Is Ways of History free?

Yes — Ways of History is free to play, so you can install and play it without buying anything.

Is Ways of History Steam Deck compatible?

Mostly. Valve rates Ways of History Playable on Steam Deck: it runs, but may need some manual tweaking — a community controller layout, or zooming in on small text.

Can I play Ways of History on Mac?

Not natively — Steam lists no macOS version of Ways of History. Mac players would need a cloud gaming service or a Windows compatibility layer.

Does Ways of History have co-op?

Yes — Steam lists Ways of History with online co-op.

Does Ways of History have crossplay?

Yes — Steam lists Ways of History with cross-platform multiplayer, so players on Steam can play with players on other platforms. Steam does not say which platforms; the developer's site has the full list.

Is Ways of History on PC Game Pass?

No — Ways of History is not on PC Game Pass right now.

Ways of History

Name: Ways of History
Brand: Glyph Worlds
Availability: InStock

Glyph Worlds · September 1, 2017 · Free to Play, Strategy, Massively Multiplayer, Indie, Multiplayer

Ways of History is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

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Mixed53% · 255 📉 Recent reviews down 42%

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Ways of History price

Ways of History is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About Ways of History

Hardcore real-time strategy about developing your civilization from the Stone Age to Space Age. Huge world. Thousands of players. 240+ sciences and technologies. About 100 troops. 4 races. 50+ resource deposits. War, trade, science, construction...

A serious game for adepts of serious strategies. A game round is long enough, but during those months the player dives into a colourful world full of action. And a peaceful flow of life turns into a tornado of actions, events and decisions.

Main features in short

Epic fights of thousands men of your army.
240+ sciences and technologies from the Stone Age to modern times. Development depends on choice of what to research.
About 100 troops. Infantry, artillery, aircraft, fleet, cavalry. Battle elephants and jet bombers. Dirigibles and jaguar-warriors...
Varied map with 4 climates, full of seas, islands, rivers, mountains and hills. More than 50 resource deposits.
Construction of improvements, roads, bridges and new cities.
More than 100 different Wonders of the World and buildings. Banks, temples, barracks, recycling stations, castles, market squares etc.
Everybody can find the suitable role. Bloodthirsty warrior or greedy merchant. Wise scientist of reckless prowler. Purposeful ruler of peaceful farmer.

Development, sciences, space (Scientific tree and all the rest...)

Many features of this real-time strategy are known to all Civilizers.

You start from a Stone Age little village with a bunch of tribesmen. Development follows the Scientific tree that is already known to some people. It contains almost 250 sciences and technologies.

New buildings, possibilities and troops are gradually unlocked.
The path of a small village to modern megapolises net goes through Medieval wars, technological revolutions and ages of bloody terror. Players start Nuclear wars or step into the Golden ages while exploring new territories.

And, finally, the SpaceShip...

Countries (you are not alone)

Players start to merger into countries soon. This changes the gameplay, bringing it to the new level. Global wars and continental trade unions. Diplomatic collusions and treacherous plots.

In general, gameplay is full of different mechanics. A lot of ways to interact with the world and other players.

A bit of epicness (you don't need to read this, but we had to write it... moreover, that's the way)

Everybody can become a great general, and numerous armadas will turn enemies into ashes.
Someone, who chooses the way of genial scientist, will find out all the secrets of the Universe. And maybe nations will obey the speeches of the experienced and insidious politician. Perhaps, your cunning merchants will connect powerful empires and remote villages with their caravans, bringing the whole world under control of money...

In conclusion

It will be a very long description of the entire Ways of History universe if we start it. The shortest way is to dive into it. And it's worth it...

Ways of History — game info

Platforms: Windows
Steam Deck: Playable
Player modes: Online PvP, Online co-op, Cross-platform multiplayer
PC Game Pass: Not included

More games like this:Crossplay games

Ways of History — questions & answers

Is Ways of History free?: Yes — Ways of History is free to play, so you can install and play it without buying anything.
Is Ways of History Steam Deck compatible?: Mostly. Valve rates Ways of History Playable on Steam Deck: it runs, but may need some manual tweaking — a community controller layout, or zooming in on small text.
Can I play Ways of History on Mac?: Not natively — Steam lists no macOS version of Ways of History. Mac players would need a cloud gaming service or a Windows compatibility layer.
Does Ways of History have co-op?: Yes — Steam lists Ways of History with online co-op.
Does Ways of History have crossplay?: Yes — Steam lists Ways of History with cross-platform multiplayer, so players on Steam can play with players on other platforms. Steam does not say which platforms; the developer's site has the full list.
Is Ways of History on PC Game Pass?: No — Ways of History is not on PC Game Pass right now.

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

✦ AI summary

Ways of History receives polarized feedback from players. Supporters appreciate its deep strategic gameplay, interesting historical decision-making mechanics, and the ability to shape unique civilizations, though they note the text-heavy interface takes adjustment. Critics heavily object to aggressive pay-to-win mechanics and constant monetization pressure that slows progression, combined with mediocre graphics that fail to engage visually, making the slow resource accumulation feel tedious without spending money.

Recommended Aug 8, 2024

⠀

8 found this helpful

Not recommended Nov 29, 2024

"Ways of History" is a completely garbage P2W browser game infested with an in-game cash shop. The developers know this cancer is worse than mobile app P2W scams, don't they? Why is this on Steam? Yeah it looks like Civ, but's a cash grab instead. Don't download this, and definitely don't give them money, no matter how much they nag you to pay them (and they will). This has some really mediocre looking graphics that will understandably be a turn off for a lot of gamers, and it's a big contributor to the failure of the game to attract gamers despite having no up-front cost. Gaming is a primarly visual medium, and if developers want to succeed, they must understand that it's not an area for compromise. You deserve better than compromises. You're forced to sign a highly questionable yet legally unenforceable End User License Agreement... for such a relatively low effort, low quality product, this comes across more as a delusion of grandeur than anything else. This agreement includes questionable requirements that may attempt to revoke consumer law protections that gamers expect to have, which is also highly problematic. Developers must learn they are here to serve gamers, …

1 found this helpful

Recommended Oct 28, 2025

Игра 'Ways of History' - это увлекательная текстовая стратегия, предлагающая взглянуть на развитие цивилизации под другим углом. Мне особенно понравился упор на альтернативные исторические пути и возможность создавать уникальные нации с собственными ценностями и стратегиями развития. Система принятия решений построена интересно, каждое действие влечет за собой последствия, влияющие на внутреннюю и внешнюю политику. Поначалу интерфейс может показаться немного перегруженным, но быстро привыкаешь. Огромное количество исследований и социальных реформ позволяет ощутить себя настоящим правителем, определяющим будущее своего народа. Хотелось бы больше визуального контента, но текстовый формат компенсируется глубиной геймплея. В целом, 'Ways of History' - отличный выбор для любителей сложных стратегий и альтернативной истории, способный затянуть на долгие часы. Рекомендую!

Recommended Jul 27, 2025

[h1] …

Not recommended Dec 15, 2024

a lot to do with limited resources therefore growth is very slow and science or research virtually takes forever. Can be boring waiting for projects to be completed after a slow accumilation of resources. Another game by glyph to push people to spend big to be competitive.

Not recommended Feb 7, 2024

i dont really get it tbh

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