Dynasty Warriors 8 is the eighth installment in Koei's long-running Dynasty Warriors series. It follows the tradition of reenacting Luo Ganzhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms . Like in Dynasty Warriors 7 , each of the clans, Wei, Wu, Shu and Jin, has its own story mode. Each stage has a choice of four characters to choose from rather than one imposed character. While the story mostly follows the historical events, some optional objectives can be completed to unlock a branching hypothetical chain of events. Additionally, each of the characters from the "Other" factions has his or her own story mode.
Dynasty Warriors 8 introduces new playable characters, some of which return from previous Dynasty Warriors games or, like Zuo Ci, from Warriors Orochi, for a total of over 82 characters.
In addition to Story Mode and Free Mode, the Ambition mode is introduced. The goal is to create a social base for the kingdom's people, which will be visited by the Emperor. This tower, named Tonquetai Tower, must be improved through different events, skirmishes, raids and large-scale battles, each influencing the growth of the tower in a different way.