Company of Heroes 3 Review Summary

Engaging and tactical gameplay: The gameplay is described as tactical, intense, and rewarding. It offers a variety of strategies and requires situational awareness, making it mentally stimulating and enjoyable.

High-quality graphics and visuals: The game features improved and detailed graphics, with realistic war scenes and visually impressive effects. Players appreciate the graphical upgrades and the overall visual quality.

Interesting and fun campaigns: The campaigns, particularly the Italian and North African campaigns, are noted for being interesting, fun, and offering good replayability. They provide unique perspectives and engaging gameplay.

Enjoyable multiplayer experience: The multiplayer mode is praised for being fun, well-balanced, and offering a variety of game modes. It provides a dynamic and aggressive experience with short wait times.

Improved gameplay mechanics: The gameplay mechanics are noted for being smooth, responsive, and an improvement over previous versions. New features like the veterancy system and towing mechanics add to the gameplay experience.

Game is filled with bugs: The game is reported to have numerous bugs, including issues with input registration, crashes, and various technical problems that affect gameplay.

Poor matchmaking: Matchmaking is problematic, with long wait times, unbalanced teams, and issues with connecting to matches, leading to a poor multiplayer experience.

Balance issues: There are significant balance problems, with certain factions and units being overpowered or underpowered, leading to an unbalanced and frustrating multiplayer experience.

Unfinished and unpolished: The game feels unfinished and lacks polish, with rough edges, low-quality textures, and a general lack of refinement.

Lack of innovation: The game lacks innovation, feeling like a downgrade from previous versions with limited new features and a lack of strategic depth.

Unit and Faction Balance: There are notable imbalances between factions, particularly with Allied units being stronger and more cost-effective compared to Axis units. Specific units and abilities are also seen as overpowered or underpowered.

Gameplay and Mechanics: The gameplay is generally enjoyable and dynamic, with a high demand for tactical control and situational awareness. However, there are issues with unit pathfinding, AI behavior, and some game mechanics feeling repetitive or unbalanced.

Campaign and Single-player Content: The single-player campaign offers varied experiences with different scenarios and strategic choices. However, some campaigns are criticized for being linear or buggy. The Italian campaign is noted for its unique turn-based strategy elements.

Multiplayer and Co-op Modes: Multiplayer modes, including 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4, and co-op vs AI, are functional and actively supported. However, there are issues with balance, map knowledge, and player behavior.

Community and Developer Support: The game has an active online community and receives regular support from the developers. However, there are concerns about the lack of innovation and the prioritization of certain features over others.

Technical issues and optimization: The game suffers from various technical issues, including optimization problems, clipping issues, and mixed audio experiences. These issues affect the overall performance and user experience.

Frequent crashes and stability issues: The game experiences frequent crashes, including hard resets and freezes, particularly during online play and after recent updates. These issues significantly impact the overall stability and performance of the game.

Linux compatibility issues: Players report difficulties running the game on Linux, indicating compatibility issues that need to be addressed.

Specific error codes: Some players encounter specific error codes, such as COOTOIR-1X-1352656C6903B7, which hinder their ability to play the game.

Mixed purchase recommendations: Reviews are divided on whether to buy the game. Some highly recommend it, especially for RTS fans and those interested in World War II settings, while others advise waiting for sales or discounts due to high DLC prices and balance issues.

Suggested improvements for game content: Players suggest adding more content such as a single-player Desert Rats themed campaign, Russian and Japanese units/factions, and improving single-player campaigns to attract more players.

Multiplayer and recommendation concerns: Some reviews advise against playing multiplayer and recommending the game to friends due to balance issues and bugs, suggesting that the game might not be in a state worth recommending.

Hopes for future updates: Players express hopes for more factions, battle groups, and continuous improvements by the development team, indicating a desire for ongoing support and enhancements.

Comparison with previous game: Several reviews compare this game to its predecessor, Company of Heroes 2, with some recommending CoH2 over CoH3 for new players and advising players not to approach CoH3 with the same strategies as CoH2.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with the game, including frequent crashes, authentication and DRM problems, compatibility issues with Proton and Linux, performance issues, and control and UI problems. These issues collectively lead to a frustrating user experience, with frequent disruptions and difficulties in gameplay.

Monetization: The game is heavily criticized for its pay-to-win mechanics, overpriced DLCs, lack of content and balance issues, and the presence of microtransactions. Users feel that the game is designed to extract money through various monetization strategies, leading to a frustrating and unfair gaming experience. Additionally, there is a notable lack of modding support and community engagement, further exacerbating user dissatisfaction.

External guides: The primary issues highlighted by users include frequent game crashes, limited meta-builds, and unclear game mechanics. These issues significantly impact the overall user experience and game stability.

Russian language support added: The game has added support for the Russian language, which has been appreciated by the players. This update also includes the return of the game to the Russian region of Steam.

Mods mentioned: Players have mentioned the use of mods in the game. This indicates that the game supports modifications, which can enhance the gaming experience.