The Roman Empire is a time period that’s always ripe for videogames, and we’ve seen many tackle the iconic historical setting. Strategy games such as Civilization, Age of Empires, and Total War have all taken their swing, and newcomer Roman Triumph feels like it’s learned from all of them, with a little SimCity and Cities Skylines in the mix for good measure. Out now on Steam after five years in development at the Montreal-based Coreffect Interactive, you can grab the new city builder at a big early discount and join its early access journey.
Roman Triumph combines elements of Age of Empires, Rome Total War, and Cities Skylines into a Roman Empire city-building game that pits you against barbarian factions and more magical threats alike. Out on the northern fringes, you’ll have to deal with a randomly generated environment, responding to the resources at your disposal and the threats you face to build and fortify a thriving city filled with happy, hard-working citizens. Trade with neighbouring settlements and set up social and religious structures, and you’ll quickly ramp up to prosperity.
As the years progress, you’ll be targeted by increasingly dangerous barbarian hordes attempting to pillage your lands. That’s just the start, however; as you continue to grow you may incur the ire of more mythical creatures. The gods are also tremendously important to the life of your citizens, and you’ll need to appease them with temples and ensure you follow their edicts less you incur their wrath and face consequences such as disease, thunderstorms, or worse.
The early access launch features a full city-building loop with the wave defense elements, upgrades, trading, aqueducts, and several gods to deal with. There are also some mythological creatures such as dragons and the hydra, but you can opt to turn these off if you’d prefer a more ‘grounded’ playthrough. Of course, that’s just the beginning. Coreffect has a big roadmap packed with everything from new biomes, maps, and scenarios to additional units, structures, and Roman wonders.
As early access progresses, expect defensive tools such as flamethrowers, catapults, and traps; late-game production chains for the likes of wine and olive oil; new enemy types including mythical beasts such as minotaurs; and improvements to religion. The developer will also continue to work on optimization, citizen AI, and overall quality-of-life updates, and is considering the potential to introduce official mod support.
Roman Triumph is out now on Steam in early access, with a 25% launch discount available until Thursday April 17 allowing you to get it for $18.74 / £15.74. Coreffect adds that it plans to increase the game’s price once it reaches 1.0, which it expects to take approximately one year, so take a look now if you want to get in on the ground floor.
Alternatively, take a look through more of the best strategy games in 2025, along with the best management games, to keep your skills sharp.
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