A city builder of the Persian empire, 530 to 479 BCE

SHAHANSHAH

Build the cities of the Persian empire, march the King's armies to the great battles of 530 to 479 BCE, and learn the history as you play. A painted city builder from Cyrus's Pasargadae to the field of Plataea.

Watch the trailer

Build

Lay out streets and houses, feed and water your people, and raise the great works part by part: the Tomb of Cyrus, the terrace at Persepolis, the palace at Susa. Every level builds with its own materials and dresses its own townsfolk.

Rule

Trade with real neighbours: Babylon and Media send tribute, Phoenicia and Naucratis send ships, and some cities have to be asked for earth and water first. Set the King's dues and keep the court's favour.

Fight

March the nations' contingents to each battle's own ground, with up to 20,000 men: Thermopylae with Artemisium, Plataea with Mycale, the sack of Athens. Command triremes at Lade, Artemisium and Salamis.

Learn

An illustrated Encyclopedia of 528 articles and 2,694 painted sections marks how we know each part: the record, an ancient account, disputed, or later legend.

Screenshots

The phalanx in the narrows between the cliff and the sea
The phalanx in the narrows between the cliff and the sea
Pasargadae's court quarter, palaces and walled garden
Pasargadae's court quarter, palaces and walled garden
Persian horse riding into the Egyptian ranks at Pelusium
Persian horse riding into the Egyptian ranks at Pelusium
Memphis at scale: houses, palms, citizens and carriers
Memphis at scale: houses, palms, citizens and carriers
The King's fleet massed in the strait of Salamis
The King's fleet massed in the strait of Salamis
Night war: houses burning
Night war: houses burning
The Encyclopedia's Memphis page
The Encyclopedia's Memphis page
Lamplit houses and streets at night
Lamplit houses and streets at night
The sea battle HUD and its order icons
The sea battle HUD and its order icons
The Act II story panel at Susa
The Act II story panel at Susa

11 levels, Pasargadae to Plataea

Each level's history page tells what happened there and how we know it. The free demo is Level 1, Pasargadae; Early Access has every level built so far.

Level 1: The Founder's TombPasargadae, 530 BCE · free demoLevel 2: The Spear-bearerMemphis, 525–524 BCELevel 3: The LieBagastana, 521 BCELevel 4: The TerraceParsa, 521–509 BCELevel 5: The CharterSusa, 519–515 BCELevel 6: The Bridge of BoatsThe Ister, 513 BCELevel 7: Sardis BurnsSardis, 499–494 BCELevel 8: The Bay of MarathonMarathon, 490 BCELevel 9: The CanalAthos, 483–480 BCELevel 10: The Hot GatesThermopylae, 480 BCELevel 11: The FinalePlataea, 480–479 BCEEpilogue: MycaleMycale and the Hellespont, 479 BCE

The Encyclopedia

Every battle, building, soldier, ship, ruler, people, place and royal order the game names, each with its paintings and sources.

Follow the build

Scenes with the King, his court and his enemies are dramatizations based on Herodotus, the Behistun inscription and the other sources named in the game. Windows and Linux.