The player must arrange marriages, father children, appoint family members to governmental positions, and fight in order to conquer the Old World.

Players must choose who they want to be; Genghis Khan (Mongols), Alexios III (Byzantine), Richard (England), or Yoritomo (Japan).

In 1989, Computer Gaming World called Genghis Khan "the toughest, most satisfying, and richest historical simulation, yet!".

that compared to Romance "the tedium is back" regarding gameplay,[10] but another reviewer for the magazine stated that Genghis Khan is an "excellent" prerequisite to a real leadership experience because it forces the players to gauge own resources before making decisions.

[11] In 2008, Armağan Yavuz, the co-founder of Turkish developer TaleWorlds cited Koei's Genghis Khan as an influence on their Mount & Blade series.