Fit check
Is Empires and Tribes worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- Strategy players who want city management combined with first-person role-playing
- Settlement builders interested in economic cycles, laws, and population needs
- Players who want medieval warfare with castles, siege weapons, and multiple combat unit types
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a focused combat game may find settlement administration and resource production take substantial attention
- Players wanting a simple management loop may find the mix of production, construction, politics, crafting, and resident needs demanding
- Players looking for turn-based military tactics may prefer a game built around that structure
Our take on Empires and Tribes
Combining settlement administration with first-person role-playing spreads attention across production, construction, politics, crafting, and resident management. The trade-off is that military activity is only one part of play, rather than the sole focus.
What is Empires and Tribes?
Lead a medieval settlement as its mayor while expanding the city, producing resources, developing technologies, and negotiating laws with the city council.
The game combines real-time strategy with first-person role-playing, including skills, equipment, inventory, and interaction with non-player characters. Manage three population levels, more than 20 goods, and 35 buildings, most of which can be upgraded one to three levels. Build castles and defenses, recruit six combat unit types, and construct siege weapons. Citizens follow daily routines across 19 professions, while weather, day-night changes, disasters, bandits, and political events affect the settlement. Crafting and trade support the economy, and four nearby hostile principalities provide military opposition.
How Empires and Tribes plays
- 01Layered settlement economy
- Three resident levels have different needs, supported by more than 20 goods and 35 buildings, most upgradeable one to three levels.
- 02Custom fortifications
- Castles can be laid out individually and expanded with features such as towers, gates, and courtyards.
- 03Siege warfare
- Six combat unit types include swordsmen, archers, knights, and trebuchets.
- 04Living city simulation
- Residents follow daily routines across 19 professions, alongside changing weather and a simulated day-night cycle.
- 05Dynamic disruptions
- Fires, lightning, bandits, and events such as indulgence sales can affect the settlement.
- 06Mayor role-playing
- The player character has skills, equipment, an inventory, crafting options, and communication with non-player characters.
Empires and Tribes compared to similar games
Men of War: Assault Squad focuses on World War II command and direct tactical combat, while Empires and Tribes adds medieval city construction, economic management, politics, and first-person role-playing. Xenonauts centers on turn-based squads defending Earth from an alien invasion, whereas Empires and Tribes combines settlement management with real-time medieval warfare.
Empires and Tribes: platforms & release
Is Empires and Tribes worth it?
It is worth it if: strategy players who want city management combined with first-person role-playing. Skip it if: players seeking a focused combat game may find settlement administration and resource production take substantial attention.
Where can I download Empires and Tribes?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens Empires and Tribes's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is Empires and Tribes on?
Windows and macOS.
