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How Empires Work

How Empires Work

English supported Lowest recorded! Casual Indie Simulation Strategy
10%$9.99 $8.99

Sale ends

An incremental grand strategy game about building the machinery of empire. Tax, trade, conquer, and civilise subjects and foreigners alike. Automate it all into institutions that run themselves across centuries of history. Her Imperial Majesty expects results.

Players now 122

Should you buy?

It's at its all-time low

This is about the cheapest it has ever been, so buying now is unlikely to leave you with regrets.

Lowest recorded$8.99Now at the lowest
Sales in the past year1 times
Typical discount10%Up to 10%
This sale ends in6 days left
Big Steam saleD-44Steam Winter Sale
US Steam price$8.99Korea 18% cheaper · ≈₩12,073

This is for reference, based on past price records, and doesn't guarantee future prices. Prices from before Wish9 started tracking and the all-time low come from IsThereAnyDeal.

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Price history

$7.99$8.49$8.99$9.49$9.9911/04 00:0011/04 06:0011/04 12:0011/04 18:0011/05 00:00Steam all-time low $8.99 (ITAD)2026-11-04 00:30 · $8.99 (-10%) (IsThereAnyDeal history)2026-11-04 02:30 · $8.99 (-10%)

Small hollow dots are price history from before Wish9 started tracking, taken from IsThereAnyDeal. A dot appears only when the price changes.

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My PC vs. requirements

MinimumRecommended
Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 or AMD R9 270 (2GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better)—
Processor Intel Core i5-2400 @ 3.1 GHz or AMD FX-6300 @ 3.5 GHz or equivalent—
Memory 8 GB RAM—

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About this game

DeveloperCrow Cottage
PublisherCrow Cottage
Released3 Nov, 2026
Languages
English

Full audio · Listed languages are supported in the interface, subtitles, or audio (at least one).

The Empress Demands your support

Empires are systems of power, and Her Imperial Majesty has entrusted you to with building one. Do not disappoint her.

A display of Money, increasing at an accelerating rate into the millions.

Incremental Grand Strategy

In How Empires Work you manage the development of a state, from local lordships to enormous networks of trade and conquest. Discover systems of taxation, trade, colonization, labour and more.

As your state grows, unlock automation features that turn repeated actions into complex interlocking institutions. Build the economic and political machinery of empire, then employ your aristocracy to manage the bureaucracy that keeps it running.

A beautiful world, yearning for your enlightened rule

Explore and expand across a hand-painted world that comes alive with flows of capital, commodities, and armies.

Employ both diplomatic influence and conquest to bring new lands into your imperial system.

Discover systems and master history

As your empire develops the game changes around you, and new approaches are required to stand the test of history. You will have to deal with internal troubles, rival powers, and - regrettably - the French.

Grow your economy, expand your influence, and watch your decisions compound into a grand imperial structure.

If you master the game you might even learn How Empires Work!

Features

  • Incremental Grand Strategy: Start with the humble click of a button and expand into the management of an Early Modern state of tax collectors, traders, armies, colonies and bureaucrats!

  • Explore new regions, build roads, manage provinces, and project influence far and wide.

  • Build your economic engine and let it propel you into new eras along the long arc of history!

  • Lean on your aristocracy and growing bureaucracy to create the systems that sustain expansion!

  • Turn profit into power, and power into profit - just like real life!

  • Receive firm, helpful and always perfectly reasonable guidance from Her Imperial Majesty!

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FAQ

QHow much does How Empires Work cost right now?

How Empires Work costs $8.99 right now. That's 10% off the regular price of $9.99.

QWhat is the lowest price ever for How Empires Work?

Based on Wish9's price records and IsThereAnyDeal history, the lowest price is $8.99.

QShould I buy How Empires Work now?

The current price ($8.99) is at or very close to the lowest price on record. It has gone on sale 1 time in the past year. The next big Steam sale, the Steam Winter Sale, starts in 44 days. This is for reference, based on past price records, and doesn't guarantee future prices.

QWhat are the recommended and minimum specs for How Empires Work?

Minimum: Graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 or AMD R9 270 (2GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0 or better), Processor Intel Core i5-2400 @ 3.1 GHz or AMD FX-6300 @ 3.5 GHz or equivalent, Memory 8 GB RAM. Save your PC specs on Wish9 to compare them with this game instantly.