The Settlers has a rightful place amongst the other infamous city-builders. At nearly 30 years old, there are eight different installments in the series, each one taking inspiration from other god games, such as Sim City, along with adding new elements of strategic gameplay.
After years of consistent delays, the future of The Settlers series rests in the upcoming reboot, The Settlers: New Allies. The upcoming instalment promises new visuals and gameplay, without straying from the original game’s fundamentals.
After the recent developer’s update earlier in December, the reboot is still fresh in our minds. Therefore, we can’t think of a better time to take a look back at the history of The Settlers.
A 30-year Settlement:
Way back in 1993, developer Blye Byte released the first game, The Settlers. Originally only available on the Commodore Amiga, the first game was a strategy-based city-builder that allowed players to build their own settlements. Players could choose to build farms to grow crops, collect and hunt down resources, along with building vital structures to defend their settlement against attacks. In 1994, The Settlers was later released for Windows, and the rest is history.
The Building Blocks:
Success in The Settlers is fundamentally based on building a functioning settlement. This all depended on the economy, structures, military, and happiness of the settlers.
These core elements haven’t changed. Throughout The Settler’s history, each of the games has focused on city-building and real-time strategy-based gameplay. Each game added new elements, such as story, campaign, developed combat system, and even DLC packs, such as The Settlers IV: The Trojans and the Elixir of Power in 2001.
The Settlers Series:
The games in The Settlers series include:
- The Settlers – 1993
- The Settlers II – 1996
- The Settlers II – 1998
- The Settlers IV – 2001
- The Settlers: Heritage of Kings – 2004
- The Settlers: Rise of an Empire – 2007
- The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom – 2010
- The Settlers: Kingdoms of Anteria – 2014
The Settlers: New Allies
The Settlers: New Allies is a reboot of the original game. Announced in November 2022, it released in February 2023.
Completely re-imagined with new state-of-the-art graphics and animations, the reboot continues the premise of a strategy-based city-builder. Players will begin with a small crew which they must work to expand by collecting resources and building farms, along with military structures.
What’s more, players will be able to select from three different factions. Each of these factions features a distinct look, unique playstyle, strengths, and in-depth background story to uncover. The factions include:
- Elari – tinkers, builders, and artisans
- Maru – sailors and traders
- Jorn – clan society who seek out challenges to overcome
The Settlers: New Allies will also include various game modes. This includes a story-driven campaign, hardcore mode, and skirmish battles against other online players or an AI.
What’s more, for the first time in the history of the franchise, The Settlers: New Allies will be available across a number of platforms. This includes PC, XBOX One, XBOX Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. It also supports crossplay on all these platforms.
Official PC System Specification:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 10 |
| Processor | Intel Core i3 6100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | Intel Core i7 6700 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 |
| Memory | 8GB RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 95 or AMD Radeon 550 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD RX 470 |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
Build Your Settlement on These Gaming PCs:
OcUK Gaming Tanto PC:
The OcUK Gaming Tanto is equipped with everything you need to enjoy playing The Settlers franchise. This includes a powerful Intel 12th Gen CPU with the P- and E-core combination, for intelligent workload management. What’s more, take advantage of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU and enjoy photo-realistic visuals and immersive gameplay.
The OcUK Gaming Tanto is a configurable gaming PC, meaning you can make adjustments to the base specification to suit your individual needs, favourite games, and gameplay style.
OcUK Gaming Tanto
- Configurable gaming PC
- Includes an Intel 12th Gen CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU
- Up to 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Flexible storage options available
OcUK Gaming Firefly Plus PC:
The OcUK Gaming Firefly Plus is packed with all the essential hardware you need to play The Settlers. Utilise the Intel Core i5 12400F CPU for ultra-fast speeds in both single- and multi-threaded tasks, perfect for both work and play! Plus, unlock enhanced Ray Tracing and AI capabilities thanks to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU.
The OcUK Gaming Firefly Essential is also a configurable gaming PC. You can adjust the specification to include additional storage, or upgrade the dedicated graphics card and RAM.
OcUK Gaming Firefly Plus
- Configurable gaming PC
- Includes an Intel Core i5 12400F CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU
- Up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM
Refract Gaming Jade Pre-built PC:
Designed for mid-tier gaming, the Refract Gaming Jade has been built utilising high-quality cherry-picked hardware. This includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU. Enjoy powerful performance, cutting-edge workload management, and immersive visuals for an optimised gaming experience.
What’s more, every PC in the Refract Gaming range comes equipped with a three-year warranty which covers parts and labour, for extra peace of mind.
Refract Gaming Jade
- Pre-built gaming PC
- Includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 CPU and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU
- 32GB DDR5 RAM
- Includes a three year warranty which covers parts and labour
PC specs are subject to change.
- 5 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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