Tyranny on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Experience a story-driven RPG where your choices mean all the difference in the world.
Tyranny is a rpg, choices matter and story rich game
developed by Obsidian Entertainment
and published by Paradox Interactive.
Released on November 10th 2016 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 6 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Polish and Russian.
It has received 12,738 reviews of which 11,080 were positive and 1,658 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Gamivo.
The Steam community has classified Tyranny into these genres:
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 7 64-bit or newer
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 @ 2.80 GHz / AMD Athlon II X4 840 @ 3.10 GHz
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5770 or NVIDIA GeForce GTS450 with 1GB VRAM
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card
MacOS
- OS: OSX 10.10
- Processor: Intel Core i5 @ 2.9 GHz
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: Radeon HD 6950m with 1GB VRAM
- Storage: 15 GB available space
Linux
- OS: 14.04 LTS
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9505 @ 2.80 GHz / AMD Athlon II X4 840 @ 3.10 GHz
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5770 or NVIDIA GeForce GTS450 with 1GB VRAM
- Storage: 15 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
After around 35 hours, I can confidently say Tyranny is one of the most unique CRPGs I’ve ever played. Instead of the usual "you’re the chosen one, now go save the world" narrative, you play as a Fatebinder—essentially a magical lawyer—in service of an empire that’s already conquered most of the known world. You’re not here to stop evil. You are the evil. Or at least, you're working for it. And that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. Ever wanted to pit two allied factions against each other just to make your own position more secure? You can totally do that. Want to torch a massive ancient library with the scholars still inside? The game hands you the matches. Feel like tossing a smug NPC off a cliff and turning them into red paste? You can, and if you're feeling extra efficient, you can even strap a letter to their body for your allies to pick up down below. What about infanticide? Would you kill a baby so that order may be instilled in the land? because Yes, the game even gives you the option to kill a baby for the sake of “law and order.” The writing is easily the best part. The world is dark, politically messy, and full of genuinely great characters. And your choices actually matter. I don’t mean just a few different dialogues. I mean entire quests, zones, and even companions can change depending on what you do. It’s the kind of game that makes you want to start a second playthrough right away to see how else things could play out. There’s also a reputation system. You build loyalty and fear with your companions, and favor or wrath with factions. These affect not just how people talk to you, but also unlock special dialogue options, interactions, and even abilities. But one of the most unique things in the game is the magic system. You don’t just learn preset spells. Instead, you collect sigils (like fire, illusion, lightning, etc.) and expressions (like AoE, single target, chain). Then you mix and match to build your own spells. Want a lightning spell that jumps between enemies, causes bleeding, and lowers their lightning resistance? Done. A fireball that also freezes people? Weird, but yes. You're only limited by your Lore stat, and it’s honestly one of the most fun systems I’ve seen in an RPG. That said, Tyranny isn't without its flaws. The ending is kind of a let down. After all the great writing and build-up, the last act feels super rushed. Plot threads just get tied up in minutes, and instead of a real finale, you get a basic slideshow wrap-up which I’d be fine with but even those feel more like placeholder slides. Not terrible, but definitely underwhelming. The combat is okay. It’s real-time with pause, and it works, but it gets repetitive pretty quickly. The build variety is kind of limited, so once you settle into your strategy, fights start to feel samey. and enemy variety isn’t great either—you’ll fight the same few types of enemies over and over, with only minor variations. After a while, battles start to blend together. It’s definitely not the game’s strong point. And lastly, it’s a bit short. I played pretty thoroughly and still hit the end credits at 35 hours. It felt like the story was just ramping up when it suddenly stopped. Still, even with those flaws, Tyranny is absolutely worth playing—especially if you love story-driven RPGs and want something different from the usual hero’s journey. The whole “servant of a tyrant” setup is pleasantly refreshing, and the game really lets you lean into being a clever manipulator, a brutal enforcer, or a defiant rebel. Your choices matter, and the world reacts to them. Highly recommended if you’re into CRPGs and looking for something a little darker and more original.
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I just completed my first playthrough and I have to say that this is one of the most amazingly written RPGs I have ever played. The premise alone is unique but the pacing and overall execution bring it to life properly, creating an unforgettable experience. Word of warning, this one's a little grittier than quite a few other fantasy RPGs. This is a war story, a war story well told, and war stories can be pretty rattling. Still, it balances the grim and the dark well against other elements and masterfully avoids the pitfalls of preachiness, cheap edginess or shallow fanfic angst. It doesn't sacrifice storytelling in the name of good taste, nor does it pile on putrid shock value unnecessarily. I found the occasional humor woven into the storytelling very enjoyable, a little dark and irreverent but never completely lapsing into crude for the sake of crude. The voice acting is solid and in conjunction with writing, it made the companions and certain other characters quite memorable. And no, I'm sorry, you can't f... uh, romance your companions. That said, I never found myself missing the option and if anything,... it's somewhat refreshing in 2025. The visuals, although a bit dated, are decent enough not to detract from the experience but by no means a selling point. Still, I did very much appreciate the art style in the cutscenes. It does a good job of solidifying the game's unique character. I enjoyed the combat and the spellcrafting system - real time tactical combat with pauses is something that I fondly remember from other, slightly older games. If you're a turn-based tactical or action RPG player, it might take a tiny bit of getting used to but the learning curve isn't too steep. Tyranny is absolutely worth a playthrough or three (and you bet I'll do at least two more).
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Original, compelling, and conceptually different in so many awesome ways. Frees you from some of the more tropey "Save the world / You're the chosen one / The power of friendship and love overcomes all" stuff in RPGs. If you like playing RPGs that truly allow you to be your own character rather than railroading you toward 4 or 5 versions of the same character, this is it. Obsidian, PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER GAME SET IN THIS UNIVERSE!!!!!
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One of the top five in the genre. Seriously underrated for some reason. The story is top shelf and if you wanna go magic as a primary, it has a fantastic magic system where you build all your spells how you want. A must own really.
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Tyranny does some very interesting things, most of which stem from its core premise: you, the player, begin in a position of significant power, and with that comes respect and authority. This power only grows as the game progresses, which is reflected both narratively and mechanically. The narrative is, overall, very well done. The world is fascinating, the characters feel realistic and complex, and the way that the player is regarded by other characters reflects their authority at all times. Notably, it supports a variety of playstyles along the "evil" spectrum, so if you wanted to you could be a raving murdering lunatic, or you could play a more "realistic" evil of seeing the insurmountable might of the Overlord and seeing rebellion against their order as futile and destructive. Without spoiling anything, there are numerous moments that have the player make awful decisions or cause extreme destruction, which can only be accomplished in a setting like Tyranny's - so it's good that the developers made use of that. That's not to say the narrative is flawless; some parts definitely fall flat where they should have shone, and other parts feel rushed, incomplete, or otherwise in need of more explanation and attention, but these negatives are firmly outweighed by the well-executed instances as well as the setting in general being unique and interesting. The gameplay and combat are serviceable; the pathfinding is occasionally irritating and you'll end up fighting most combats the same formulaic way, but it does the job. RPG elements (leveling up, perk selection, skill increases etc.) are generally simplistic and weak. I didn't really use the magic spell creation system (just as a byproduct of party composition), but it'll be attractive if you like combining spell parts to create 'custom' spells. I feel like only about two skills, maybe three, got used; I can't even name the other ones. Training also trivializes any of your skill increases from other places, which is an issue that's exacerbated by the poor in-game economy and item selection / distribution. It's a real shame that Paradox owns the IP here, as the disparity between Paradox and Obsidian (in conjunction with the generally niche popularity of Tyranny) means that this IP is unlikely to ever see the light of day again, which is the strongest point of Tyranny. With a different format (ex. turn-based) or a bigger budget and marketing, a sequel to Tyranny could do some absolutely fascinating and unique things. TL:DR, the narrative, world, and writing are great. Gameplay and combat are serviceable. Skills / skill use, perks, items / economy are weak. Overall worth playing just to see the unique parts of Tyranny's setting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Tyranny is currently priced at 29.99€ on Steam.
Tyranny is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 29.99€ on Steam.
Tyranny received 11,080 positive votes out of a total of 12,738 achieving a rating of 8.48.
😎
Tyranny was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive.
Tyranny is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Tyranny is playable and fully supported on MacOS.
Tyranny is playable and fully supported on Linux.
Tyranny is a single-player game.
There are 5 DLCs available for Tyranny. Explore additional content available for Tyranny on Steam.
Tyranny does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Tyranny supports Remote Play on Tablet. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Tyranny 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 Tyranny.
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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 | 01 September 2025 18:03 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 10 September 2025 13:48 |
| Steam price | 13 September 2025 12:47 |
| Steam reviews | 12 September 2025 21:52 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Tyranny, 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 Tyranny
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Tyranny concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Tyranny compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
52
Developer
Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher
Paradox Interactive
Release
10 Nov 2016
Platforms
Remote Play
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