This aging trilogy is as addictive as ever, and I’m back sinking hours in 2026
Ah, the humble sandbox. One of the genres that can deliver absolute classics and steaming piles of garbage all in one go. Also, one of the most addictive genres out there. One game that tried to harness this fact but fell a bit flat was The Guild 2. Most of us could hardly play it, given a serious RAM leak issue that caused it to crash after playing for a while. On some systems, it barely lasted 15 minutes. On the beefiest of systems, you could play for hours, but that crash was always inevitable. The Guild 3, however, seems to have put that issue behind it and is in a very playable state. Granted, it's been out there for almost nine years already, but due to the poor performance of The Guild 2, I, and probably many others, completely missed out on The Guild 3. Well, I finally looped back around and gave it another go. Here's how that went. One of the most addictive games out there, at first Image via THQ Nordic The Guild 3 is a sandbox simulation game that's part life sim and part business sim. It's set in the 1400's, and it's all about creating a lasting, powerful dynasty. You could achieve this through various means, including politics, business, crime, and maybe even by simply being a great beggar (that last one is unproven). This should tell you all you need to know about The Guild 3, but it doesn't portray just how insanely addictive this game is. If you ever played the second title in the series, you'll know all about it. Unless, of course, the memory leak stopped you from playing altogether. But both of these games have the habit of really getting their hooks in you, and they do take a while to let go. It's highly addictive, that's for sure, but is it actually any good, and should you play it?Is The Guild 3 worth your time? Image via THQ Nordic It's quite simple: if you're a fan of sandbox games, The Guild 3 deserves a spot on your bucket list. If not, you should pass. Fair warning, though, the game went through something of a development hell, being passed off to various studios during development, and it's definitely noticeable. It feels rough around the edges. Some of the features feel half-baked, and some of the businesses are truly awful to run. Sometimes the stock rules in your businesses work fine, and sometimes they don't. There's a fair bit of frustration in your average playthrough. That said, there's nothing quite like it out there. Some games come close, but The Guild 3 is a truly unique playthrough you won't get anywhere else, and for that simple reason, I think most folks should experience it at least once. The fun wears off pretty quickly, and you are eventually left with a bland, underwhelming experience, but I'd still recommend it on sale. You'll still easily get 10 to 20 hours out of it.What's next? Will there be a Guild 4? Image via THQ Nordic If you've played TG2 and TG3, you may have wondered what's next for the series, and whether we'll see The Guild 4 anytime soon. Now that you mention it, yes, The Guild - Europa 1410 is the fourth full game in the series and is slated for a 2026 release. The name is a throwback to the very first game, Europa 1400: The Guild, which I played but didn't enjoy at all. Now that was a confusing mess. Europa 1410's development process has looked tons smoother than TG3's, so we might finally get the game we all know this series can produce. A realistic, gritty, challenging, and highly addictive life and business sim set in the Middle Ages. I, for one, am excited. Who knows, we might even get The Guild 4 before GTA VI... The post This aging trilogy is as addictive as ever, and I’m back sinking hours in 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.
Ah, the humble sandbox. One of the genres that can deliver absolute classics and steaming piles of garbage all in one go. Also, one of the most addictive genres out there.
One game that tried to harness this fact but fell a bit flat was The Guild 2. Most of us could hardly play it, given a serious RAM leak issue that caused it to crash after playing for a while. On some systems, it barely lasted 15 minutes. On the beefiest of systems, you could play for hours, but that crash was always inevitable.
The Guild 3, however, seems to have put that issue behind it and is in a very playable state. Granted, it's been out there for almost nine years already, but due to the poor performance of The Guild 2, I, and probably many others, completely missed out on The Guild 3.
Well, I finally looped back around and gave it another go. Here's how that went.
One of the most addictive games out there, at first
Image via THQ Nordic The Guild 3 is a sandbox simulation game that's part life sim and part business sim. It's set in the 1400's, and it's all about creating a lasting, powerful dynasty. You could achieve this through various means, including politics, business, crime, and maybe even by simply being a great beggar (that last one is unproven). This should tell you all you need to know about The Guild 3, but it doesn't portray just how insanely addictive this game is.
If you ever played the second title in the series, you'll know all about it. Unless, of course, the memory leak stopped you from playing altogether. But both of these games have the habit of really getting their hooks in you, and they do take a while to let go.
It's highly addictive, that's for sure, but is it actually any good, and should you play it?
Is The Guild 3 worth your time?
Image via THQ Nordic It's quite simple: if you're a fan of sandbox games, The Guild 3 deserves a spot on your bucket list. If not, you should pass. Fair warning, though, the game went through something of a development hell, being passed off to various studios during development, and it's definitely noticeable. It feels rough around the edges. Some of the features feel half-baked, and some of the businesses are truly awful to run. Sometimes the stock rules in your businesses work fine, and sometimes they don't. There's a fair bit of frustration in your average playthrough.
That said, there's nothing quite like it out there. Some games come close, but The Guild 3 is a truly unique playthrough you won't get anywhere else, and for that simple reason, I think most folks should experience it at least once.
The fun wears off pretty quickly, and you are eventually left with a bland, underwhelming experience, but I'd still recommend it on sale. You'll still easily get 10 to 20 hours out of it.
What's next? Will there be a Guild 4?
Image via THQ Nordic If you've played TG2 and TG3, you may have wondered what's next for the series, and whether we'll see The Guild 4 anytime soon. Now that you mention it, yes, The Guild - Europa 1410 is the fourth full game in the series and is slated for a 2026 release. The name is a throwback to the very first game, Europa 1400: The Guild, which I played but didn't enjoy at all. Now that was a confusing mess.
Europa 1410's development process has looked tons smoother than TG3's, so we might finally get the game we all know this series can produce. A realistic, gritty, challenging, and highly addictive life and business sim set in the Middle Ages.
I, for one, am excited. Who knows, we might even get The Guild 4 before GTA VI...
The post This aging trilogy is as addictive as ever, and I’m back sinking hours in 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.
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