# The Settlers
**The Settlers** is a city-building real-time strategy video game series launched in 1993 by the German studio Blue Byte, in which players found and develop a medieval settlement by building production chains, managing resources, and expanding into new territories rather than commanding individual workers directly[1](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers) • [2](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4URbd4lF5dYqgPiBzeaocE/the-settlers-history-collection-out-now). Ubisoft, which acquired Blue Byte in 2001, now owns and publishes the franchise[3](https://staticctf.akamaized.net/8aefmxkxpxwl/1nPTq33cO1ix8fyLcVGdmR/f20b6101302e96f3492bdd72e61aa9f8/annual_report_2003-2004_UK.pdf). The series ran through seven main entries between 1993 and 2010, followed by *The Settlers: New Allies* in 2023[4](https://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/the-settlers-history-collection/) • [5](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-settlers-new-allies-review/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First release | *The Settlers* (1993), published in some markets as *Serf City: Life is Feudal*[1](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers) • [6](https://www.dailypcgamereviews.com/2011/03/lets-settle-this-like-grown-men.html) |
| Original developer | Blue Byte Software, Düsseldorf; acquired by Ubisoft in 2001[3](https://staticctf.akamaized.net/8aefmxkxpxwl/1nPTq33cO1ix8fyLcVGdmR/f20b6101302e96f3492bdd72e61aa9f8/annual_report_2003-2004_UK.pdf) • [7](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/editor.production.pressmatrix.com/emags/211203/pdfs/original/fe919d53-2941-4a70-a8bc-a7e87800ab68.pdf) |
| Mainline entries | Seven titles from 1993 to 2010, plus *The Settlers: New Allies* (February 17, 2023)[4](https://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/the-settlers-history-collection/) • [5](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-settlers-new-allies-review/) |
| Core gameplay | Economy-focused strategy: build production chains from raw resources to goods, and expand territory[8](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers/review/) |
| Signature design | The player never commands a single settler directly; goods are carried along road networks by the settlers themselves[9](https://gamesnostalgia.net/series/the-settlers) |
| Re-releases | *The Settlers History Collection* (2018) bundles all seven main titles with Windows 10 support[2](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4URbd4lF5dYqgPiBzeaocE/the-settlers-history-collection-out-now) |
## Gameplay
The Settlers is an economy-focused strategy game in which the player builds a settlement from scratch and manages it to supply resources for its people[8](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers/review/). The defining idea came from designer Volker Wertich, who began the project intending to make another god game in the vein of *Populous* and *SimCity*, but after almost a year scrapped that design and rebuilt it around a settlement where the player never commands a single person directly[9](https://gamesnostalgia.net/series/the-settlers). Instead, every building and settler has a purpose within a supply-and-demand economy, and the player's work is to set up the flows of food, minerals, and building materials that keep the settlement running[10](https://www.nag.co.za/wp-content/archives/2011/004NAG%20April%202011.pdf) • [11](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers-ds/review/).
Production chains are the series' central mechanic. A simple example from *The Settlers 7* runs from woodcutters felling trees into logs, refined into planks at a sawmill, and finally used by constructors to raise buildings[12](https://gameinformer.com/games/the_settlers_7_paths_to_a_kingdom/b/pc/archive/2010/03/23/review.aspx). Military options exist, but establishing a healthy supply chain of food, minerals, and building materials is the key to consolidation and expansion[11](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers-ds/review/).
## Series history
**Blue Byte era.** The first game appeared in 1993, and *The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici* followed on PC/DOS in 1996[1](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers) • [13](https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/after-nearly-30-years-settlers-ii-arrives-on-amiga-classic-rts-sequel-finally-gets-the-commodore-version-it-deserved). [Ars Technica](https://www.edgepedia.org/ars-technica)'s history of the genre credits the 1996 follow-up with perfecting the slow-paced, multi-resource-dependent city-building formula[14](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/10/from-simcity-to-well-simcity-the-history-of-city-building-games/). *The Settlers III* arrived in 1998, and *The Settlers IV* (marketed in North America as *The Settlers: Fourth Edition*) in 2001[4](https://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/the-settlers-history-collection/) • [15](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-settlers-fourth-edition-review/1900-2805314/).
**Ubisoft era.** Ubisoft acquired Blue Byte in 2001, and the [Düsseldorf](https://www.edgepedia.org/dusseldorf) studio has since developed the Settlers projects[3](https://staticctf.akamaized.net/8aefmxkxpxwl/1nPTq33cO1ix8fyLcVGdmR/f20b6101302e96f3492bdd72e61aa9f8/annual_report_2003-2004_UK.pdf) • [7](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/editor.production.pressmatrix.com/emags/211203/pdfs/original/fe919d53-2941-4a70-a8bc-a7e87800ab68.pdf). The tone of later installments changed, starting with *The Settlers: Heritage of Kings* in 2005, followed by *The Settlers: Rise of an Empire* in 2007 and *The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom* in 2010[4](https://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/the-settlers-history-collection/). Settlers 7 reduced the emphasis to smart economy management, adding prestige buildings that produce Clerics who research technologies, a technology tree, and a separate upgrade system[16](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/the-settlers-7-paths-to-a-kingdom-review/).
**New Allies.** After a 13-year gap, *The Settlers: New Allies* was released on February 17, 2023, developed by Ubisoft Blue Byte[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-settlers-new-allies-review/). Ubisoft describes it as combining an in-depth build-up experience with real-time strategic battles, with three playable factions[1](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers).
## Reception
The early games established the series' reputation. *The Settlers III* was received as a refinement that did not play much differently from its predecessor[17](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/settlers-iii-review/1900-2532950/), and *The Settlers IV* drew a similar verdict: one Metacritic-listed critic called it the best in the series and possibly one of the best real-time strategy games around, while noting that owners of Settlers III would find it more an upgrade than a whole new game[18](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-settlers-fourth-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=pc). The Fourth Edition's new features were the addition of warships and a retooling of the Settlers III magic system[15](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-settlers-fourth-edition-review/1900-2805314/).
*The Settlers: New Allies* was received poorly by critics. [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) scored it 60, calling it a slow-paced and overly simplistic take on city building and war waging, with paper-thin combat mechanics and no fast-forward option, though it praised the wholesome looks and relaxing atmosphere[5](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-settlers-new-allies-review/).
## Legacy
The series is regarded as a genre-defining city-builder and real-time strategy franchise by its current owner[1](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers), and some accounts assert that the original Settlers pioneered the city-building real-time strategy genre[13](https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/after-nearly-30-years-settlers-ii-arrives-on-amiga-classic-rts-sequel-finally-gets-the-commodore-version-it-deserved). Its influence shows in later titles: the Viking-themed RTS *Northgard* is described as paying dues to Settlers and [Age of Empires](https://www.edgepedia.org/age-of-empires)[19](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-strategy-games/), and the Anno series, which Blue Byte also develops, shares the colony-building element with a greater emphasis on trade routes[14](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/10/from-simcity-to-well-simcity-the-history-of-city-building-games/).
The back catalog remains active. The 2018 History Collection made all seven main titles available on PC with [Windows 10](https://www.edgepedia.org/windows-10) optimization, autosave, 4K support, and online multiplayer via Uplay for several entries[2](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4URbd4lF5dYqgPiBzeaocE/the-settlers-history-collection-out-now). In 2025, the German team Look Behind You released an officially licensed Amiga port of *The Settlers II* Gold Edition on October 18, 29 years after the sequel's DOS debut, in boxed, digital, and limited collector's editions[13](https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/after-nearly-30-years-settlers-ii-arrives-on-amiga-classic-rts-sequel-finally-gets-the-commodore-version-it-deserved).
## References
1. [The Settlers, Ubisoft, Our Brands](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/company/about-us/our-brands/the-settlers)
2. [The Settlers History Collection Out Now, Ubisoft News](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/4URbd4lF5dYqgPiBzeaocE/the-settlers-history-collection-out-now)
3. [Ubisoft Annual Report 2003-2004](https://staticctf.akamaized.net/8aefmxkxpxwl/1nPTq33cO1ix8fyLcVGdmR/f20b6101302e96f3492bdd72e61aa9f8/annual_report_2003-2004_UK.pdf)
4. [The Settlers History Collection review, Popzara Press](https://www.popzara.com/games/game-reviews/the-settlers-history-collection/)
5. [The Settlers: New Allies review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-settlers-new-allies-review/)
6. [Daily PC Game Reviews: Let's settle this like grown men](https://www.dailypcgamereviews.com/2011/03/lets-settle-this-like-grown-men.html)
7. [Ubisoft Makes Blue Byte, studio feature](https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/editor.production.pressmatrix.com/emags/211203/pdfs/original/fe919d53-2941-4a70-a8bc-a7e87800ab68.pdf)
8. [The Settlers Review, Pocket Gamer](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers/review/)
9. [The Settlers series overview, GamesNostalgia](https://gamesnostalgia.net/series/the-settlers)
10. [The Settlers II: Gold Edition, NAG April 2011](https://www.nag.co.za/wp-content/archives/2011/004NAG%20April%202011.pdf)
11. [The Settlers Review (DS), Pocket Gamer](https://www.pocketgamer.com/the-settlers-ds/review/)
12. [The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom Review, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/games/the_settlers_7_paths_to_a_kingdom/b/pc/archive/2010/03/23/review.aspx)
13. [After nearly 30 years, Settlers II arrives on Amiga, Tom's Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/after-nearly-30-years-settlers-ii-arrives-on-amiga-classic-rts-sequel-finally-gets-the-commodore-version-it-deserved)
14. [From SimCity to, well, SimCity: The history of city-building games, Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/10/from-simcity-to-well-simcity-the-history-of-city-building-games/)
15. [The Settlers: Fourth Edition Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-settlers-fourth-edition-review/1900-2805314/)
16. [The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom Review, VideoGamer](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/the-settlers-7-paths-to-a-kingdom-review/)
17. [Settlers III Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/settlers-iii-review/1900-2532950/)
18. [The Settlers: Fourth Edition critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-settlers-fourth-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
19. [The best strategy games on PC, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-strategy-games/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Simulation and social games › City-building, government, and god games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license