Battle Brothers vs Crusader Kings III
Battle Brothers is an open-world RPG game from Overhype Studios (2017) while Crusader Kings III is an RPG sandbox game from Development Studio (2020).
What each one is
Steam files Battle Brothers under Open-World and RPG. In contrast, it files Crusader Kings III under RPG and Sandbox.
Lead a mercenary company in this tactical RPG set in a medieval fantasy world. Chase fame and fortune as you choose where to go, who to recruit, which contracts to pursue, and how to train and equip your men in a procedurally generated open world campaign.
Love, fight, scheme, and claim greatness. Determine your noble house’s legacy in the sprawling grand strategy of Crusader Kings III. Death is only the beginning as you guide your dynasty’s bloodline in the rich and larger-than-life simulation of the Middle Ages.
At a glance
| Battle Brothers | Crusader Kings III | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.7/10 | 8.1/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (88%, 28,671) | Very Positive (90%, 143,235) |
| Critic aggregate | 80/100 | 91/100 |
| Price | $8.99 | $49.99 |
| Install size | 2 GB | 20 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Developer | Overhype Studios | Development Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Battle Brothers vs Crusader Kings III, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Battle BrothersOpen-world RPG gameCrusader Kings IIIRPG sandbox gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Battle BrothersStrategy, RPG, MedievalCrusader Kings IIIStrategy, Medieval, Grand StrategyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Battle BrothersScore 7.7 · 88% on Steam · 80 criticCrusader Kings III ✓Score 8.1 · 90% on Steam · 91 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Battle Brothers28,671 reviews · 9 add-ons · 2 GBCrusader Kings III143,235 reviews · 33 add-ons · 20 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Battle Brothers ✓$8.99Crusader Kings III$49.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Battle BrothersPlayableCrusader Kings IIIPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueBattle Brothers and Crusader Kings III on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Crusader Kings III (GamingPickz Score 8.1)
- The cheaper right now: Battle Brothers ($8.99)
- Lighter on storage: Battle Brothers (2 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Crusader Kings III (143,235 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
StrategyRPGMedievalCharacter CustomizationWarSandboxSimulationModdable
Where they differ
Open WorldTurn-Based TacticsTurn-Based StrategyTacticalActionTactical RPG
Grand StrategyManagementLife SimRTSChoices MatterEconomy
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Battle Brothers is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Crusader Kings III is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Battle Brothers | Crusader Kings III | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 |
| Minimum CPU | — | Intel Core i5-750 |
| Minimum RAM | — | 8 GB |
| Install size | 2 GB | 20 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Battle Brothers · Crusader Kings III.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Battle Brothers and 6 for Crusader Kings III. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Battle Brothers and Crusader Kings III in scope?
Battle Brothers has drawn 28,671 Steam reviews, ships 9 add-ons and installs in 2 GB. Crusader Kings III has drawn 143,235 Steam reviews, ships 33 add-ons and installs in 20 GB.
Is Battle Brothers or Crusader Kings III better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Crusader Kings III rates higher (8.1 to 7.7). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Battle Brothers or Crusader Kings III?
Battle Brothers is cheaper right now at $8.99, against $49.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.