Ancient Worlds: Egypt

Ancient Worlds: Egypt is a retro-inspired city-building game in which you build and rule cities along the Nile. You provide households with goods and services to raise them through 15 housing levels, design and beautify complex districts, and defend your empire from invading armies. Shortages or neglected districts can bring a city to ruin.

Roads and city life

Most buildings must connect to roads, which your people use to move around. Service walkers bring goods and services to houses, while delivery walkers collect resources from storage and take them to producers. You design districts so buildings receive what they need on time, and can control road walkers’ routes with roadblocks or custom paths. Military units can be moved freely around the map.

Elite households do not work, but they are an important part of the empire. They demand more luxurious goods and appealing surroundings, and can advance through five elite housing levels. Gardens, statues, pillars and other decorations improve an area’s desirability, helping elite households evolve. You can also prioritize which industries receive workers, since a shortage can leave essential roles, such as architects, unfilled.

Resources and services

The game has 25 goods, which can be harvested, mined, bought or produced. Maps do not always provide everything you need, so you may have to rely on several methods. You also provide access to religious facilities, doctors, courthouses, entertainment and other services.

The Nile floods once a year. Crops cannot be grown during the flood, and structures on floodplains are destroyed, except for roads and farms. Buildings also need maintenance to prevent them from collapsing or catching fire. If people become sick, their houses are burned to stop the disease from spreading, so you need enough apothecaries.

Trade and worship

Buy and sell resources and goods through land or water trade, and tax your people to help cover expenses such as military upkeep. You must also fulfill kingdom requests on time or your reputation will suffer. Each map lets you choose one ancient deity to worship, and each god has a different effect.

Monuments and defense

Build obelisks, mastabas, and stone, limestone or smooth pyramids. Each monument requires different resources, which you must harvest or import if they are unavailable locally. Pyramids come in various sizes; larger ones take more resources and time to complete.

Build walls, towers and gates, produce or import weapons, and recruit and control legions to defend your city from invaders. An overview system shows current levels of risks and services, helping you identify areas that need attention.

Maps and modding

Create custom maps with the map editor and share them on Steam Workshop. You can also modify unit and building settings, or add new ones by editing the game’s files.

The game includes 17 tracks of Egyptian-style music, with nearly an hour of music in total.