Pompeii: The Legacy

Siscia Games developed and self-published Pompeii: The Legacy. It entered Steam Early Access on September 23, 2025 and launched in full on April 9, 2026, exclusively on PC via Steam for Windows. The game is the work of a solo developer, a rare achievement for a title of this scope. Furthermore, it puts you in charge of rebuilding Pompeii from the ground up in 100 AD, spanning multiple generations of your family across centuries of Roman history.

About the Game

Pompeii: The Legacy is a historical city builder with a strong strategic layer rooted in Roman politics and family legacy. Mount Vesuvius destroyed the city in 79 AD. Two decades later, under Emperor Trajan, you return to rebuild it. Furthermore, the game covers not just construction and resource management but the full social fabric of Roman life, balancing the needs of patricians, plebeians, and slaves, each with their own ambitions and demands. As a result, it appeals to fans of Caesar III, Anno, and Pharaoh while adding a dynastic depth those games never had.

Multi-Generational Family Legacy

No single ruler leads Pompeii through the entire campaign. Leadership passes between generations of your family over centuries of play. Each generation inherits the decisions, good and bad, of the one before it. Furthermore, Family Bonuses build up over time, rewarding long-term planning that pays off several rulers later. Consequently, every choice carries weight beyond the current session, since its effects echo forward through the family line.

Roman Politics and Social Management

The city’s three social classes, patricians, plebeians, and slaves, each have their own needs and political agendas. Keeping all three in balance while securing favour with emperors and outwitting rivals is the central political challenge. Furthermore, you shape laws, negotiate trade rights, and form alliances through marriage or formal contract. Therefore, political skill is just as important as urban planning for the long-term survival of both the city and the family name.

Wesentliche Merkmale

City Building and Economy

Full Roman City Building from Ruins to Empire: Every street, forum, market, temple, arena, and aqueduct must be placed and managed. Each structure shapes not just the city’s function but the fortunes of the family ruling it. Furthermore, housing tiers, public buildings, and infrastructure all interact with citizen happiness and social class balance. As a result, city layout is never a purely aesthetic decision, every placement has political and economic consequences that play out over multiple generations.
Trade Routes and Imperial Economy: Establishing trade routes across the Roman Empire is the primary engine of long-term wealth. Markets shift over time, and keeping your economy strong means watching those shifts and adjusting routes accordingly. Furthermore, the Research system covers two branches, Technology and Philosophy, that unlock new economic tools and civic improvements over time. Consequently, the economy layer grows in depth as the city expands, rewarding players who invest in research early.

Threats and Combat

Natural Disasters and Political Sabotage: Earthquakes, fires, famine, and plague can strike without warning and undo years of construction if the city is unprepared. Emergency management, including stockpiling food, keeping fire services active, and maintaining public health buildings, is a constant background priority. Furthermore, political enemies use sabotage as a weapon, and some threats arrive through diplomacy rather than open conflict. Therefore, resilience planning is as important as growth planning throughout the entire campaign.
Optional Real-Time Legion Battles: When military conflict arises, you can command your legions directly in real-time tactical battles. These are not required, as conflicts can be resolved through diplomacy or automatic resolution, but engaging with them adds a tactical layer for players who want it. Furthermore, battle outcomes affect the city’s security, borders, and political standing. Consequently, the combat system serves the broader city-builder without overshadowing it for players who prefer pure management.

Games Like This

Similar Game	Hauptunterschied	Am besten für
Cäsar III	The direct spiritual predecessor, a Roman city builder from 1998 that defined the genre with supply chains, citizen needs, and urban planning in ancient Rome. However, it has no multi-generational family legacy system and no grand strategy political layer. Furthermore, it is nearly 30 years old and lacks the production values of Pompeii: The Legacy.	Players who want the classic Roman city builder that inspired Pompeii: The Legacy, in its original form with the full original campaign.
Pharao: Eine neue Ära	A modern remaster of the 1999 Egyptian city builder from the same era as Caesar III, covering monument construction, flood management, and trade in ancient Egypt. However, it has no political legacy system or real-time battle layer. Furthermore, it is a remaster of an existing game rather than an original title, making its design rooted in 1999 conventions.	Players who want a polished modern remaster of the classic ancient city builder formula set in Egypt rather than Rome.
Anno 117: Pax Romana	Also set in the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Trajan with a large-scale city builder and trade network at its core. However, it is a major AAA production from Ubisoft with a much larger budget and scope than Pompeii: The Legacy. Furthermore, it focuses on island-chain logistics and resource chain management rather than dynastic politics and family legacy.	Players who want the most polished and visually ambitious Roman-era city builder available with deep resource chain management and AAA production quality.

Game Details

Developer / Publisher: Siscia Games (solo developer)
Plattformen: PC (Steam, GOG); Windows
Early Access Date: September 23, 2025
Full Release Date: April 9, 2026
Genre: Indie, Simulation, Strategy (City Builder, Historical, Roman, Family Legacy, Grand Strategy)
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (82% of 209 reviews)
Campaign Length: 20+ hours
Steam-Errungenschaften: 25
Research Branches: Technology and Philosophy
Social Classes: Patricians, Plebeians, Slaves
Co-op: Single-player only
Controller Support: Not confirmed

Systemanforderungen

Pompeii: The Legacy is moderately demanding for a city builder, with 16 GB RAM required at minimum and 32 GB recommended for the full late-game campaign. Furthermore, the jump from minimum to recommended GPU is significant, from a GTX 1060 to an RTX 2080, reflecting the visual complexity of a fully built multi-district Roman city.