Empires Mod
Released Jul 2008
Unique strategy/first person shooter mix: One commander on each team plays from above, choosing research, placing buildings and giving orders. The rest fill the role of soldiers on the ground, with four distinct classes to choose from and customizable vehicles to drive.
86% positive · 1,067 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Empires is a long-running free-to-play Source SDK mod that has been available on Steam since July 28, 2008. Despite its age, the development team has maintained a consistent and active pattern of shipping substantial feature updates over many years.
The most recent update on record is v2.39.4, released on February 21, 2026, which included game balance changes and a bug fix. Before that, a cluster of updates shipped between November 2025 and January 2026: v2.39.0 (November 30, 2025) introduced a major overhaul to the visibility system; v2.39.1 (December 6, 2025) and v2.39.2 (December 13, 2025) followed up with further refinements; and v2.39.3 (January 25, 2026) addressed additional bugs and balance items. Further back, v2.38.0 (June 20, 2025) introduced new armor types, a reworked heat system, aircraft, and a significant array of new features.
This pattern of substantial releases — with major feature updates arriving roughly every few months — has been consistent going back to at least 2024, when v2.36.0 (February 17, 2024), v2.37.0 (May 26, 2024), v2.37.1 (August 14, 2024), and v2.37.4 (October 19, 2024) also shipped.
The developer has also repeatedly mentioned across multiple news posts (including August 2024 and February 2024) that the game is being ported to Unreal Engine 5, indicating a long-term development commitment well beyond maintenance work.
As of today (October 8, 2026), the last developer communication was on February 21, 2026 — approximately seven and a half months ago. The historical pattern between major updates has ranged from roughly one to several months, so this period of silence is somewhat longer than typical. However, there is no developer statement indicating development has ended, no studio closure, and no announcement of a final update. The Unreal Engine 5 port work and the sustained multi-year cadence of meaningful updates support the conclusion that development is ongoing, even if a quieter period is currently underway.
Evidence
v2.39.4 released with balance changes and a server crash fix — the most recent developer communication on record.
v2.39.0 released with a major overhaul to the visibility system driving the minimap and entity visibility.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Empires
Achievements
8
Platform
Windows, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Multiplayer · PvP
About this game
Empires, the award winning Source SDK game, combines the best of the first person shooter and real-time strategy genres. Fight as either the Northern Faction, remnants of the fallen nation of Jekotia, or as the imperial Brenodi Empire.
Empires features:
- Four infantry classes - Prepare a surprise attack as the scout or take the enemy head-on as the rifleman. Drive back enemy tanks as the grenadier or support your team as the engineer. With four different infantry classes, each with customizable skills, you can create the perfect class to fit your playing style.
- Squad-Based Teamwork - Players can organize themselves into highly-effective squads, overwhelming their opponents with superior tactics. Squad leaders can not only direct their respective members, but also use special squad powers such as reviving dead squad members or calling down an artillery strike on the enemy.
- Vehicle Combat - Whether you're ferrying troops around the battlefield with the Armored Personnel Carrier or reigning fire upon your foes with the Artillery tank, Empires features a variety of vehicular combat. Choose from six different vehicle types, including three levels of tanks, and customize your weapons, armor, and engines.
- Real-Time Strategy Commander - For those more inclined to RTS gameplay, you can play as the commander. Place buildings, build defensive turrets, construct vehicles, and conduct research on your way to leading your team to victory.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Oct 8, 2026
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