– Strategic depth with 12 nations, 70 unit types, and 140+ buildings/100 technologies to manage across land and sea.
– Five campaigns inspired by 17th–18th century European history, plus expansive online multiplayer for up to eight players.
– Mixed reception: strong Steam positive/overall sentiment but Metacritic shows mixed reviews and noted performance/bug issues.
Released on September 20, 2016, Cossacks 3 is a remake of Cossacks: European Wars, released in 2001, and developed by the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World. In this strategy game, you’ll dive into five campaigns inspired by historical events that took place in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Campaigns and scope
Indeed, you can liberate Turin, defeat the English rebels at the Battle of Edgehill, or fight Polish troops at Mogilev. You can lead 12 nations and command 70 different units in battles involving several thousand soldiers. But whether you’re on land or at sea, every victory depends on your strategy.
Resources and building
In addition, you’ll need resources to win, and your peasants can gather stone, wood, and food. With over 140 historical buildings and 100 technologies at your disposal, you can upgrade your cities and your army. You can also play online with up to eight players on randomly generated maps.
Reception and performance
With its gameplay and numerous features, Cossacks 3 is rated “Very Positive” on Steam. Indeed, out of 15,847 reviews, 82% are positive. However, on Metacritic, reviews are mixed, as it has a Metascore of 63 and a user score of 6.7. Some players report optimization issues that prevent them from playing. The multiplayer is unstable, and numerous bugs have been reported.
Pricing and availability
If you want to try this game, it’s currently on sale for $6.79 instead of $19.99 on Steam, thanks to a 66% discount until May 28, 2026. Several DLCs are also available if you have a bigger budget. But it should be noted that this discount has appeared several times in recent months, and its lowest price was $5.99 on December 5, 2022, with a 70% discount, according to SteamDB.