Reviews

"...strategy blender Sword of the Stars mixes one part Homeworld-style RTS combat with an equal portion of interstellar empire builder Master of Orion. The concoction works superbly, adding an intricate turn-based strategy layer to the signature 3D real-time space battles."
— PC Gamer UK

"Has the things you crave vis a vis stellar dominion."
— Penny Arcade

About the Game

Year 2405 — Sword of the Stars — Human scientists have discovered a new technology, the Node Drive, which will finally allow travel from star to star at speeds faster than light. As mankind sits poised on the brink of a new era, tragedy strikes: the first interstellar colony ship is destroyed and Earth itself ravaged by an unknown alien race. What was to be the Dawn of a new Age instead was the beginning of a new reality...We are not alone...and we are not safe.

Year 2435 — Born of Blood — Years have passed since the first stellar empires began to expand. Four races once set out to explore and conquer the galaxy, meeting in fiery clashes that spanned the universe, but now a promising age of diplomacy dawns. A new alien race emerges shattering the uneasy peace. With new drive systems, ships, technology, and tactics, the Zuul burst onto the scene with a devastating agenda. Form alliances and learn to work with your foes as you lead your fleets to victory in a universe at war.

Year 2450 — A Murder of Crows — While the four civilized races battle back the voracious Zuul and seek advantage over each other, a ghost from the past returns to the galaxy in the form of the manipulative Morrigi. Already known for their dark crow-shaped attack drones and deadly traps, this race once thought long extinct, returns looking for vengeance. Using never-before-seen weapons, ships and tactics, the Morrigi fall upon the other five races of the Sword of the Stars universe, who must now adapt to the ancient masters of space or be destroyed. Time is of the essence as world after world falls to the black winged ships that surge out of the dark like A Murder of Crows.

Take control and build the ultimate empire in the Sword of the Stars series. In classic 4X style, prepare to eXplore mysterious star systems, claim planets to eXpand your empire, eXploit your resources, then design and build your own bigger, faster, stronger ships to eXterminate your enemies in epic, tactical, 3-D battles!

• Play as one of 6 distinct races — Human, Hiver, Tarkas, Liir, Zuul and Morrigi; each with their own technological advantages and disadvantages
• Each race has a unique mode of transport between star systems, creating very different styles of play and bold new challenges
• Live out tense, first-contact situations in full 3D combat, which rivals anything seen in the 4X strategy genre
• Over 200 technologies to research in a dynamic tech tree that changes from game to game
• Over 70 weapons from 6 different weapon classes varying in size classes, from devastating nuclear missiles, cutting laser beams, combat drones, cloaked mines, boarding pods and plasma projectors, to massive siege drivers that can destroy entire planets
• Research rewards players with new detailed ship models, weapons and combat effects
• Deep economic model that is easy to control through an intuitive interface
• Research languages to open diplomatic lines of communication or simply stick to negotiating with your own race; form alliances, non-aggression pacts or go to war with anyone who stands in your way
• Dynamic environments and random events add to the overall atmosphere; discover alien artefacts, wade through meteor showers, and encounter strange alien menaces
• Players can design and build ships from three size classes: Destroyer, Cruiser, and Dreadnought, by mixing and matching ship sections to suit their game play style
• 8 player multiplayer — online or LAN — against AI, human opponents, or both. Hotseat drop-in and drop-out for those epic games!
• 3 difficulty settings, 19 galaxy types, and 11 historical scenarios
• Civilian populations, independent worlds, Espionage options, and demands for planetary surrender!
• Drone carrying ships in all three size classes — customize your drone weaponry, just like bigger ships!
• Construction ships, a variety of orbital stations, spy ships, Police Cutters, and more
• A stand-alone multiplayer server!

System Requirements