The forerunner of the influential “4X” style, Master of Orion builds on the iconic eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate, gameplay that the original game pioneered. This re-imagined title stays true to its legacy, delivering on the promise of deep strategy, hard fought battles, diplomacy, and exploration—all with a healthy dash of humor.

Enhanced visuals, built from the ground up, breathe new life into the vast galaxy available to explore and conquer, as well as a fresh perspective on the original 10 races, each offering different styles of play. Within thousands of ever-changing galaxies, hundreds of unique technologies, and dozens of ships waiting to be tested, no two games will ever be the same.

Players can expect a revamped user interface, an orchestral score from the original game’s composer, voice-overs by well-known actors, new user tutorials, and more to deliver a classic yet fresh experience to one of gaming’s most respected franchises.

Starting February 26, explorers can command their very own galactic fleet in intense Tactical Battles, compete against friends online, and test their skills against cunning AI opponents.

Tactical Battles let budding explorers deploy their custom-designed fleets, commanding squadrons to plot daring runs and lure opponents into devious traps—all in real time. Players will require sharp wits and clear heads as they make crucial decisions on the fly, holding victory and defeat in the balance.

“In our Tactical Battles, players have the chance to experience what it’s like to be an admiral in charge of a massive fleet,” said Chris Keeling, Director of Product Vision at WG Labs. “We’ve created immersive, visually stunning combat that lets the player take command. These tactical battles are all about strategic decision-making at the crucial moment, turning the tide to ensure victory, and bringing your ships home to fight again.”

At the start of Early Access, explorers can lead six diverse races: Mrrshan, Psilon, Bulrathi, Alkari, Human, Sakkra, with more races and content to be added in the near future. Three unique victory conditions await players on the path to Orion: become leader of the Galactic Council to claim a “Diplomatic” victory; exterminate all other races to win via “Conquest”; or have the highest average overall score between other conditions to achieve “Excellence”.

During Early Access, Master of Orion will support 64-bit Windows PC, with other platforms and specifications to arrive later. The game will arrive with full English localization and its star-studded cast, as well as Russian localization. Explorers from across the world can expect German, French, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Turkish, Spanish (MX), Portuguese, Korean and Japanese to be implemented soon.