Samurai Warriors 2: Empires (戦国無双2: Empires) is an expansion to the original Samurai Warriors 2 and the third Empires expansion by Koei (the first was Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, and the second was Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires), available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360, as well as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in a compilation with the original and Xtreme Legends. The game was first released in Japan on November 16, 2006. Similar to both Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires and Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, the game features the strategic and tactical Empire Mode that combines the gameplay of Samurai Warriors and several turn-based strategy elements from Nobunaga's Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The Empire mode allows the player to select from some of Japan's greatest battles such as the battle of Kawanakajima, the battle of Anegawa, the incident at Honnōji and the battle of Sekigahara. In the New Officer Mode, the options are limited to 13 models with 10 color patterns each, as well as four different voices. In addition, a new feature is added to the mix: the ability to use movesets of certain playable characters.
Unlike Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends, the game does not feature new characters for the series, but Kojirō Sasaki and Katsuie Shibata, who were unplayable special NPCs and bodyguards in Samurai Warriors 2, are now playable characters in Samurai Warriors 2: Empires with special movesets derived from other characters.