Populous™
Populous™
Game
Game2024
Populous™: The Beginning
Developer Bullfrog Productions
Populous: The Beginning is a real-time strategy video game and the third entry in the Populous series, developed by Bullfrog Productions. The game was released in 1998 on Microsoft Windows, and in 1999 for the PlayStation. Unlike earlier games in the series, which cast the player in the role of a god influencing loyal followers, The Beginning took a radical departure and placed the player in the role of a shaman,… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
204 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Mastodon, Bluesky) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
85
LovedLoved
156 positive · 28 negative
95% range 79–89%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 156 | 28 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
210 of 244 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
86% recommend · 157 yes, 26 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 183 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (401 of 456 positive).
Many report it does not run well on Windows 11 without fixes. [1][2][3] Some recommend using the Multiverse Launcher or compatibility settings. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [14]
my fav game ever can't recommend this release because it's not optimized for current gen os/hardware. EA can put the resources into bringing this up to date. as is, just a cash grab. plz fix
- [1]
One of the best games ever produced for a personal computer. I love this game since its release 1998. But this version here is not running stable under Windows 11. - The blue planets in the level view are missing. - save game number 7 can not be loaded again. - and in all the versions after we left Windows 95, since Windows XP there is a problem, that the game doesnt function at all from Level 14, somtimes level 19 …
- [8]
I used to watch my dad play this on his old PC. But he always enjoy building the most TURTLE Base where the AI not able to climb or pass through. Good ol' times watched him play. Now 10 years since he passed away, this game is quite nostalgic for me. Each spells echoes his voice mimicing shaman chants.
- [4]
Before you buy please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11RdRZs-Mxg&t=184s Too many negative reviews because people can't get it to work, don't want anyone to miss out. The original campaign is still incredible to play with the Multiverse Launcher and there's dozens of other campaigns, mods and an active multiplayer community to play with as well. Really a beautiful strategy game, there's nothing …
- [11]
Best RTS game I've ever played. This runs great on steam deck. Make sure to change resolution to 1280x800. Also you can set TDP limit and GPU clock to lowest which will make deck run at 6~7W. Somehow the game is always running at 30FPS regardless what the settings (both in game and steam overlay) are.
Summarised from 34 of the 205 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
86% of the 183 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Populous™: The Beginning. The complaint that keeps coming up: does not work properly on Windows 11 out of the box. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Populous: The Beginning received generally favorable reviews on release. Computer and Video Games called it one of the year's best titles. IGN's Ward Trent was especially smitten with the immersive 3D graphics. Edge stated, "previous Bullfrog games have always placed gameplay above graphical finesse, but that's no longer the case." GameSpot's Ron Dulin appreciated how The Beginning was a daring revamp of the series, instead of a safe, slightly modified sequel (like the earlier Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods). Computer and Video Games rated The Beginning as a "better play" than the original. Populous: The Beginning played very differently from earlier titles. Edge concluded that…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 204 · most liked firstOne of the best games ever produced for a personal computer. I love this game since its release 1998. But this version here is not running stable under Windows 11. - The blue planets in the level view are missing. - save game number 7 can not be loaded again. - and in all the versions after we left Windows 95, since Windows XP there is a problem, that the game doesnt function at all from Level 14, somtimes level 19 on. Electronic Arts should not only sell this game in 2024, i should run on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →my fav game ever can't recommend this release because it's not optimized for current gen os/hardware. EA can put the resources into bringing this up to date. as is, just a cash grab. plz fix
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best RTS ever. Love it that it is on Steam finally. Does not work out of the box. If you install Multiverse Launcher it works perfectly in Windows 11. Followed this guide and now I can open via steam and play without any issues: https://youtu.be/11RdRZs-Mxg
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Before you buy please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11RdRZs-Mxg&t=184s Too many negative reviews because people can't get it to work, don't want anyone to miss out. The original campaign is still incredible to play with the Multiverse Launcher and there's dozens of other campaigns, mods and an active multiplayer community to play with as well. Really a beautiful strategy game, there's nothing else quite like it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →OK, so, i pressed all the buttons so you wouldn't have to this is a comprehensive FAQ on what to do to make this run smoothly. first off, running this game as is works like crap.... at least for me.... apparently starts with the D3DPopTB.exe and that one doesn't work well for me, if the same thing happens to you, go to the installation folder and run popTB.exe instead (or popTBUW.exe for the expansion) (if you want time to count in steam, u should rename the files instead... rename popTB.exe…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game , very addictive . Would love a remastered version some day though !!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game of the year ~2000~ , to bad they didnt continue this populous on a new game and stop on The Begining , the concept of this game is so good... damn i cant find something like this even now...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I used to watch my dad play this on his old PC. But he always enjoy building the most TURTLE Base where the AI not able to climb or pass through. Good ol' times watched him play. Now 10 years since he passed away, this game is quite nostalgic for me. Each spells echoes his voice mimicing shaman chants.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Timeless Masterpiece with original and fun gameplay ideas and stunning music! It is one of the top games that deserves a faithful remake. Important note! After I updated my PC to Windows 11, the game doesn't run well (it's unplayable), so enjoy it while you have Windows 10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Does not even run! Gets to the main menus then have no control. Steam should be ashamed to sell broken games!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game had me so hooked as a kid that I ended up with a master’s degree in religious studies. No regrets.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Title: This beloved game doesn't work on my PC with Windows 11. :( I'm so happy this game is available for purchase here at Steam now, since I miss it so much. That is, I have the PC CD-ROM of this game, and have had it since 2006, but for over 10 years now, it's been unable to run on my PC. I just bought this game here at Steam, hoping it would work on my current PC, with Windows 11, but unfortunately, it lags, the mouse cursor in the game doesn't appear, so I'm unable to play this game.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really ticked off. I LOVE this game so much. I own three copies (ps1, and two on the pc). If i could pick ANY game to have a remake it would be this one <3 I decided to buy this version as I stupidly expected E.A to get it working fully with moderen systems.. I was wrong. The game flatly refuses to launch. I am 39, a pc builder and a gaming fanatic. I know what to do when a game doesn't load.. and i've tried them all. A quick look on the forums and it seems people with higher end systems…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A timeless masterpiece from my childhood! Spent 20hours redoing the original campaign, and it was a total blast. I cannot recommend it enough for oldschool RTS veterans who long for a perfect mix up between base builder & hero gameplay (the hero being the shaman. First of all: head to https://www.popre.net/downloads.php Be sure to grab the latest modded patch (1.03), the "Displacements Patch" mod (graphic overhaul) and the Resolution changer so you can play it in full screen, no black bars to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember playing this game for hours on end as a kid, it still hits the same way in my 30's, this is still the best god-sim I have found even after all of these years.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the demo as a kid, 20 years later and I can finally play the full game as an adult. Such as life...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember playing this game for the first time back in the 2000's when I was 7 or 10. Me and my brother used to take turns playing it. This game is what started my love for RTS games like Age of Empires and Battle for MIddle Earth! I found this game on Steam and knew I had to play it again and even though I haven't played it in almost two decades, it's like I never stopped! The graphics are definitely dated but this game is a cult and vintage classic!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Works with Windows 11 you just have to close steam, right click steam, run as administrator, then play the game. Or you could do the Multiverse launcher route talked about in other reviews/youtube and get around 200 levels instead of just the original 25.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everyone, to play on windows 11 you need to set the main file to compatibility mode. Took me a while but I got it working. I love this game brings back so many memories.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It doesn't work on Windows 11 per other reviews. No fix/process is doing anything about that either. I managed to get the tutorial to work once, after that it never worked properly again. So about 20 minutes of janky, awkward 800x600 play and then it didn't want to open and run again. 100% doesn't work from steam launcher, doesn't work from any of the four program .exe files either.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best RTS game I've ever played. This runs great on steam deck. Make sure to change resolution to 1280x800. Also you can set TDP limit and GPU clock to lowest which will make deck run at 6~7W. Somehow the game is always running at 30FPS regardless what the settings (both in game and steam overlay) are.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My personal journey I first discovered Populous: The Beginning around the year 2000 on PlayStation 1. Back then, the idea of playing as a shaman, casting powerful spells, and leading a tribe to victory was something completely new for me. I spent countless hours on it, and it quickly became one of the most memorable strategy games of my childhood. Background & development • Third entry in the Populous series, developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts (1998 PC / 1999…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a certified hood classic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Doesn't work. Tried a few different fixes but the game just freezes on launch.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game! I really enjoyed playing this game again - one of my favourite childhood games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought this on sale 1/25 and was super pumped to play this great game from my childhood. It hasn't been adapted for modern PCs and freezes up when you try to play. I was forced to do a hard restart.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game in 1998 when it came out. its not without its quirks but super solid concept. still feels good all these years later to gain a spell you didnt have before and unleash it upon your enemy. worth every penny. could charge more and i would pay it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd like to see this game redone and updated with more content.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unable to run properly on my modern Windows 11 computer. The main menu is unresponsive, causing the entire system to hang. Installing third party community updates did not help. Was fun back in the day, but now DEFECTIVE. Make sure you TEST it before you're outside of the return window.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh this game is so damn good. Even today I enjoy it alot!! Back in the days when it was new I was 12 and had the time of my life. Its scratchin that itch no other game can really fill up to this day and gives you godmode as much as you want. There's not that much variety and the grafix are dated but thats not the point! You're playin a god, controling a shaman with crazy ass powers! This was way befor wc3! This version has some issues.. but it's really cheap on the other side and at least…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Four of my favorite games released in 1989 🤩 What are yours? #RetroGaming #Populous #IndianaJones #PrinceOfPersia #FutureWars
neutral · AI labelView post →Broken and unplayable. Crashes on start up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was the very first game ive ever played on pc when i was a kid. i have been obsessed ever since. i always have this game on my pcs and ive beaten it probably 100 times. i wish there were more games like this, and unfortunately the developers dont make games like this anymore. Play as a god, train an army and wreak havoc on the planets and the other tribes. Volcanoes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Lightning, and more is at your hands to devestate th enemy tribes. My Favorite game and WILL ALWAYS…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bring out a Populous 2 this game is an amazing strategy and it needs it now day graphics-level options on how hard you want to play and new scenery few new solders and itll sell big time with the right advertising and bullfrog behind it, this game has never been given enough credit
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love this game, had to run it in software mode (popTB.exe within local files) as default d3dpoptb.exe was resulting in a black screen (when did get it going it ran poorly and crashed a lot). Just had to created a popTB.exe short cut and add /allres as an extension to the path to get 1080p res.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Crashes instantly on boot up no matter if I repair files or re-install, how unfortunate... (Btw this is a great game, just not the steam port)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wasted so many hours playing demo on PSone as a kid. Time to waste many many more on full game as an adult!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Populous: The Promised Lands 🚩 (1989) I had a lot of fun with this expansion, which added 5 new worlds and 500 levels! 😀 Did you know that the Atari ST and Amiga versions were released on the same disk? #Populous #Bullfrog #RetroGaming #AtariST #Amiga #DOSGaming
positive · AI labelView post →They sent in some guys and my guys made them read the halo 2 manual so they switched sides, proceeded to beat their queen to death, kill their wives and raid their own homes while I summoned a volcano on their mosque, a glorious day. I remember this game from my childhood, it's still as good if not better than I remember. worth a buy 100%
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Populous: The Beginning" might have been groundbreaking in 1998, but in 2024, it's hard to justify spending 5 euros on this relic, unless you're seriously nostalgic for the era of clunky 3D god games. While it introduced some novel ideas back then, like terrain manipulation and a mix of god game and RTS mechanics, a lot of its charm doesn't hold up in today's gaming landscape. The 3D graphics, which were once impressive, feel awkward and dated now, and the gameplay loop just doesn’t have the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An innovative classic from a long-neglected IP. Terrain manipulation is a unique aspect of this game that I really haven't found an example of anywhere else, at least as far as strategy games are concerned. It encourages finishing levels in creative ways, which for me was where a lot of the fun was found while completing the single player levels.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lost my all saves when I was at lvl 16...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow what a delight to see this game rereleased such a shame they never updated it. So much fun and fond memories it such a classic
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even more fun: in the Bit Plains world, you play Commodore against Atari if you're playing on Amiga! 🤜 ⚡️ 🤛 Or vice versa, if you're playing on Atari ST (look the flags) Which side are you on? 😁 🧵 2/ #Populous #Bullfrog #RetroGaming #AtariST #Amiga #DOSGaming
neutral · AI labelView post →My favourite game from my childhood! Works flawless in Arch LInux using Proton 9.0! There some minor tweaks needed to be able to save normally but that's it. Totally recommended.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →well, played it in 2000, playing it now. Awesome games)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I'd like to recommend this, as it's a bit of a classic, I ran in to too many technical issues on Windows 11 to feel comfortable doing so.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →About Time It came to Steam! This game is hand down the best God-Sim game going, yes it might be old coming out at 1998 but this game has and is still doing well. i would 100% nab this game, the Single player campaign is amazing not to hard but not to easy, and they even put in the Extra map Undiscovered worlds for more content and more hrs of playing. I have got this game many times, own it on PS 1, Bought it off the PlayStation Store, Seen it on GOG Bough it, and also on EA (I think),…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply Doesnt load
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The music is fantastic and the setting is quite unique, but I simply don't have fun playing it due to the combination of the zoomed in graphics, primitive controls and randomness, which result in very confusing and frustrating battles. For its time it must have been great, but in 2025 I would recommend getting other strategy games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have been playing Populous TB since the original game came out in the 90's. A fun game and a great way to pass the time. This game never grows old!!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →classic tactical strategy game, feels great to be able to relive my childhood games through steam definitely suggest modding it with "Populous: Enhanced Edition"
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here are two more screenshots! The first shows the sprites for the characters 🧍 The second shows the untextured tiles 🌍 There are 2x16 tiles. The first 16 are used above sea level and the other 16 at sea level (check the screenshot in the previous message) 🧵 2/ #RetroGaming #Populous #Bullfrog #IsometricGame #PixelArt #GameDev
neutral · AI labelView post →I used to love playing this game years ago, it is just as fun as I remember. What an amazing game, they don't make them like this anymore.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Populous™: The Beginning could have been a fun game in modern times, but its camera is far too rigid to continue battling with in scenarios where multiple notifications are popping up on screen and missions can fail instantly if certain enemy units are not killed immediately, like preachers who can stop entire armies and convert them to their side within a short time frame. With the limited resolution options and the camera being quite zoomed in, it becomes overly taxing to move the camera…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Choose 20 games that greatly influence you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. Day 2: Populous - The Beginning #GameChallenge #Populous
neutral · AI labelView post →I repeatedly played the demo of this game for the PS1 in the early 2000's and it certainly was a catalyst towards my love of strategy games. Made by Bullfrog, it has a similar aesthetic to Theme Park World and Theme Hospital which I loved also, and I sought out the PS1 title for my collection a while back, though only played the first few missions. However, picking this up on Steam for a couple of pounds in a sale, and being able to use the mouse to control things over the dualshock…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →BLAST FROM THIS PAST !!! Gods I love this game - I have been WAITING fr it to come back out - Imagine my excitement when it did. BUT to my dismay - it crashes - a almost aft each level. So SAVE often. I really wish they would create an updated version of this one. The Devs are missing out on an opportunity
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Without doubt one of the RTS games ever made. Holds up exceptionally well by today's standards and has a perfectly paced campaign mode. Armageddon mode activated!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A classic has been resurrected. KA-KA
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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