Sins of a Solar Empire

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 317 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 245 out of 317
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 317
  3. Negative: 29 out of 317
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. theirrelephants
    May 15, 2016
    9
    Great rts strategy game. Only two downsides: One is that there is no single player campaign and the trailer made me want one, badly.

    The second is that multiplayer games can drag on for very, very long in a large galaxy.

    All the factions are well balanced, the graphics are good, and if you put the AI on insane and let it cheat beyond belief you can even pretend that it's somewhat competent.
  2. INSI
    Mar 30, 2016
    8
    4X mixed with RTS hell yeah count me in.
    IMHO one of the best strategy games ever made. Great variety especially with mods and expansions. It just works.
  3. SJeFjell
    May 15, 2015
    6
    Only played 20 hours
    I love stories and campaigns. This game got ONLY Intro story that seems very promising,, but none what so ever to follow upp,
    I found this game to be hard to master even at easy. First after i almost completed a eight hour game did i learn how to accelerate the speed. Its very addictive and you want to master in beginning. But as you get no story rewards, no    Only played 20 hours
    I love stories and campaigns. This game got ONLY Intro story that seems very promising,, but none what so ever to follow upp,
    I found this game to be hard to master even at easy.
    First after i almost completed a eight hour game did i learn how to accelerate the speed.

    Its very addictive and you want to master in beginning. But as you get no story rewards, no exploration fun ect, i find it very boring
    I do thinks it quite strange it gotten so high rating    … Expand
  4. mcfry
    Feb 2, 2015
    9
    Yes, Sins is a simple and effective addition to the everyday gaming menu. If you have ever built something in a game and moved around units, then you can use this interface with ease. The space atmosphere is mostly provided by sound, since this game's graphics get uninteressant when played from a distant perspective (and that is most of the time). What really matters here is the gameplay,Yes, Sins is a simple and effective addition to the everyday gaming menu. If you have ever built something in a game and moved around units, then you can use this interface with ease. The space atmosphere is mostly provided by sound, since this game's graphics get uninteressant when played from a distant perspective (and that is most of the time). What really matters here is the gameplay, and it is solid.

    With add-ons there is some more variety to the course of the game and the types of winning. The AI is smart, and quick actions are crucial in advanced difficulty levels. While micro-managing large battles from a closer view is fun and nice to watch, it could cost victory because of delayed expansion.

    Solid gameplay, good atmosphere. Typical 8. Space bonus: 9.    … Expand
  5. alanmacd
    Nov 18, 2014
    9
    Sinfully addictive! One of the best tactical games I've ever played. You can feel the clock ticking as you plan your moves, knowing the enemy might strike at any time. And the battles! Epic. Massive space fleets duking it out while you pull the strings...very satisfying.
  6. Rednuts85
    Dec 28, 2013
    2
    Horrible effects like shots passing through ships and ships exploding, but you can see the ship just disappears into thin air, repettetive micro managing and then just sending your ships in to an orb with something in the middle asteroids, planets etc... They fight someone wins and repeat. There IS a lot to do, always something to upgrade or keep an eye on. But it doesn´t ever getHorrible effects like shots passing through ships and ships exploding, but you can see the ship just disappears into thin air, repettetive micro managing and then just sending your ships in to an orb with something in the middle asteroids, planets etc... They fight someone wins and repeat. There IS a lot to do, always something to upgrade or keep an eye on. But it doesn´t ever get exciting, its just a matter of how many ships and how good they are. Pour them in and wait, the graphics could have made me stick with it a lot longer but it agonizes me to watch a flak frigate with bullets flying at a 90 degree angle out of a barrel! At least make the barrels point at the targets! Worse even with big ships, beams shooting straight through the hull of the ship firing to hit something to the sides, look stupid and breaks emmersion....… Expand
  7. edgil215
    Oct 17, 2013
    1
    I don't understand at all why anyone likes these games from Stardock entertainment sins of a solar empire and galactic civilizations both included. They feel like a student project and not a polished retail product, the gameplay and interfaces are so ridiculously clunky and there is never any synergy or flow to the commands. There are way too many extra wasted units and features thatI don't understand at all why anyone likes these games from Stardock entertainment sins of a solar empire and galactic civilizations both included. They feel like a student project and not a polished retail product, the gameplay and interfaces are so ridiculously clunky and there is never any synergy or flow to the commands. There are way too many extra wasted units and features that don't even feel like they have any use because of the abundance. More content is not always a good thing when the content is piss poor. You can't even land on any of the planets that you encounter even once you have taken them over an "settled" them. The only thing you can do is move along an unrealistic 2-Dimensional plane fixated in space. WHICH ISN"T EVEN HOW SPACETIME LOOKS!!?!?!...it curves more intensely at points of greater mass. This game is a crappy version in "Space" of all it's Strategy/RTS predecessors that brings absolutely nothing new to the table and has a completely bland feel with no characters, story line or anything of any importance that is tangible to relate to.

    If you think these ridiculously terrible games are good then please look at all of the Wing Commander games and Homeworld and the years that they came out. Games that still today are even more entertaining than this completely waste of time hunk of crap. AVOID at all costs!    … Expand
  8. MichaelKim
    Aug 27, 2013
    6
    Just spent hours trying to defeat an easy AI, and I don't think I'll play this game again. Maybe I just suck at RTS games, but it could be much better if there's a campaign for me to really learn the game. Yet still, there are some interesting ideas in this game and I think players who are interested in RTS or space games may find it a good game, so I'll give it a 6.
  9. Toffenuff
    Jun 19, 2013
    7
    4x Space RTS? Yes please.

    Sins of a Solar Empire was for me a hotly anticipated game, given the potential for greatness that it showed, that is until it was released. While it was fun to play, with stunning graphics and a decent UI, it didn't really have any wow factor and it did, as some other reviewers have said, feel bland. There weren't that many ship models/types either, not to    4x Space RTS? Yes please.

    Sins of a Solar Empire was for me a hotly anticipated game, given the potential for greatness that it showed, that is until it was released. While it was fun to play, with stunning graphics and a decent UI, it didn't really have any wow factor and it did, as some other reviewers have said, feel bland. There weren't that many ship models/types either, not to mention the fact that their designs were... unimpressive. I mean come on, capital ships are supposed to be awe-inspiring, but they weren't anything special other than they were a little bigger than normal frigates/cruisers. Although it is fun to conduct and watch massive fleet battles, I do admit.

    One of my biggest gripes is that there is so much potential and material for a single player campaign and yet there is none, which to me is a genuine travesty. That would have helped me (if done well enough) to get invested in the races. I understand what they wanted was for you to "craft your own experience" with each game, but they could have let that happen while also still providing a storyline of some kind.

    As for gameplay, combat is nice in that if you're more of a hands-on player it isn't too difficult (as long as you prepare properly with control groups and fleet assignments, though even without those it's not too bad) then you can control micromanage pretty easily. If you're more of a hands-off player, you can just send your fleet into the fray and watch the fireworks too. Though it could be argued that it is a little light on the strategy in that you can, if you wanted, simply build as many ships as possible and send them barreling towards your enemy that isn't really the case since I've defeated enemies with bigger fleets before using backdoor/multiple front strategies or simply by having less, but more powerful ships in a battle.    … Expand
  10. Jaz
    Feb 24, 2013
    9
    A great RTS game. Could spend hours happily managing my empire. And that's a key point. This game is fun. Very streamlined. A real time sink but an adorable one.
  11. ChunkySaurus
    Aug 12, 2012
    8
    An excellent 4X type game. You really get the sense of massive ships blasting each other apart. Games take a very long time to play out, but if you enjoy the genre this won't matter. The graphics are decent, I really enjoy the multiple independent guns on the capitol ships.

    The big drawback is that there is no single player campaign.
  12. Discord
    May 19, 2012
    9
    An excellent strategy game, with great amounts of variety, especially in the upcoming Rebellion expansion. Controls take a little bit to get the hang of, but after that it's fun as can be. Only drawback is the lack of a single-player campaign, but I believe that's being worked on in the Rebellion expansion as well. The other two expansions, Entrenchment and Diplomacy, add differentAn excellent strategy game, with great amounts of variety, especially in the upcoming Rebellion expansion. Controls take a little bit to get the hang of, but after that it's fun as can be. Only drawback is the lack of a single-player campaign, but I believe that's being worked on in the Rebellion expansion as well. The other two expansions, Entrenchment and Diplomacy, add different technologies and structures while still building on the backstory to the game itself. In place of single-player campaigns, it has multiple scenarios in varying sizes. Without a doubt a fun strategy game.… Expand
  13. BillyIdol
    Apr 19, 2012
    9
    An awesome game.
    To be there, controlling your empire, building your ships, and aniquilating the enemy, it's just priceless.
    It's a shame there's no campaign in the game, but maybe for Sins of a Solar Empire 2.
  14. superecnate
    Feb 6, 2012
    10
    How is it possible not to like this game?! Well, maybe multiplayer junkies. Epic space battles, uber campaings (sure they are technicly skirmish games, just get over it!). Who doesn't like an uber battles between multi-hundred ship super-fleets?! This game lives up to its discription. EPIC!!!
  15. Thaltom
    Dec 20, 2011
    10
    Single player game play will consist of skirmishes. You will be leading one of three possible races: TEC, Advent, or Vasari; all with their own well fleshed-out bonuses and tech trees. These tech trees are separated into Combat, Civilian, Defense, and Diplomacy if you have all three expansions; or Combat and Civilian if you have none. Your armada will include ships to fulfill every nicheSingle player game play will consist of skirmishes. You will be leading one of three possible races: TEC, Advent, or Vasari; all with their own well fleshed-out bonuses and tech trees. These tech trees are separated into Combat, Civilian, Defense, and Diplomacy if you have all three expansions; or Combat and Civilian if you have none. Your armada will include ships to fulfill every niche of combat. For anyone who looks for a game's ability to involve strategy and timing: this is your game. I'm not usually one to comment on visuals in a game but SoaSE has them in spades. Space feels massive and beautiful, like it should feel. There is a silly implemented achievement system designed to test your abilities (e.g. beating four or more Hard AIs at once and for winning a map without researching ANYTHING in the combat tree). Really I can't say enough good stuff about this game. Will be a permanent fixture in my gaming library.… Expand
  16. LordMandalore
    Nov 23, 2011
    10
    The amount of depth, strategy, and amour of stuff you can do in this game is mind boggling. While the story is limited and there is no campaign, Sins offers endless hours of galactic warfare, and getting the Trinity version deepens the experience further. There is also a large modding community and an upcoming expansion on the way!
  17. Xblade_Power
    Nov 18, 2011
    10
    On of the best all time RTS games of all time, well designed, epic scale, graphics decent for an RTS, runs well on most PC's, been playing it for 3 years now and still enjoying it.
  18. AustinGray1
    Nov 16, 2011
    10
    this is my fav game ever!!! so much fun me and 3 of my friends make maps and them play on them for hours this is our third year of having it. in in our load menus we have one game that we are still playing that has 350 hours played on it best game ever if u like strategy games then get this and pre order rebellion support stardock and ironclad! so they make more of these amazing games
  19. DrTizzle
    Nov 14, 2011
    3
    So glad i picked this up for pennies in the bargain bin of i would have wasted a lot more money than i did.
    Good:
    -Style
    -idea
    Bad:
    -Terrible AI
    -Too tong to play
    -unhelpful interface
    -story with no campaign (needed both or none)
  20. thebrock
    Oct 28, 2011
    9
    Another extremely addictive game, not sure which one is more addictive sins of a solar empire or galactic civilizatoions. Anyway that doesnt matter because this is a cracking game which all strategy game fans must try. FANTASTIC.
  21. Heavymetal4life
    Oct 6, 2011
    10
    The people who gave this game a Red review clearly do not understand the Gamer looking for a game like this where you can spend countless hours making a solar system yours to control an fighting other powers to be for domination or other means of diplomacy, The Game has no DRM an you do not need to be connected to the internet to play it last time I checked, So some people are clearlyThe people who gave this game a Red review clearly do not understand the Gamer looking for a game like this where you can spend countless hours making a solar system yours to control an fighting other powers to be for domination or other means of diplomacy, The Game has no DRM an you do not need to be connected to the internet to play it last time I checked, So some people are clearly talking out their butt, and need to stop reviewing games just to show they are simple minded an only thing a review matters their opinion. I can put days into large system map game play, countless HOURS! Yes it is a strategy Space game, upgrade tech trees build ships an capital ships your ships upgrade via kill / battle experience. I find the game even more intriguing when you play it on cinematic view an rid yourself of the excess lines an grids. Clearly the 22 negative reviews are people who like they said want to play Master of orion or Starcraft, So simply go do that a game does not just get 130+ positive reviews for no reason. Stop reflecting your hate for a game cause you just do not like countless endless hours of strategy based games, Who cares about a campaign the game is made for mass domination an expansion. Not some cheesy linear story that certain people MUST have in order to allow a game to be something. An TBH, If you want to say starcraft is great cause of its campaign, your simply how shall I say.... Blind.… Expand
  22. Delta_Assault
    Sep 22, 2011
    9
    This game kicks ass. It's pretty much a combination of Homeworld 2 and any regular 4X space empire game. You could also see it as a space version of Supreme Commander, it's goddamn epic. Like, battles with fleets of over 200 ships.

    Plus, there's absolutely no DRM, if you know what I mean. While I describe it as Supreme Commander in Space, Sins has a much better UI. Supreme Commander    This game kicks ass. It's pretty much a combination of Homeworld 2 and any regular 4X space empire game. You could also see it as a space version of Supreme Commander, it's goddamn epic. Like, battles with fleets of over 200 ships.

    Plus, there's absolutely no DRM, if you know what I mean. While I describe it as Supreme Commander in Space, Sins has a much better UI. Supreme Commander wasn't all that great IMO because the pacing was slow as hell and you had to individually upgrade all the tiny little resource poiints which really got annoying. You also do a lot of teching in Sins but it's all very easy and intuitive, without feeling like a chore.

    The only thing this game lacks is a singleplayer campaign with a storyline, but the open sandbox levels do an adequate job.    … Expand
  23. Elc1247
    Aug 24, 2011
    7
    fun game to play every once in a while, but the thing that really kills it, is the fact that there is no story mode or single player campaign at all. this is especially important since the game has an opening sequence that seems to hint at an epic story, and then you get to the main menu and find out that theres absolutely nothing...
  24. Johan008
    Jun 23, 2011
    1
    No story line. Battles are all the same, playing few or many planets. No strategy is needed as the player with the most and biggest ships wins. Diplomacy or culture influence is not needed. For young and mentally less develop player. More a first person shooting than strategy game. Does not even come close to Homeworld, Nexus and other space strategy games.
  25. wordy_actions
    Jun 19, 2011
    7
    This game fills a void in my heart. I've always yearned for a game where you fight an intergalactic (well, in this game it's a solar system, but still) war. You manage your planets, built your fleets, conduct research, and wage war. It's a very fun and unique game. It takes place in real time but the pace is slower than most real time strategy games. The game plays unlike any otherThis game fills a void in my heart. I've always yearned for a game where you fight an intergalactic (well, in this game it's a solar system, but still) war. You manage your planets, built your fleets, conduct research, and wage war. It's a very fun and unique game. It takes place in real time but the pace is slower than most real time strategy games. The game plays unlike any other strategy game I've encountered. The biggest problem is the lack of meaningful ways to change the outcome of fleet battles. In this game the outcome is almost always determined before you engage in combat, and it basically comes down to who has the most ships. Tactics are non-existent for the most part, but the strategy is very much there. Recommended for people who like space battles and nuking planets. (Don't we all?)… Expand
  26. BLACKFIREw
    Apr 22, 2011
    10
    Amazing game. I'm still coming back to it after four years, and it still feels fresh. I honestly prefer it over Starcraft 1 or 2. The main reason is being that it seems easier to perform amazing intricate strategies, and there seems to be more of them, too. There is a lot of depth that exists in this gem, including many research areas, artifacts to give you an edge, leveling up capitalAmazing game. I'm still coming back to it after four years, and it still feels fresh. I honestly prefer it over Starcraft 1 or 2. The main reason is being that it seems easier to perform amazing intricate strategies, and there seems to be more of them, too. There is a lot of depth that exists in this gem, including many research areas, artifacts to give you an edge, leveling up capital ships, and establishing trade with other factions. There are more factors that play into a successful game, but it would take long to list them. The great User Interface enables the aforementioned ease of performing satisfying strategies that can result in the downfall of the enemy's homeworld, major defense center, or his/her fleet. The graphics are still pretty to look at even after four years, and are scheduled to get an improvement in an upcoming expansion pack titled Rebellion. Watching your plan unfold in beautifully rendered battles consisting of hundreds of frigates is a sight to behold. This is literally the best RTS I've ever played.

    --PROS--
    - Great graphics
    - Great UI
    - Amazing depth

    --CONS--
    - Very long matches    … Expand
  27. vXxo0oxXv
    Jan 24, 2011
    9
    No amount of words could possibly describe how epic this game is. Play it. Get the torrent if you want. You will end up buying it. A truly spectacular creation.
  28. BrunoT.
    Jan 26, 2010
    9
    Best space RTS ever... score only 9 because of single core and 32 bits limitation... so big scale game can lead to slowdown or out of memory on the biggest map... anyway, it remain a top game
  29. WillC.
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    Definately worth your time, and well deserving of it's place at 157th on the best PC games of all time. The games can be slowed right down to allow time for strategic planning, or sped up so that you could play a real quick game on your wit and instinct. The races are relatively well balanced (although still seems to revolve around a basic rock/paper/scissors idea) and the developers Definately worth your time, and well deserving of it's place at 157th on the best PC games of all time. The games can be slowed right down to allow time for strategic planning, or sped up so that you could play a real quick game on your wit and instinct. The races are relatively well balanced (although still seems to revolve around a basic rock/paper/scissors idea) and the developers have added features that make the game's many fight scenes almost like a cinematic out of a sci-fi film. The AI is very advanced (especially in the later patches) and capable of follwing orders and summing up tactical situations, but also a little cowardly and all too prone to making as many friends as possible and leading a massive group attack on your empire. Nasty. (you can lock the teams so they can't, but...) All in all, the only part lacking in this game is a campaign - but get a couple friends hooked and boot up a LAN game, and suddenly a game that may only have lasted an hour or 2 against the AI could last weeks. Just because of how predictable human nature is(n't).… Expand
  30. KevinR
    Sep 1, 2009
    10
    This is one of the greatest Strategy games of all time. The 4X combo of RTS battles along with civ building make this game utterly addicting, and at the same time fulfilling.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PC Game of 2008
22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. GameDaily
    80
    Sins of a Solar Empire combines the depth of traditional turn-based games like Civilization with the action of real-time strategy (RTS) games like Command & Conquer. The result is a rich and highly detailed game that pleases fans of both types of strategy.
    Read full review
  2. Game Almighty
    90
    Sins of a Solar Empire makes no apologies for being ambitiously massive and deep.
    Read full review
  3. GamesRadar+
    90
    With most RTS games shifting towards fast action at the expense of real strategy, it would be an unforgivable sin for a strategy fan to pass by this game on the shelf and not pick it up.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »