Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is a medieval action RPG with a freely customizable strategy campaign. You create a character, gather companions, build a clan and try to gain political and military influence in Calradia. Instead of a fixed sequence of missions, your path emerges from trade, diplomacy, quests, campaigns and decisions made by other rulers.

The main appeal lies in switching between the world map and the battlefield: you plan your army's movements and, during encounters, fight yourself as a rider, archer or foot soldier.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord released on Oct 25, 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Before that, the Windows version had been available in Early Access since Mar 30, 2020. The console release also ended the PC testing phase.

The major expansion War Sails released on Nov 26, 2025 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The originally announced June 2025 release was postponed.

The base game is natively available for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. TaleWorlds has confirmed all five platforms for the full release. PC players can play via Steam, among other options, and use the Steam Workshop.

War Sails supports PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The availability of the base game on PS4 and Xbox One does not mean a separate version of the expansion exists on those consoles.

You lead troops on a strategy map and fight with them in real time. The flow alternates between travel, negotiations, recruitment, supplies and battles. Your character develops skills through their actions and can focus on melee, riding, ranged combat, trade or leadership, for example.

Battles can be experienced from a first-person or over-the-shoulder perspective. At the same time you give orders to infantry, archers and cavalry, rather than relying only on your own weapon.

The PC version requires at least 6 GB RAM and 60 GB of free storage. The minimum processor listed by Steam is Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, and graphics cards include GeForce GTX 660 with 2 GB or Radeon HD 7850 with 2 GB, among others. Recommended are 8 GB RAM, Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600X, and GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 580.

The older game requirements still list Windows 7. However, the current Steam client only supports newer Windows versions.

Attacks and parries depend on the weapon's direction of movement. Timing, reach and position therefore matter just as much as equipment. Swords, spears, bows and other weapon types create different options against armored opponents or riders.

In the melee you can press an opponent yourself, retreat or support another formation with orders. But whoever fights at the front also risks being knocked out at the decisive moment.

An army needs recruits, supplies and the right formation. Infantry hold positions, archers benefit from clear lines of sight and mounted units can attack flanks. Formations and terrain therefore affect the outcome of a battle.

You recruit soldiers in settlements, level them up and assemble larger armies with allied nobles. The strategic task is not just to gather as many units as possible, but to bring them to the right place at the right time.

Castles and fortified towns can be besieged and defended. Before an attack, siege equipment and supplying the army come into play, among other things. In the battle itself, soldiers march toward gates and walls while defenders secure chokepoints.

Sieges combine longer strategic preparation with direct combat. Even a large army can fail in a poorly planned assault.

The economy of Calradia responds to supply and demand. Goods prices change with the supply of towns, caravans and war events. Merchants can exploit differences between markets, while bandits and blocked trade routes endanger supplies.

Besides fighting, crafting, caravans and managing property are ways to fund your clan. As a result, economic influence can matter just as much as the next victory on the battlefield.

Your clan grows through companions, property and political relationships. You can join a kingdom, manage your own fiefs or, with enough power, pursue claims to rule yourself. Diplomacy, marriages and relationships with other nobles shape your options.

Later updates added alliances and trade agreements, among other things, which shape relations between kingdoms more strongly. War decisions therefore depend not only on a single border conflict.

Calradia is divided into rival realms and cultures. The crumbling empire, mounted fighters of the steppe, coastal kingdoms and other power blocs differ in troops and political interests. Cities, villages and castles also form the basis for supplies and recruitment.

The campaign takes place before the events of Mount & Blade: Warband. Your decisions can change the course of a war or control of a region.

War Sails has added naval battles to Bannerlord since November 26, 2025. The Nords inhabit a new northern region with fjords and islands. On rivers and seas you steer your own ships, ram enemies, grapple alongside them and send fighters to board. Wind, currents and weather affect maneuvers.

According to TaleWorlds, the expansion includes 22 ship types, including warships and merchant ships. You can expand fleets, upgrade ships, dock at ports and blockade coastal settlements. Besides the regular single-player campaign, there are freely configurable naval battles. War Sails requires the main game and was released for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Alongside the base campaign, Bannerlord offers long-term customization through additional systems and mods. Features introduced after launch include reworked diplomacy, stealth during infiltrations and further ways to shape the campaign world.

The most important major paid expansion so far is War Sails. It does not just add weapons or costumes, but extends the strategy layer with fleets and sea areas.

The multiplayer mode offers PvP battles independent of the single-player campaign. These include small team battles as well as larger battles and sieges. Steam lists ranked matches, casual modes and the option to run your own servers using the dedicated server files.

The strategic single-player campaign is separate from this: the regular campaign is not a shared online co-op mode.

On PC you can create your own content with modding tools and share it via Steam Workshop. The tools allow changes to scenes, game systems and maps. With the expanded features from 2026, modders can also develop ships, sea charts, currents and new locations for War Sails.

The scope depends on the individual mod. Console versions do not offer the same access to the PC editors and the Steam Workshop.

You can control battles directly and switch between first-person and over-the-shoulder perspectives. The PC version partly supports controllers and allows input via mouse and keyboard. The console versions have controls adapted for gamepads.

Steam lists German on-screen text. A fully German-voiced game is not guaranteed there.