Distant Worlds: Universe on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game. Experience the full depth and detail of turn-based strategy, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game.

Distant Worlds: Universe is a strategy, 4x and space game developed by Code Force and published by Slitherine Ltd..
Released on May 23rd 2014 is available in English only on Windows.

It has received 1,819 reviews of which 1,377 were positive and 442 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.3 out of 10. 😊

The game is currently priced at 28.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for 0.65€ on Gamivo.

The Steam community has classified Distant Worlds: Universe into these genres:

Strategy 4X Space Sci-fi Simulation Grand Strategy Singleplayer Real-Time RTS Real-Time with Pause Moddable Sandbox 2D Indie Adventure Replay Value Epic Management

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Distant Worlds: Universe through various videos and screenshots.

Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot
Distant Worlds: Universe screenshot

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 Vista, Windows 7, 8, 10
  • Processor: Pentium 4 @1.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: minimum 1024 x 768 resolution, 32 bit
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Storage: 1 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9 compatible
  • Additional Notes: Requires Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer

User reviews & Ratings

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

Feb. 2025
Well what can I say. I had this game in my library for a couple of years reluctant to start playing as it seemed overwhelming. Boy was I wrong and wish I'd started earlier. Everything can be adjusted to your playstyle. Heck you can even automate everything and just explore the galaxy Star Trek style. To get the game to run on win 11 just go to the setup ini file and change the intro video to 0 rather than 1 so that it skips the video at the start avoiding a crash.
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Jan. 2025
Looks like something I would enjoy, but takes a ton of time to learn, at least I would think, to play as in-depth as I would like. Game ran perfectly, despite being on modern hardware, and performed well... just seems to be one hell of a micro management game (which I typically enjoy) with tons of automation, partially or fully, which turn it into more of a macro game. Gives the feel of Starsector, but in a more basic sense, as attacks appear to be more HP based instead of location based, and stats and systems are items (could be wrong, just saw all the items my ship had, like cannons, sub-systems, etc.); Figured I would like it, and likely buy it again, so I refunded it for now to buy something that's much more basic and helps me to not focus too much on the death of my best friend...
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Sept. 2024
Love this game, although I just recently got it to run on Steam. I'm old-school and love the depth of older games - unlike the playschool crap they put out these days. For those having issue, I have a windows 10 machine. Went through the 'pinned' troubleshooting guide, which was useless. Found someone's comment about finding the game's Startup.ini and setting playmovie from 1 to 0. That was it, works like a charm. Hope this helps someone. Update - I've downloaded and installed the recommended mods that you'll find throughout the reviews. They are awesome updates to the original. Makes the game even more enjoyable. I completely recommend so far.
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Aug. 2024
Distant Worlds seems to have a better ship design system than Distant Worlds 2. You have more flexibility in number of weapon systems allowed per ship. DW2 locks you in and limits your flexibility, even so, I enjoy and recommend both games.
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July 2024
I still come back to play this game from time to time. I love the art style and how it plays in general. I've tried Distant Worlds 2, but I sadly did not enjoy it. The game has a tall learning curve, but when or if you overcome that, it turns into a really fun game. I myself like to play this game slowly, controlling most of the game with little automation except for a few need-to's.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Distant Worlds: Universe is currently priced at 28.99€ on Steam.

Distant Worlds: Universe is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 28.99€ on Steam.

Distant Worlds: Universe received 1,377 positive votes out of a total of 1,819 achieving a rating of 7.30.
😊

Distant Worlds: Universe was developed by Code Force and published by Slitherine Ltd..

Distant Worlds: Universe is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Distant Worlds: Universe is not playable on MacOS.

Distant Worlds: Universe is not playable on Linux.

Distant Worlds: Universe is a single-player game.

Distant Worlds: Universe does not currently offer any DLC.

Distant Worlds: Universe does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Distant Worlds: Universe does not support Steam Remote Play.

Distant Worlds: Universe is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Distant Worlds: Universe.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 09 June 2025 16:07
SteamSpy data 10 June 2025 01:48
Steam price 14 June 2025 20:42
Steam reviews 12 June 2025 23:48

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Distant Worlds: Universe, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Distant Worlds: Universe
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Distant Worlds: Universe concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Distant Worlds: Universe compatibility
Distant Worlds: Universe
28.99€ -98% 28.99€ 0.65€ -96% 28.99€ 1.29€
7.3
1,377
442
Game modes
Features
Online players
12
Developer
Code Force
Publisher
Slitherine Ltd.
Release 23 May 2014
Platforms
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