If you like this review, please consider following my Curator Page, which I would greatly appreciate :)

My review for Total Annihilation will cover two parts. Firstly, I will cover the fix process I undertook to get the game running (there are some minor teething problems that can be easily overcome), and for the second part, I will review the actual content of this all-time classic!


Fix for DirectX error Win11/10
I just returned to Total Annihilation after many years since I last played it, and like most others, I received two issues:

Firstly, when I clicked play on TA in my Steam library, I got an error message telling me "DirectPlay" was needed, which is a Legacy windows feature. So I went to "Turn windows features on/off" and enabled it via the relevant click. From there, I tried to play TA but received "DirectX setup" fail error.

So, during my second issue, I read through the discussions of the game and read things stating patches etc., were needed, but they're not. The simple fix for me was to navigate to Steam Total Annihilation folders, find the .exe, which is TotalA, went to its properties and enabled the game to run as Administrator.

Problem solved, the game now runs and plays (it actually runs just by clicking the .exe, but Steam shows you as online and not in-game, etc., if you do that).

I hope this helps others who may be having this issue and makes the game playable as it did for me.


Total Annihilation is an all-time RTS classic. I first played this game around 20 years ago when I snuck into my brother's room to play his games as a kid. He hated me doing it, but I did it anyway. In Total Annihilation, the battles are extremely intense, and epic in size. You can construct hundreds of buildings in one battle and an equal number of units, just like your allies and opponent AI forces (who are pretty good! I find the AI in TA to be top-notch).

Hell yes! You should purchase it right now! At the time of me looking at the store page right now, it costs a mere £3.99. That is a STEAL for one of the greatest RTS games ever made. If you are looking for a game to play right now, and you don't care to save money until a sale comes along, then I can highly recommend this game, so long as you accept and respect the fact that the graphics won't be akin to say: Hearts of Iron 4. However, the gameplay is as good as Hoi4, and other strategy games, if not better!

An amazing soundtrack
Up to 5 v 5 battles in Skirmish mode
Two very interesting factions, Core and Arm, with SO MANY different kinds of units and buildings (hundreds, of EACH)
THE VERY FIRST game to use 3d units in an RTS game (Total Annihilation was a pioneer for RTS)
A full campaign of hundreds of missions (split evenly between factions)
100 maps to choose from in Skirmish mode (the best game mode for me)



My words can't really do this masterpiece justice. There's a reason I and all of the other original Total Annihilation players still come back to play it. Supreme Commander later followed by a previous TA dev, as did Planetary Annihilation from another TA dev.

For me, Total Annihilation is deserving of a perfect score rating, 10/10, a firm contender as one of the greatest RTS games ever.

Play it: you won't regret it (so long as it works for your machine, of course)!

If you like this review, please consider following my Curator Page, which I would greatly appreciate :)

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42378571/] If you like this review, please consider following my Curator Page, which I would greatly appreciate :)[/url] My review for Total Annihilation will cover two parts. Firstly, I will cover the fix process I undertook to get the game running (there are some minor teething problems that can be easily overcome), and for the second part, I will review the actual content of this all-time classic! [h1]So, let's begin[/h1] [b]Fix for DirectX error Win11/10[/b] I just returned to Total Annihilation after many years since I last played it, and like most others, I received two issues: Firstly, when I clicked play on TA in my Steam library, I got an error message telling me "DirectPlay" was needed, which is a Legacy windows feature. So I went to "Turn windows features on/off" and enabled it via the relevant click. From there, I tried to play TA but received "DirectX setup" fail error. So, during my second issue, I read through the discussions of the game and read things stating patches etc., were needed, [b]but they're not.[/b] The simple fix for me was to navigate to Steam Total Annihilation folders, find the .exe, which is TotalA, went to its properties and enabled the game to run as Administrator. Problem solved, the game now runs and plays (it actually runs just by clicking the .exe, but Steam shows you as online and not in-game, etc., if you do that). I hope this helps others who may be having this issue and makes the game playable as it did for me. [h1]Game Review[/h1] Total Annihilation is an all-time RTS classic. I first played this game around 20 years ago when I snuck into my brother's room to play his games as a kid. He hated me doing it, but I did it anyway. In Total Annihilation, the battles are extremely intense, and epic in size. You can construct hundreds of buildings in one battle and an equal number of units, just like your allies and opponent AI forces (who are pretty good! I find the AI in TA to be top-notch). [h1]Is the game worth the price?[/h1] Hell yes! You should purchase it right now! At the time of me looking at the store page right now, it costs a mere £3.99. That is a STEAL for one of the greatest RTS games ever made. If you are looking for a game to play right now, and you don't care to save money until a sale comes along, then I can highly recommend this game, so long as you accept and respect the fact that the graphics won't be akin to say: Hearts of Iron 4. However, the gameplay is as good as Hoi4, and other strategy games, if not better! [h1]What will I get from playing Total Annihilation?[/h1] An [i]amazing soundtrack[/i] Up to 5 v 5 battles in Skirmish mode Two very interesting factions, Core and Arm, with SO MANY different kinds of units and buildings (hundreds, of EACH) THE VERY FIRST game to use 3d units in an RTS game (Total Annihilation was a pioneer for RTS) A full campaign of [b]hundreds[/b] of missions (split evenly between factions) 100 maps to choose from in Skirmish mode (the best game mode for me) [h1]Conclusion[/h1] My words can't really do this masterpiece justice. There's a reason I and all of the other original Total Annihilation players still come back to play it. Supreme Commander later followed by a previous TA dev, as did Planetary Annihilation from another TA dev. For me, Total Annihilation is deserving of a perfect score rating, 10/10, a firm contender as one of the greatest RTS games ever. Play it: you won't regret it (so long as it works for your machine, of course)! [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/42378571/] If you like this review, please consider following my Curator Page, which I would greatly appreciate :)[/url]