Comparison

Total War vs THE MACHINE

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

Head to head
About

Total War

Experience grand strategy and massive real-time battles set in the Middle Ages. Lead one of 17 playable factions to conquer continents through diplomacy, trade, or warfare. An expansion adds more factions and campaigns across diverse regions.

Highlights
  • Massive real-time battles
  • Intricate turn-based strategy
  • 17 playable factions
  • Diplomacy, trade, and subterfuge
  • Kingdoms expansion with new campaigns
  • Asynchronous multiplayer campaigns
Features
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. MEDIEVAL II brings Total War’s compelling mix of massive real-time battles and intricate turn-based strategy to iPhone and iPad. Set across three continents during the turbulent Middle Ages, spectacular conflicts and scheming rivals line the path to power as the great kingdoms of the medieval world vie for supremacy. Be it through diplomacy or conquest, trade or subterfuge, you must secure the resources and loyalty required to rule an empire from the shores of Western Europe to the sands of Arabia. THE STRENGTH OF NATIONS Unlock up to 17 playable factions and build them into major world powers through statecraft, subterfuge or all-out war. THE KINGDOMS EXPANSION Available via in-app purchase, this massive expansion includes 24 playable factions across four unique, fully featured campaigns. Wage war from the jungles of the Americas to the deserts of the Holy Land, from the deceptively gentle shores of the British Isles to the frigid Baltic plains. THE HOTSEATS & HALBERDS UPDATE This major update adds a host of balance improvements to Pikemen, Zweihanders and other late-era units, and, for owners of the Kingdoms expansion, introduces asynchronous multiplayer campaigns on a single device. THE ART OF WAR Deploy infantry, archers and cavalry into huge real-time battles, with a full range of medieval weaponry at your command. THE TOOLS OF STATE Use sophisticated diplomacy, lucrative trade agreements and daring agents to forge alliances or destabilise your rivals. THE TEST OF TIME Shape the destinies of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East through five momentous centuries of combat, competition and conquest. THE POWER IN YOUR HANDS Take command, with a brand-new user interface and enhanced touch controls for fingertip control of the battlefield. Or, play with any iPadOS-compatible mouse & keyboard. === Total War: MEDIEVAL II requires iOS 16 or later. You need 4.3GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. A further 7.65GB is required to install the Kingdoms DLC. To save space, you can install each campaign individually. Americas: 2.06GB Britannia: 1.66GB Crusades: 2.11GB Teutonic: 1.82GB Supported iPhones: • iPhone 8 / 8 Plus and later • iPhone SE 2nd Generation (2020) and later Supported iPads: • iPad mini 5th Generation (2019) and later • iPad Air 3rd Generation (2019) and later • iPad 5th generation (2017) and later • Any iPad Pro • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com © 2007–2025 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: MEDIEVAL 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. 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.

About

THE MACHINE

Engage with a mechanical puzzle box focused on experimentation and understanding cause and effect. Install and reorder parts to observe signal flow and solve objectives. Discover new hardware and deeper systems as the machine awakens.

Highlights
  • Mechanical puzzle box gameplay
  • Experimentation and cause/effect mechanics
  • 34 unique mechanism families
  • Stateful, order-sensitive puzzles
  • Tuning and Fusion systems
  • Offline play
  • Single optional purchase for full content
Features
Read full description

THE MACHINE is a mechanical puzzle box about experimentation, cause and effect, and learning a system by touching it. Install parts. Change their order. Send an input. Watch the signal travel through the machine. Every mechanism transforms, stores, redirects, amplifies, or relieves something. Solve each puzzle by making the whole machine satisfy its objectives. As THE MACHINE awakens, new hardware, tuning, fusion, routing, and deeper systems emerge. The rules stay consistent. The possibilities do not. • 34 mechanism families, each with its own behavior and physical identity • Stateful, order-sensitive puzzles where timing matters • Tuning and Fusion systems that turn familiar parts into new hardware • Five escalating Series, including the branching DUPLEX architecture • No ads, no subscriptions, no account required • Play offline on iPhone and iPad Series I and II are included. A single optional purchase unlocks Series III–V and everything beyond. Change something. Try again. Awaken THE MACHINE.

Screenshots

Total War4 screens
THE MACHINE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: THE MACHINE at Free against Total War's $14.99. THE MACHINE also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). Total War's advantage is ratings volume (7.4K vs 1) and chart position (#59 vs unranked). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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

THE MACHINE is free to download; Total War costs $14.99 up front. Total War sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and THE MACHINE sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Total War against 5.0 for THE MACHINE. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Total War has 7.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Total War ships an update every 2 months, THE MACHINE daily. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Total War versus THE MACHINE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTotal WarTHE MACHINE
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (7.4K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.4K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#59 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.9 GB12 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFeral Interactive LtdIAN FABIAN FAGERSTROM

Customer experience

Total War

All ratings7,244 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews720 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral6.9%
Negative15.7%

THE MACHINE

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Total War

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Crashes every other battle on IPad Pro
  • Glitchy
  • Crashes often
  • Naw it needs mad fixing
  • Troop placement bugs
Show 6 more
  • Armies disappearing when garrisoning
  • Battles freezing on certain turns
  • Settlement selection issues
  • Upside down screen orientation
  • Flood bug causing permanent movement issues
  • Diplomacy not working properly

Requested features

14 requests
  • Bring back titles
  • New Feature : Civil War
  • DLC
  • Expansion
  • Need more units
Show 9 more
  • New Possible Factions (Existing)
  • FIXES NEEDED ASAP
  • Help with opening the app
  • Where re you guys?
  • Please add graphics settings
  • Controls/gameplay improvements
  • Make unit formation easier
  • Papal States and other factions as playable
  • Add expansions like Kingdoms

THE MACHINE

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Total War

One-time1
  • Kingdoms Expansion$6.99
1 purchases

THE MACHINE

One-time1
  • THE MACHINE$4.99

Questions

Is Total War free?
Total War costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is THE MACHINE free?
THE MACHINE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Total War or THE MACHINE?
THE MACHINE is rated higher. Total War averages 4.9 out of 5 from 7.4K ratings, while THE MACHINE averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Total War or THE MACHINE have ads?
Neither Total War nor THE MACHINE shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Total War or THE MACHINE?
Total War ships an update every 2 months, and THE MACHINE daily. Most recently, Total War was updated on November 1, 2026 and THE MACHINE on September 29, 2026.

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