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Populous cover art

Populous

Released

  • Acorn Archimedes
  • PC-9800 Series
  • Sharp X68000
  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
  • Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • Atari ST/STE
  • PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine
  • Mac
  • DOS
  • Amiga
  • Sega Master System/Mark III

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About

Populous is a real-time strategy game where the player takes the role of a deity influencing the development of civilizations. You shape terrain, guide followers, and use natural disasters like floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes to influence or eliminate opposing tribes. The game features an isometric perspective and includes 500 levels (worlds), each with different challenges. Originally developed by Bullfrog and designed by Peter Molyneux, it is considered one of the earliest examples of the god-game genre.

Developer
Bullfrog Productions
Publisher
Electronic Arts, Hudson Soft, Imagineer, Tec Toy
Genres
Real Time Strategy (RTS), Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Strategy
Themes
Fantasy, Sandbox
Modes
Single player, Multiplayer
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Age ratings
ESRB T, USK 12, PEGI 7, ACB PG, GRAC ALL
Time to beat
2 h rushed · 8 h normally · 26 h completionist
IGDB rating
74 / 100 (47 ratings)
Also known as
Populous.exe

Release dates

PlatformRelease
Acorn Archimedes
Amiga
Atari ST/STE
DOS
Mac · North America · Worldwide
PC (Microsoft Windows)
PC-9800 Series
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · North America · Europe · Japan · Brazil
Sharp X68000
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine

Screenshots

  • Populous screenshot 1
  • Populous screenshot 2
  • Populous screenshot 3
  • Populous screenshot 4
  • Populous screenshot 5

Game data and images from IGDB. Names and artwork belong to their respective owners.