Populous™: The Beginning

Real-time strategy across planets with spells and terrain-shaping battles

Bullfrog Productions · Published by Electronic Arts · Released Mar 7, 2024

Reviews: Very Positive; 88% of 454
Recent reviews: Not enough recent
Playing now: 7; right now
Steam Deck: Untested
Last update: Unknown; no patch notes found

What is Populous™: The Beginning?

This real-time strategy game takes place across a 3D star system, where you guide a shaman and her tribe in a quest to conquer 25 planets and become a god. You order followers to gather resources, build settlements, and attack rival tribes while casting spells and reshaping terrain.

For you if...

+you like directing followers to gather, build, and fight
+you enjoy using spells to reshape battlefields

Not for you if...

−you prefer turn-based decisions over real-time battles
−you want to build settlements without attacking other tribes

What players say

88% of 454 reviews are positive

Players praise the real-time strategy and spellcasting, and returning players say it remains fun to revisit. The most common complaint is that the game fails to launch or run properly on some modern PCs.

Screenshots and trailer