Can Manor Lords live up to all of the pre-release hype?
Manor Lords, Steam's most wishlisted game so far in 2024, has just been launched for early access. The game has amassed an astounding 3 million wishlists ahead of its launch, meaning that expectations for it are at an all-time high.
As this genre-blending city-builder RTS hits the masses, here's everything you need to know about its release, price, and more.
Manor Lords release time
Manor Lords is now available in early access on Steam and through the PC Game Pass as of April 26 at 6 a.m. PST.
Manor Lords is releasing in early access, meaning there are likely to be bugs and other game elements that may feel somewhat incomplete. However, from what has been revealed so far on social media and Steam, the game looks to be a truly bold step for the city-builder genre.
Manor Lords price
Manor Lords has been released on Steam at $39.99 in the U.S. However, the game is currently on an introductory 25% off sale, making it only $29.99 until May 10. Pricing in other regions will likely vary.
We believe this to be the case in light of a recent update posted to the game's subreddit by Tim, CEO of Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, that provides a lot of context into the game's pricing model.
Manor Lords, like all other games on Steam, will not have one price. It will have regional prices that distribute across the world [...] Now the most important thing I’d like to stress: I don't think people should be worried about price.
As a publisher, Hooded Horse has never done AAA pricing on a game. We have no current plans to do so, no matter how popular a game is [...] There's going to be a fair price there at launch with a fair discount.
The thread went on to cover a lot more of the justification for this, citing differences in currency value and the socioeconomic state many different regions of the globe find themselves in. All in all, the game will likely be released at a moderate price point, potentially similar to a game like Farthest Frontier or Frostpunk 2. However, this is purely speculative.
Is Manor Lords coming to Game Pass?
Manor Lords is now available on PC Game Pass as of the game's ;launch on April 26. This has long been a part of the pre-launch plan for the game.
What kind of game is Manor Lords?
Manor Lords is best described as a city-builder with an RTS combat system. For those curious what that means, in a developer update shared on April 17 on Steam, developers shared a bit about what the game is not.
Manor Lords is not a Total War competitor. It's a citybuilder with battles [...] It's not a competitive, fast paced RTS like Age of Empires or StarCraft [...] It's not a Empire Management style Grand Strategy game either.
The game really does seem to be focused on the rich, city-building elements that have made it so appealing to many pre-launch. The battles add an extra flair to the game that many fear will make its scope a bit too wide, however, devs are reiterating here that those won't be elements that will make or break this game. Battles apparently, "are there, but not as huge or as frequent as some of you might expect."
For those looking to get a better idea of what to expect from Manor Lords in 2024, there are a few select content creators who were given access to the game before the April 26th release. Check around YouTube to find more videos like the one below, which will show off Manor Lords gameplay, including battles and the intricacies of the city-building.
We will be covering the launch of Manor Lords closely here at esports.gg. Make sure and stay tuned for the many bug fixes and adjustments that will likely be patched in after release!