A short introduction
to the Three Kingdoms.

What are the Three Kingdoms?

“Sanguo” (三国) means “Three Kingdoms”. It refers to Wei, Shu, and Wu, the rival states that emerged as China’s Han dynasty came to an end. The period is conventionally dated from 220 to 280 CE, though stories and games often begin with the upheavals of the late second century.

The setting brings together shifting alliances, contested routes, regional power, and decisions whose consequences outlive a single battle. It also offers cities, farming communities, waterways, and ordinary lives often left at the edge of the story.

History and the stories told about it

The historical Records of the Three Kingdoms and the much later novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms are not the same kind of work. One is a historical text; the other shaped generations of storytelling through a blend of history, tradition, and literary invention.

Games inherit both a historical setting and a long cultural afterlife. When we discuss a game’s atmosphere or an artistic reference, that is not a claim that every detail is an exact reconstruction of the third century.

Why the landscape matters

Rivers can connect settlements or divide armies. Mountains create shelter as well as barriers. Thinking about the realm as a lived-in landscape gives strategy a sense of place, beyond colored borders on a map.

Our visual references span different eras of painting. The classic’s Gusu-inspired city life and the new project’s blue-green mountains have different roles, explored in the accompanying art note.

Where to go next

• Sanguo3D workshop follows the new project’s direction.
• Sanguo3D availability distinguishes development from public testing.
• SanguoSeason is the classic renewal, with its own notes and legacy downloads.