Looking for a Company of Heroes 3 review summary? You've come to the right place! We'll be honest: amidst all the exciting releases of 2023, the all-new Company of Heroes game stood out simply due to the nostalgia its title drew upon. As excited as we were to finally be able to prepare a comprehensive and factual Company of Heroes 3 review summary, there was also a nagging suspicion that Relic Entertainment and SEGA might be drawing upon a dead well. The RTS genre, after all, almost completely disappeared for years, and RTS fans found themselves few and far between. Is there a place for a new RTS title on the market in 2023, then?

Well, let us dispel any and all suspicions you, too, may have had up until now: Company of Heroes 3 is awesome. Actually, calling it awesome feels like we're doing the game a disservice. Its launch is monumental, in a way. There's a potential here to bring true real-time strategy titles back to the forefront where they belong, and that's nothing short of remarkable.

Down below, we've prepared a lovely little summary of some of our favorite critics' takes on what COH3 is and what it isn't. Because it's one thing to call a game awesome at face value, and it's something else entirely to provide solid reasoning as to why that's the case!

READ MORE: Nostalgia Gaming in Early 2023 Hits Hard

Company of Heroes 3 Review: Here's What The Critics Say

Let's start from the top! Broadly speaking, Relic Entertainment has done a stellar job of bringing the Company of Heroes franchise into the 2020s. The revered IP used to dominate the RTS niche for a while with previous games, and then it simply fell by the wayside - much like other RTS IPs did. Note that there is a competitor on the way - Men of War 2 - which we cannot wait to assess ourselves! In the interim, we're thrilled with the fact that Company of Heroes 3 has a lovely 82/100 Metascore.

Not everything about the game is perfect, of course. Relic took a swing for the stars, though, and most of the studio's gambit has already paid off. You're in for a deep, comprehensive real-time strategy that takes what used to work back in the day, and polishes up those things that did not. On top of that, it's been described as a "masterpiece" by more than one outlet!

Play Company of Heroes 3 on PC with a discount!

Does The Gameplay Hold Up?

According to Jake Tucker of NME.com, Relic and SEGA just put out this favorite RTS of all time. "That Company of Heroes 3 has burrowed so far into my head that I’m spending a lot of my waking hours thinking about both the game and how the systems and strategies within it might interact, is why I know it’s a must-play," he said. Tucker's main complaints had to do with there being just a few multiplayer maps available at launch. The main menu, too, is a bit "ropey," he said. Setting that aside, we're looking at a huge, diverse, and - most importantly - deeply replayable campaign mode. The Skirmish Mode and Multiplayer, however, are where the real meat of the game is, with infantry units forcing enemies out of their strongholds, which is particularly thrilling.

It's worth highlighting that Creative Assembly did get brought in to help with Company of Heroes 3's campaign mode. This is plainly visible in the grand strategy aspect of the game - a novelty for the franchise. Most reviewers do agree that this aspect of the game isn't nearly as engaging as the moment-to-moment RTS gameplay is. It's admirable and a solid change of pace, however, and the grand strategy layer fits in well due to its dynamic, reactive nature.

Is The Game Similar to Old Company of Heroes Games?

Indeed, all reviewers seem to agree: Relic Entertainment has simply built upon the stuff it executed remarkably well already with previous games. According to GameReactor's Marco Vrolijk, the game is at its best "in the areas where the series was good to begin with." Vrolijk explained that COH3's real-time battles were easily the most entertaining parts of the experience, and that's because Relic based them on what had previously been seen in the franchise. The remainder is all well and good - including specifically the dynamic Campaign mode - but the attention to detail visible in RTS portions "take Company of Heroes to the next level," he explained.

Generally, both genre and franchise fans have much to look forward to here. It's a quality offering and, perhaps, Relic Entertainment's finest work yet. That's precisely what makes the game so important in the context of RTS gaming as a whole. Oh, and the vehicle combat is superb!

How Much Content is There?

When we first heard how much content Relic Entertainment was preparing, we thought we had the wrong list. Gaming Trend's Ron Burke puts it best: "Company of Heroes 2 had 14 campaign missions in total – Company of Heroes 3 has 41. Company of Heroes 2 had 22 total maps to tackle in multiplayer and single-player. This title has 52, and a massive randomization element as a cherry on top. There are 42 units to unleash on your foes in Company of Heroes 2, and a staggering 120 for this outing. It should come as no surprise that the campaign will set you back more than 40 hours instead of just 15. It’s absolutely stunning just how big this game is, and thankfully it’s not just quantity."

Examples include a massive Italian campaign that takes a more grand strategy approach, having you take control of the Allied Forces and slowly making your way across Italy preparing to make your final push to take back Rome. The Italian campaign map may look daunting at first, but you'll soon be making inroads and removing that fog of war. Then there's the North Africa campaign that's more associated with your typical series of RTS missions.

Company of Heroes 3's scope and production quality don't leave any performance on the table. The game is firing on all cylinders wherever you look. And, if you've been playing RTS games for as long as we have, you'll know that the Skirmish mode truly is where it's at, whether you're a solo or a multiplayer gamer. We believe this is where most dedicated players will spend most of their time.

COH3's Skirmish feature takes all the best parts of the game and does away with all the fluff. It's a grim, gritty reminder of just how complex, yet engaging the genre truly is. Battles are hectic, brutal, and merciless. Here's the fun part, though: even when you lose, the game feels fair! The army balancing is downright impeccable here, and awesome graphics make every conflict interesting to look at. We just didn't mind losing, which happened a fair bit in Skirmish - we'll admit!

Closing Thoughts

And there you have it! RTS gamers don't have a huge number of games to choose from in 2023, for sure, but the ones that are available are downright phenomenal. It's funny, too, because SEGA is basically spearheading the whole schtick at this point, with Relic Entertainment and Creative Assembly performing what is technically known as a "hard carry."

• Relic's Company of Heroes 3
• Creative Assembly's Total War: Warhammer 3

We'd say that we are thrilled with this development, but that's an understatement. For the longest time, RTS had gotten reduced to - at most - a support feature for a niche title in a different genre. Turn-based strategy is great, for sure, but real-time strategy titles used to be one of the most important genres on PC in the aughts, and SEGA's studios may well be signaling a bit of a return to form. We don't know what the future holds, of course, but we'll take a win when we see one.

Considering what Relic Entertainment has accomplished here, RTS fans should feel invigorated and validated. With a bit of luck, this is just the first step in updating the genre for contemporary market forces. So, if you've got any inclination about playing something of the type (especially since it's a WW2 game with a massive strategic Italian campaign and dynamic wider campaign map!), rest assured that you're on the right track.

CHECK OUT: All The Technical Info You Need on Company of Heroes 3