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 2.89€ on Steam with a 90% discount, but you can find it for 1.00€ on Instant Gaming.

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.

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.

Jan. 2026

$2.99 buy it on sale omg I’ve owned it for years but I seen today it’s $2.99 on sale If you like 4x grand strategy games this game has years of mod support a amazing Star Trek mod and I can’t recommend it enough

Dec. 2025

Technical note: Runs flawless on any Linux distro with WINE or PROTON! . I recommend the up-do-date Lutris WINE script. This is THE perfect entry 4x Space Sim, if you want to dive into one of these games. These days, it is cheap and you will not have to regret spending money, while uncertain, if you will 'like' this kind of deep game. There are great Beginner guides and Youtube tutorials if you are completely new to this. Plenty of still working fan websites offer a variety of mods. What makes this game so appealing (to me) is the ability to turn on/off single automated parts, dynamically. You can focus on playing a single element and leave everything else to the competent AI, or you can - when you are in the mood - switch automated systems off, pause the game, and check and manipulate any given detail: construction. colonization. diplomacy. battles ... which is also fun. Usually, I am overwhelmed with the amount of 'things' and notifications in real-time grand strategy games. Not in this game. The Paradox Games typical 'analysis-paralysis' does not apply here. Every notification is meaningful and allows you to pause the game, address the issue and offers contextual solutions. (for example: a recon ship finished exploring. Click on the notification, you will be warped to that distant system, click on your ship and see what actions you can use in the right-click context menu, to go on). At this date, this game has a legendary status among 4x SciFi fans. Others have written much better and detailed reviews, with 1000s of hours of playtime. Read those, if you still are not convinced. My playtime is on GOG.

Sept. 2025

One of my favorite 4X games. This game includes all of the expansions to the original game. I didn't see all that much improvement in Distant Worlds 2. I see that some people have had issues running it on Windows 10 & 11. I never had an issue, but I also understand that there is a fix to that.

July 2025

This game does something very right that I hope more games can incorporate and learn from in the future: the economy. Watching the organic evolution of your empire's economy, with the various levels of control you can exercise based on your preferences and decisions, brings a sense of realness and a living world to the game. It's very satisfying to check and nurture and see factors of growth or decline. I recommend a check into this game for that especially, but it's also just fun all around. Attack the end boss ASAP or you die.

March 2025

The best game experience with Expansion Mod + DWUR

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Frequently Asked Questions

Distant Worlds: Universe is currently priced at 2.89€ on Steam.

Distant Worlds: Universe is currently available at a 90% discount. You can purchase it for 2.89€ 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	13 March 2026 19:04
SteamSpy data	09 March 2026 16:26
Steam price	15 March 2026 12:43
Steam reviews	13 March 2026 21:47

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