Empires Apart

Empires Apart is a free-to-play medieval real-time strategy game for PC from DESTINYbit and Slitherine. The current Steam listing still uses the original name, with no verified rebrand or replacement edition. Its focus is straightforward: gather resources, build an economy, command armies, and compete across procedurally generated maps with distinctly designed civilizations.

Classic RTS structure with asymmetric civilizations

Empires Apart uses a familiar top-down RTS perspective built around worker management, base construction, scouting, production, and direct battlefield control. Villagers collect Food, Wood, Gold, and Stone, while your infrastructure determines how quickly you can expand, research improvements, and replace losses.

Matches move quickly compared with slower empire-management games. You begin by establishing an economy, securing nearby resources, and deciding whether to invest in military pressure or technological development. Military structures produce units such as spearmen, archers, knights, and catapults, creating a readable counter system that rewards scouting and army composition rather than blind unit spam.

The playable civilizations are designed to feel meaningfully different. The free Byzantines form the entry point, while the Arabs, Aztecs, Chinese, French, Koreans, and Mongols each bring their own units, technologies, heroes, and strategic priorities. That asymmetric design is the main reason to keep learning the game after the basic resource loop becomes familiar.

Heroes, relics, diplomacy, and changing objectives

Every civilization has access to unique heroes, and hero selection matters before the match begins. Heroes provide different strengths and abilities, so the opening plan can change depending on whether you want stronger combat pressure, economic support, or a more defensive approach.

Map control is not limited to territory around your base. Players can collect relics for powerful bonuses, trade with allies, and contest valuable positions while keeping an eye on enemy expansion. Diplomacy can also change the shape of a match: in the relevant modes, players may form alliances, cooperate temporarily, or break agreements when the balance of power shifts.

The game offers several victory structures instead of relying only on total base destruction. Conquest centers on destroying enemy Town Centers while preventing timely reconstruction. Assassination makes hero survival the priority, while Diplomacy variants add alliances and betrayal to the objective. These rules give familiar RTS battles a sharper tactical identity.

Skirmish, Survival, Challenges, and online play

Empires Apart is structured around repeatable matches rather than a long narrative campaign. Offline players can use Skirmish mode to choose a civilization, hero, opponents, teams, difficulty, map type, map size, population limit, and visibility settings. The official game documentation describes support for up to eight participants in a skirmish setup, including AI opponents.

Survival mode changes the rhythm completely. During the day, you strengthen the economy, add buildings, and recruit units. At night, increasingly dangerous enemy waves attack from multiple directions. This makes worker efficiency and defensive preparation just as important as conventional army control.

Challenge mode provides focused scenarios built around problem-solving and mechanical execution. These challenges are especially useful for learning the identity of each civilization before entering ranked matches. Online features include Ranked matches, custom matches, unranked play, online PvP, and online co-op support.

Free base game and civilization DLC

The current commercial model is important for anyone deciding whether to try the game. Empires Apart is free to play, and the Byzantines can be used across the available modes and maps without purchasing a civilization pack. Free players can also play against other civilizations controlled by AI or other players.

The additional playable civilizations are sold separately as DLC packs. The listed civilization add-ons cover the Arabs, Aztecs, Chinese, French, Koreans, and Mongols. Each pack unlocks that civilization for play in every mode, while the game allows prospective buyers to encounter other factions and test them through dedicated scenarios before purchasing.

That model makes the free version a genuine trial rather than a restricted demo. It also means the content question is less about a traditional premium edition and more about whether the free Byzantines provide enough variety for you, or whether you want access to the full faction roster.

Who Empires Apart suits

Empires Apart is aimed at PC players who enjoy fast medieval RTS matches, asymmetric factions, build-order experimentation, and competitive multiplayer. It is a reasonable fit for players who want the familiar rhythm of villagers, resource lines, military production, and expanding bases without committing to a much larger campaign-driven strategy package.

Players seeking extensive story campaigns, deep historical simulation, or a large single-player progression system should set expectations carefully. The strongest reasons to play are the faction matchups, repeatable skirmishes, challenge scenarios, and multiplayer rules rather than a narrative journey.

For a heavier castle-economy emphasis, the medieval fortress-building RTS structure of Stronghold HD is a useful comparison, although Empires Apart places more weight on civilization asymmetry and competitive battles.

PC features, input, and storefront status

Empires Apart is distributed through Steam and uses Steam's online services for multiplayer. The Steam store lists Steam Achievements, Trading Cards, Leaderboards, Family Sharing, online PvP, and online co-op. A third-party EULA is required, so the game is not presented as a fully standalone DRM-free PC release.

Mouse and keyboard are the natural control method for its economy, hotkeys, selection groups, and real-time army management. Steam configuration data identifies gamepad input, but the storefront does not advertise the game with a conventional full-controller-support label. Players should therefore treat a controller as a secondary option rather than the intended interface.

The Steam listing provides interface localization for 10 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, German, and Japanese. Full audio and subtitle support are not listed separately, so the verified localization is interface-based.

Comparable strategy games on PC

Players who want a broader civilization roster, longer campaigns, and a more extensive historical RTS ecosystem may prefer the large-scale historical empire-building format of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Empires Apart is more compact, but both games share the core loop of gathering resources, advancing an economy, producing counters, and fighting over map control.

If settlement management, seasonal pressure, and faction-specific economies appeal more than conventional medieval warfare, the territory-focused Viking RTS design of Northgard offers a different interpretation of real-time empire building. Its pacing is more survival-oriented, while Empires Apart is more directly centered on army production and match objectives.

Empires Apart FAQ

Is Empires Apart still called Empires Apart on Steam?

Yes. The current Steam storefront continues to list the game as Empires Apart, and no verified rebrand or successor storefront name was found.

Is Empires Apart free to play?

Yes. The Byzantines are available for free across the listed game modes and maps. The other six civilizations are sold as separate DLC packs.

How many civilizations are playable?

The full roster contains seven civilizations: Byzantines, Arabs, Aztecs, Chinese, French, Koreans, and Mongols. Only the Byzantines are included as the free starting faction.

Does Empires Apart have multiplayer?

Yes. Steam lists online PvP and online co-op, with Ranked, Custom, and Unranked match options. Offline play includes AI-focused Skirmish, Survival, and Challenge modes.

Does Empires Apart have a campaign?

The game is built around skirmishes, survival sessions, challenges, and multiplayer rather than a traditional story campaign. Challenge scenarios provide focused single-player objectives and faction practice.

Is Empires Apart better with a controller?

Mouse and keyboard remain the safer choice for RTS control. Steam configuration data recognizes gamepad input, but the storefront does not present Empires Apart as a full-controller-support title.