PopulousPCReal-Time StrategyStrategy
Populous: The Beginning
Developer: Bullfrog Productions · Published by Electronic Arts · 1998
Command your tribe, unleash your shaman, flatten everything else.
About This Game
Populous: The Beginning is a real-time strategy game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts, set in a fully 3D rotating world. Players command a shaman and her tribe across 25 worlds, using 22 spells and multiple follower types to wipe out or convert enemy tribes. It was the third entry in the Populous series and a significant departure from the god-game format of its predecessors, shifting focus from divine intervention to direct tribal leadership.
In the News
Nov 171998
Populous: The Beginning Ships
Bullfrog Productions, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts, the world's largest interactive entertainment software company, today announced the release of its highly anticipated strategy game, Populous: The Beginning.
ReleaseNov 91998
Populous Release Next Week
Populous: The Beginning will be arriving in stores late next week. Bullfrog says copies will begin shipping in the US towards the middle of next week and should be on store shelves by the weekend of November 21.
ReleaseNov 51998
Populous Chat
Make sure to check out 3DGN's chat with the producer of Populous: The Beginning this Thursday. The chat will be in #3dgaming on 3dnet (ritual.3dnet.net) today at 5:00pm EST.
ReleaseIn Previews
Populous: The Beginning
Bullfrog's real-time 3D strategy game is not just another Warcraft clone. The Volcano spell alone is worth the price of admission.
How to Play TodayYour options for running this game in 2026
Original Hardware
Requires a Windows 95/98 PC. Direct3D support strongly recommended; software rendering mode is available but noticeably inferior. PlayStation version also available on original hardware. Original CD-ROM and PlayStation releases available through used game sellers.