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 398 reviews of which 360 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:
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.
This game was made when it was assumed you'd read the manual and were keeping it at-hand. You should download it and read it, and the game will periodically demand that you accurately select the name of a ship that appears within a page range of the manual. I played this game as a 9-11 year old boy, and just came back to re-experience it 33 years later. It was a great deal of fun once I firmly understood that the sliders on your colony are a direct representation of the output of your factories on that colony. More factories (ind) with a sufficient population (eco) to staff the factories, and technologies that give multipliers to factories (Computers and Construction) improve the output that your slider delivers, whether it's to build ships or research tech. If it's your first time really soaking in the game, I suggest the following game settings: Hard. Medium Map. 4 Opponents. I like Psilons. Klackons are also a good option, but... be experimental if your heart desires. It can be fun to play the other races, even if a bit less optimal. Large and Huge maps don't add difficulty or depth, but mostly they add to late-game tedium (a state where you know you've won, but you still have to do a ton of work to button-it-up). Early-mid game: medium and small-sized fleets, with medium ship as anchor. Ion beam if early, Fusion beam if mid. Sometimes you can skip this fleet and just rely on missile bases while you tech, especially if you're Psilon. I like to get 10 or so on each planet once I've got the factories up. Pair with decent missile research. Late game: Large ships rule. Tri-focus Plasma x 3 or 4 (once you get death ray, you can slot in a death ray). High Energy Focus. Graviton Beam. Zyro/Lightning Shield. Impossible has wild odds that RNG will end your run, even if you've got a firm hold over the game mechanics.
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Been put off a little bit by the GUI, but honestly, once you put a little time in the game, you discover some deep gameplay for such an old game. Trade routes, Threaty with other races, fleet to build, colonies to expand, etc. It starts real slow, but once you encounter other races, the game really reach another level. Really nice if you like ressource managing games.
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I have probably played this game a couple of hundred times, if not over 1,000. From 1999 to 2005, this was my favorite game to play, and I mean finishing one game and starting a new one immediately. I like the entire series, but nothing will ever replace the OG.
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One of the classic 4x games, that still did many things best. Unlike newer entries into the genre that I've tried, this one does not bog the player down with the minutia that a stellar commander would relegate to underlings. It is simple and straight forward. The combat is definitely oversimplified though.
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I revisited this legendary classic. It's still fantastic. There is also a fan remake, Remnants of the Precursors, that did an incredible job but sometimes coming back to the original (with its music and art) is enjoyable. While not the first 4X space game (nod to Reach for the Stars), this was the one really popularized space 4X games (and coming on the heels of the first Civilization game that created the initial 4X frenzy, albeit not in space). You choose one of 10 race selections... and each race has their distinct flavour and approach to the game. For example, the Meklar are cybernetic masters of automated production. They can produce more industry than other races, do not pay for refitting their factories for automation, are excellent at researching computer technologies, while poor at pursuing planetology research. Some races also loath other races (beware when the Alkari and Mrrshan confront each other!). The beauty of the MoO1 design is that it does a terrific job of reducing micromanagement. Planetary resources can be allocated to five different areas (ship building, planetary defense, building industry, ecology (including pollution control), technology research). The technology tree, of which there are six branches, is well designed. Each game, the tech tree of each race is randomized (no race can research every possible item - some items are randomly left off of the tech tree for a particular race). It's a great approach that adds to replayability... what you research will change from game to game. If you really want something that your race cannot research, you need to either trade for it or steal it from another race that has obtained it. When an important tech is discovered that is beneficial for planetary improvement (such as an improved planetary shield), the game conveniently offers to increase your planetary spend of all planets to start building in. This is an example of good game design... eliminating the need to micromanage each planet to build something important. MoO1 also introduces a solid ship design. Each race can have up to six unique ship designs at play. Ship combat is tactical but quick-based. Multiple ships of the same class are grouped together and move/fire as a group. There is no individual ship control, which is very helpful in minimizing too much micro in combat. MoO1 really succeeded in reducing micromanagement in various areas of the game... something that many subsequent 4X games failed to achieve, including MoO2. MoO1 is still worth the buy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Master of Orion 1 is currently priced at 5.99€ on Steam.
Master of Orion 1 is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 5.99€ on Steam.
Master of Orion 1 received 360 positive votes out of a total of 398 achieving a rating of 8.38.
😎
Master of Orion 1 was developed by SimTex and published by Wargaming Labs.
Master of Orion 1 is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Master of Orion 1 is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Master of Orion 1 is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Master of Orion 1 offers both single-player and multi-player modes.
Master of Orion 1 offers both Co-op and PvP modes.
Master of Orion 1 does not currently offer any DLC.
Master of Orion 1 does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Master of Orion 1 does not support Steam Remote Play.
Master of Orion 1 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 Master of Orion 1.
Data sources
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Last Updates| Steam data | 19 April 2026 08:08 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 23 April 2026 09:33 |
| Steam price | 29 April 2026 12:46 |
| Steam reviews | 29 April 2026 04:06 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Master of Orion 1, 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 Master of Orion 1
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Master of Orion 1 concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Master of Orion 1 compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
58
Developer
SimTex
Publisher
Wargaming Labs
Release
25 Feb 2016
Platforms