Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic

2003 Triumph Studios RPG, Strategy

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckUnsupported

Gamicality score

Metacritic 824

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 831

How it’s combined

Playability today

3.5

Runs today3.5/5

Design today3/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

89%

600 reviews1

Get it on Steam

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Steam DeckUnsupported

Unsupported, as rated by Valve.1

Played Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic running today

Install dxwrapper with D3d8to9 and DDrawCompat enabled, or dgVoodoo 2, to fix sluggish input and fullscreen problems (PCGamingWiki).
If only windowed mode is offered, set AoWSMSetup.exe to compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3 or reduced 16-bit color (PCGamingWiki).
If text turns to gibberish at very high resolutions, play at 1920×1080 or lower (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a turn-based fantasy strategy game in which players lead a wizard and a fantasy race across maps on the surface, underground and in a hostile Shadow Realm. Players found and grow cities, recruit heroes and armies, research spells and fight hex-based tactical battles. It offers a story campaign, standalone scenarios, a random map generator and a map editor.

Developer: Triumph Studios
Released: 2003
Genre: RPG, Strategy
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics praised the depth of its races and spells, the tutorial and the strong AI, and it was widely seen as a refined follow-up to Age of Wonders II. Reviews faulted the dated graphics, weak sound, a muddled story and long campaign maps where the AI keeps retaking captured flags. Players today still call it a classic and ask for a remaster. Common complaints now are long AI turns late in big games and the tweaks needed to make it look and run right on modern screens.

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

3.5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Local and LAN multiplayer still work, and the campaign, scenarios and editor are all included (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen resolutions work, but the HUD is stretched from 4:3 (PCGamingWiki).
No full controller support and no remappable controls
The game has no controller support (PCGamingWiki).
Not Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists display and input problems that all have working fixes, and a Windows 11 player reports full missions with no crashes (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

3/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
On modern systems the unmodified game has sluggish mouse input, and it has no controller support. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
In widescreen the 4:3 interface is stretched, unit stack numbers are tiny at 1080p, and text turns to gibberish at very high resolutions because a font file lacks some letters. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Players can save at any time from the in-game menu, with as many manual save slots as disk space allows plus one quick save slot, as a developer confirmed. Source: steamcommunity.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Three tutorial scenarios introduce the systems step by step and give more freedom as they go, which reviewers singled out as a big improvement. Source: gamewatcher.com, gamerevolution.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Campaign maps are long, the AI keeps retaking flags the player just captured, and AI turns grow very slow late in large games. Source: worthplaying.com, gamerevolution.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera and movement never fight the player
The map view is a fixed isometric layout with a mini-map, a button that centers on the wizard and one-click switching between surface, underground and Shadow Realm layers. Source: gamewatcher.com.