Master of Orion cover art

Master of Orion

Master of Orion is a competitive game of interstellar conquest that combines exploration with conflict. You are cast as the immortal emperor who shapes the future of your race, as contact is made with the…

84 6 September 1993

Master of Orion is a strategy developed by Simtex, released 6 September 1993 on DOS, Linux, Mac and PC (Microsoft Windows). The main story takes about 33.3 hrs to finish.

Verified Sources: IGDB , Steam , Wikipedia

What Master of Orion is

Master of Orion is a strategy game developed by Simtex and released in 1993. It was published by MicroProse Software, Inc.. It is available on DOS, Linux, Mac and PC (Microsoft Windows).

The premise, in the publisher's words

Master of Orion is a turn-based, 4X science fiction strategy game in which the player leads one of ten races to dominate the galaxy through a combination of diplomacy and conquest while developing technology, exploring and colonizing star systems.
Description from Wikipedia · source

How it plays

It is played from a bird view / isometric perspective. Its themes are 4x (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate) and science fiction. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component. Available modes: Multiplayer and Single player.

How it was received

Master of Orion holds a critic score of 84 out of 100. That places it above 82% of the 3,250 rated strategy games in our database, which average 72. Games released in 1993 averaged 64, so it scored 20 points above the year average. Player ratings track closely with critics at 86, across 51 votes.

How long it takes, and what that costs

The main story runs about 33.3 hrs.

What you need to run it

The minimum specification calls for 1 GHz, 256 MB RAM and 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7. At 0GB of RAM, it will run on essentially any working PC — that is below what a budget laptop ships with today. Both tiers are compared side by side on the requirements page, and you can check your own parts against them without installing anything.

Full requirements and PC checker →

What it launched against

Master of Orion launched on 6 September 1993, within three weeks of Sonic CD, Myst, Gunstar Heroes and Fatal Fury Special. It reviewed better than 3 of the 4.

Released around the same time: Sonic CD, Myst, Gunstar Heroes, Fatal Fury Special.

Cheats and codes

We have not confirmed any working cheat codes for Master of Orion yet. Rather than reprint a list we have not tested, this section stays empty until one is verified.

Know one? Send it in and we will test it →

Official trailer

Game intro thumbnail

Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel. See all 2 videos →

Screenshots

All media

Dlc

Remakes

Quick answers

Master of Orion — frequently asked questions

When did Master of Orion come out?
Master of Orion was released on 6 September 1993 for DOS, Linux, Mac and PC (Microsoft Windows).
What are the minimum PC requirements for Master of Orion?
At minimum, Master of Orion needs 1 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7 graphics, 161 MB available space of storage.
How long does it take to beat Master of Orion?
The main story of Master of Orion takes around 33.3 hrs.
How many GB is Master of Orion?
The PC version needs about 0.2 GB of storage, going by the storage line in the system requirements ("161 MB available space"). Updates can add to that, and console versions have their own sizes, which are not listed here.

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