Empire_mobile vs Total War™
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Empire_mobile
Engage in a turn-based strategy war game on a computer-generated map. Capture cities to produce units for offense and defense, aiming to eliminate your opponent. Games can be lengthy and saved across sessions.
- Turn-based strategy gameplay
- Computer-generated maps
- City capture and production
- Unit production (armies, fighters, ships)
- Exploration and tactical combat
- Save and resume games
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Empire is a strategy and tactics war game, pitting you against the computer. The game is played on a computer generated map that contains land areas, sea areas, and cities. The object of the game is to eliminate the opponent by capturing cities and destroying the enemy forces. Cities once captured have production capability, and can produce units such as armies, fighters, destroyers, submarines, or carriers for offense or defense. Of course, the computer is trying to crush your forces and take over the world, as are you. Early in the game, exploration is most predominant, followed later by planned offensives and holding actions, till eventual victory or defeat. Warning, typical games can take as long as ten hours, and some people find the game addictive. The program keeps the game state in a disk file, and a single game usually takes multiple computer sessions. Since you can store the game on some cloud service (e.g. iCloud) you may also continue a game with the Mac version of Empire (https://apps.apple.com/de/app/empire/id1287139467?mt=12) and vice versa. Special credit goes to the author of the original game, Walter Bright.
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.
- Grand turn-based strategy
- Real-time 3D battles
- Global conquest
- Naval combat
- Technology development
- Intuitive touchscreen controls
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Empire_mobile at Free against Total War™'s $19.99. Empire_mobile also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 17.0). Total War™'s advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 6). On update cadence, ads and device support 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
Empire_mobile is free to download; Total War™ costs $19.99 up front. Total War™ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Empire_mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.
Total War™ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Total War™ has 3.3K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Empire_mobile's written reviews are positive against 78% of Total War™'s.
Empire_mobile ships an update every 2 months, Total War™ every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Empire_mobile | Total War™ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $19.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (6 ratings) | 4.8 (3.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 78.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 3.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #73 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 1.8 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Frank-Peter Poschmann | Feral Interactive Ltd |
Customer experience
Empire_mobile
Total War™
Bugs and requests
Empire_mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Empire_mobile
No in-app purchases
Total War™
- 'A New World' Expansion$6.99









