Imperial Glory

2005 Pyro Studios Strategy

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxPlatinum

Gamicality score

Metacritic 694

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 751

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today3.5/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

78%

1,267 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Imperial Glory 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.

LinuxPlatinum

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Platinum, runs perfectly out of the box.3

Played Imperial Glory lately?

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

How to get Imperial Glory running today

Set ImperialGlory.exe to run in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3 or SP2 to reduce crashes (PCGamingWiki).
If the save button does not respond, keep compatibility mode on and change the in-game resolution (Steam Community).
For a widescreen resolution, open Config.sb in the game folder and set .SX and .SY to the desired width and height, then mark the file read-only if it resets (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Imperial Glory is a Napoleonic-era strategy game from Pyro Studios, the makers of Commandos and Praetorians. Players lead Britain, France, Austria, Prussia or Russia from 1789, managing trade, research, diplomacy and armies on a turn-based map of Europe. Battles on land and at sea are fought in real time with lines of infantry, cavalry, artillery and sailing warships.

Developer: Pyro Studios
Released: 2005
Genre: Strategy
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics in 2005 saw it as an attractive, more approachable take on Rome: Total War, with good-looking battlefields and naval battles that the series itself lacked at the time. PC Gamer and Worth Playing faulted crude, chaotic land battles, the lack of pause or speed controls, poor pathfinding and awkward camera angles. Steam players still rate it Mostly Positive and many prefer its simpler empire management to later Total War games, often asking for a remaster. Recurring complaints are crashes, especially after battles, and saves that fail on modern Windows without compatibility settings.

Trailer from Steam

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
Some content no longer works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
Online multiplayer ran on GameSpy, which shut down; only LAN play remains (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen resolutions need a manual edit of Config.sb (PCGamingWiki).
?Not confirmed yetFull controller support or remappable controls
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
?Not confirmed yetSteam Deck Verified or Playable
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
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
Crashes on modern Windows are reduced with Windows XP compatibility mode, though some players still report crashes after battles (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Real-time battles cannot be paused or slowed down, and units pivot or chase enemies without orders, which makes lines hard to hold. Keys cannot be remapped. Source: gamesradar.com, eurogamer.net, pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
Widescreen resolutions are missing from the options and must be typed into a config file, and subtitles cannot be turned off. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is harsh: few saves or checkpoints, progress gets lost
Campaign saves are made from the strategy map, but players in threads from 2019 to 2022 report that the save button does not respond or will not overwrite a save on modern Windows, even with compatibility mode. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
A short tutorial covers empire management, land battles and naval battles in turn, and reviewers found it quick and effective. Source: spaziogames.it.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
Campaign turns are quick, with a simpler economy and diplomacy than Total War, and players still call it fast to learn and easy to replay, though battles often open with minutes of marching that cannot be sped up. Source: steamcommunity.com, gamesradar.com, eurogamer.net.
Camera or movement fights the player
The battle camera stays locked parallel to the terrain, giving awkward angles around hills and buildings, and players still ask for better camera control and a top-down view. Source: worthplaying.com, steamcommunity.com.