existing vessels and favourites from Total War: NAPOLEON, including the giant 140-gun Santísima Trinidad. === We recommend playing Total War: EMPIRE on iOS 17 or later. You need 12GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone XR and later • iPhone SE - 2nd Generation (2020) and later Supported iPads: • iPad - 7th Generation (2019) and later • iPad mini - 5th Generation (2019) and later • iPad Air - 3rd Generation (2019) and later • iPad Pro - 2nd Generation (2017) and later • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com © 2009–2025 The Creative Assembly Limited. Originally developed by The Creative Assembly Limited. Originally published by SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War, Total War: EMPIRE and the Total War logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive Ltd. iOS and the iOS logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 34 screens
Total War™4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 at $4.99 against Total War™'s $19.99. RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 17.0). Total War™'s advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (78% vs 58%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 costs $4.99 and Total War™ $19.99 up front. Total War™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Total War™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.7K and 3.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3's written reviews are positive against 78% of Total War™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 ships an update every 3 weeks, Total War™ every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 versus Total War™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRollerCoaster Tycoon® 3Total War™
Price$4.99 — better$19.99
Rating3.9 (1.7K ratings)4.8 (3.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.5% of reviews78.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K3.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#99#90 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size672 MB1.8 GB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAtariFeral Interactive Ltd

Customer experience

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3

All ratings1,685 ratings
Positive70.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative20.1%
Written reviews570 reviews
Positive57.5%
Neutral14.9%
Negative27.5%

Total War™

All ratings3,090 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews524 reviews
Positive78.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative16.4%

User reviews

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Exactly like the PC version
  • 👍 Great value for money
  • 👍 Intuitive touch controls
  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 👍 Faithful port of a beloved game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔇 No background audio support
  • 🚫 Lacks expansion packs
  • 🚫 Object limit in sandbox mode
  • 🚫 Outdated graphics and UI

Total War™

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent port of the original game
  • 🎨 Impressive graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Intuitive and user-friendly controls
  • 💰 Great value for money
  • 🕰️ Immersive and engaging gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤖 Suboptimal AI behavior in battles
  • 🔍 Lack of detailed tutorial for new players
  • 🔒 Inability to play as minor factions

Bugs and requests

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when park gets too large
  • Path and queue connections issues
  • Saving and loading problems
  • Unresponsive buttons and UI elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add expansion packs (Soaked, Wild)
  • Improve path and terrain editing
  • Increase object limit in sandbox mode
  • Add support for custom music
  • Optimize for newer devices and iOS versions

Total War™

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Units getting stuck when positioning near walls
  • Turn skipping issue due to overlapping UI elements
  • Incorrect religious unrest messages
  • Inconsistent unit speed controls
  • Storage usage discrepancy between app and device

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sandbox mode with customizable budgets
  • More faction options and playable nations
  • Improved unit control and positioning
  • Ability to toggle floating flags in battles
  • Detailed family tree and dynasty mechanics

In-app purchases

None

RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Total War™

One-time1
  • 'A New World' Expansion$6.99

Questions

Is RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 free?
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Total War™ free?
Total War™ costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 or Total War™?
Total War™ is rated higher. RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Total War™ averages 4.8 from 3.3K ratings.
Do RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 or Total War™ have ads?
Neither RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 nor Total War™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 or Total War™?
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Total War™ every 5 weeks. Most recently, RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Total War™ on October 30, 2026.
Which is more popular, RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 or Total War™?
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 currently peaks at #99 in the App Store charts, and Total War™ at #90. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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