Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

1996 LucasArts Action, Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic Not rated

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 711

How it’s combined

Playability today

3.5

Runs today4.5/5

Design today2.5/5

Steam user reviews

Mostly Positive

75%

781 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire 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 DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire lately?

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

How to get Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire running today

Cap the frame rate to 30 FPS, since game speed is tied to the frame rate and the Steam version runs at 60, which makes Dash slide off ledges and speeds up the swoop bike section (PCGamingWiki, Steam).
For higher resolutions without broken stars and off-center cutscenes, use the dgVoodoo 2 wrapper with the launcher set to 640×480 16bpp, as described by PCGamingWiki.
Map a controller through Steam Input, since the game's own launcher is mouse only and controls must be set up for each vehicle and on foot (PCGamingWiki).

Synopsis

Shadows of the Empire is a third-person Star Wars action game set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, starring the smuggler Dash Rendar. Its missions mix on-foot shooting and platforming with vehicle sections, from the snowspeeder battle on Hoth to a swoop bike chase and space dogfights. The PC version arrived in 1997, a year after the Nintendo 64 original, with full-motion video cutscenes.

Developer: LucasArts
Released: 1996
Genre: Action, Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

The game was a big draw at the Nintendo 64 launch for its graphics and its Hoth battle, and critics praised the variety of its vehicle and on-foot missions. They also faulted the awkward camera and imprecise platforming that sends Dash off ledges. Steam players are mostly positive, largely out of nostalgia, but nearly every review calls the controls clumsy, and several say the PC port needs setup work, such as a frame rate cap, to play well.

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

4.5/5

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)
The digital release includes the CD music workaround and no content has been removed (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen and ultrawide resolutions work but crop the image vertically (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controllers are supported and can be remapped, though the launchers need a mouse (PCGamingWiki).
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
The known problems with speed, resolution and installation have documented fixes, and no open issue crashes the game for most players (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

2.5/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Dash handles loosely and moving the mouse also moves him, so players fall into chasms by accident; reviews still call the controls the worst part of the game. Source: nintendolife.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
At resolutions above 640×480 the stars render incorrectly and cutscenes play in a corner, and the HUD stays scaled for 640×480 even with a wrapper. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Saving is harsh: few saves or checkpoints, progress gets lost
Completed missions stay unlocked for replay, but there is no saving inside a level, and losing every life restarts the level from the very beginning; players still ask for quicksaves. Source: nintendolife.com, steamcommunity.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
Each mission is a short level with one clear goal, and completed missions can be replayed on their own at any of four difficulty levels. Source: nintendolife.com.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
The game moves between snowspeeder, on-foot, swoop bike and space sections, and players say no level drags on. Source: escapistmagazine.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
The third-person camera is hard to steer, and of its four views only the default one is usable, which leads to frequent falls off cliffs. Source: shacknews.com, nintendolife.com.