Master of Orion 1 on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Forge an empire in a universe where population growth is stripping away planetary resources. Colonize unknown planets and trade with other races for their knowledge.

Master of Orion 1 is a strategy, 4x and turn-based game developed by SimTex and published by Wargaming Labs.
Released on February 25th 2016 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux in 3 languages: English, French and German.

It has received 394 reviews of which 356 were positive and 38 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.4 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 5.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Master of Orion 1 into these genres:

Strategy 4X Turn-Based Space Classic Sci-fi Turn-Based Strategy Singleplayer 2D 1990's

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Master of Orion 1 through various videos and screenshots.

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows

OS *: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10
Processor: 1 GHz
Memory: 256 MB RAM
Graphics: 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7
DirectX: Version 7.0
Storage: 161 MB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 7 Compatible

MacOS

OS: Mac: OS X 10.6.8 or later
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz+
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 64MB of video memory
Storage: 161 MB available space

Linux

OS: Ubuntu 14.04, Linux Mint 17
Processor: 2.0 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Graphics: 256 MB VRAM, OpenGL compatible
Storage: 161 MB available space

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Jan. 2025

Retro Space Battles and Resource managment galore!

Jan. 2025

Best game ever created. Graphics are super dated but the gameplay and music makes up for it.

Jan. 2025

This is an outstanding game. I have played it many times since it's original release, and it still is a great game. Once you master it though it is a bit easy to beat, and the harder levels just mean that the AI enemies cheat a lot, but still fun. As great as this game is, the remakes are not awesome (the new MoO is good). Remnants of Precursors is the true evolution of this game, play it, its good.

Sept. 2024

Master Orion is amazing. It puts to shame most space games. Yeah i'm looking at you Stellaris, MO2, MO3 and whatever else you can come up with. It's great depth hidden from the easier levels. The designs, ships and tactics are wide whilst there is a simplicity and ease of use with the interface. If it feels slow using dos-box just do ctrl+F12 to increase CPU cycles. Well worth the price

Aug. 2024

Gameplay: 10/10 Story: 6/10 Graphics: 7/10 (for the time) Performance: 5/10 Overall: 7/10 Master of Orion is a name that should immediately command respect when it comes to the 4x genre. Released in 1993, this it laid the groundwork for the entire 4x space strategy genre, setting the stage for titles like Galactic Civilizations and Stellaris. But what makes this arguably fully pixelated piece of gaming history so remarkable? Master of Orion puts you in control of a fledgling spacefaring civilization, tasked with exploring the stars, expanding your empire, exploiting resources, and exterminating rival species, and thats precisely where the term, "4X" comes from. Most people would have heard of the Civilization series, which set the groundwork, for all 4x games. Master of Orion takes this further to a space setting and all the challenges that come with this. Diplomacy, technology research, and fleet management are key components, and the game gives you a remarkable level of freedom in how you approach each. For example, one distinct aspect that even modern 4x games can't emulate is that the CPU takes a "I'm in it for me" attitude, rather than simply ganging up on the player. CPU opponents will challenge and wage war against each other. It's very possible to complete a Master of Orion game having never gone to war with anyone. Unlikely, but possible! To that end, the game often feels more like a scaled down empire simulator than an actual game. You can very quickly become immersed in the addictive gameplay! The story in Master of Orion is not a strong point and can be summed up very easily. You take control of a single empire ranging from the simple, but balanced humans who excel at diplomacy to alien bears that would make Wookie's fur tremble or evil alien cats (because every space game has to have evil alien cats since Wing Commander established the trope). You can usually guess what a race's abilities will be based on their appearance. The focal point of the game is the Guardian who naturally guards the Orion system, which holds some of the most advanced technology in the game after being left by the stereotypical "precursors". Any civ that beats the Guardian and claims this mythical world ultimately has a much better chance of winning the game. Although, beating the Guardian is entirely optional. This is about the extent of the story. Definitely don't go into Master of Orion expecting a thrilling story. Like many 4x games, you must create your own story as you play and the story becomes its own from the choices you make. Visually, Master of Orion is definitely a product of its time. The graphics are simple, with a pixelated charm that evokes nostalgia for early '90s gaming. While the visuals may not hold up by today's standards, they were adequate for the era and serve the gameplay well. The game's interface is clean and functional, allowing you to focus on strategy rather than getting lost in flashy visuals. Performance-wise, is where I give the lowest marks to Master of Orion. Normally, I can tolerate old games, but there is just something about DOSBox emulation that I just can't stand. As a result, there are very few games I can tolerate. I'll take a Windows port any day of the week. So naturally, it was one of the first things I sought when I started playing Master of Orion. Thankfully, a sort of "port" exists in the form of 1OOM. Although, installing it was a pain. I'll save you the trouble of posting how to install it below: Go to : https://gitlab.com/KilgoreTroutMaskReplicant/1oom/-/tags Pick 1.0 and then on the right download as a zip. Unzip this and put it into your Master of Orion Steam directory (where you installed the game). Then Go To: https://github.com/1oom-fork/1oom/releases and download 1oom-v1.11-x64.zip (if you're on a 64 bit PC and why wouldn't you in 2024?). Copy all the .dll files and put them in your Master of Orion directory and then copy over the 1oom_classic_sdl2.exe file. Use this file to run the game. Congrats! You now have what is probably the best version of Master of Orion to play without all the hiccups, lag and otherwise unpleasantness of the DOSbox version. It even comes with mouse drag support! As a final tip, make sure you read the included manual and check out the strategy wiki.You'll be thankful you did!: https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Master_of_Orion Overall, Master of Orion is a must-play for anyone interested in the roots of strategy gaming. It may not have the flash of modern titles, but its gameplay depth and strategic complexity more than make up for it. Whether you're revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time, Master of Orion offers a timeless experience that stands tall in the annals of gaming history. If not for its critically better sequel, it would be hailed as the greatest space 4x game of all time.

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Steam data	17 April 2025 14:04
SteamSpy data	11 April 2025 13:15
Steam price	17 April 2025 12:45
Steam reviews	16 April 2025 23:54

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5.99€

8.4

356

Online players

Developer

SimTex

Publisher

Wargaming Labs

Release 25 Feb 2016

Platforms