Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares cover

Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares 1996

Released: November 22, 1996
Anniversary: Turns 30 on November 22
Genres: Strategy · Turn-based strategy (TBS)
Platforms: PC · Mac · DOS
Developer: Simtex
More info: Wikipedia IGDB

Where to buy

Digital: GOG $2.39-60% Steam

The lowest price we've seen on GOG since September 2026 More deals on GOG, and in Strategy
In a collection: Master of Orion 1+2

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Physical: Search on Amazon

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Is it still worth playing?

Simtex's 1996 turn based 4X strategy game for MS-DOS, Windows 95 and Macintosh, played alone or against up to eight players. You design a custom race from a pool of points or pick from 13 predefined ones, research across eight areas, choose a government, negotiate, hire leaders and manage spies. Tactical combat in star systems lets ships turn and marines board, and ships can reach any system within range instead of being limited to wormholes. Food has to be balanced or colonies starve. You win by conquest, by winning an election as galactic leader with two thirds of the votes, or by assaulting the Antaran homeworld through a Dimensional Portal. Custom race design, several routes to victory and ship by ship tactical combat still make each game start differently today.