Manor Lords: The Medieval City Builder That Took Steam by Storm
If you have been following PC gaming news in the last year, you have definitely heard the name Manor Lords. This game came out of nowhere, built by mostly one person, and somehow became the most wishlisted game on Steam before it even launched. And when it finally released in Early Access? It sold over one million copies in just a weekend.
I got my hands on Manor Lords a few months ago, and let me tell you, I lost so many hours to this game. There is something deeply satisfying about watching your tiny village grow into a thriving medieval town. The curved roads, the organic layout, the way your villagers actually walk around and do their jobs.
But is the game worth buying right now? Or should you wait for the full release? Let me break down everything you need to know about Manor Lords.
Quick Info Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Developer | Slavic Magic (Grzegorz Styczeń) |
| Release Date | April 26, 2024 (Early Access) |
| Genre | City Builder / Real-Time Tactics / Strategy |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store) |
Detailed Game Description
Let me start by saying something important. Manor Lords is NOT a finished game. It is in Early Access. But even in its current state, it offers something special that I have not found in other city builders.
The game is the brainchild of one developer, Grzegorz Styczeń (people call him Greg). He started working on this game alone, funded by Patreon donations and later a grant from Epic Games. The publisher Hooded Horse came on board later, but the soul of this game is still very much from a single passionate creator.
The Setting
Manor Lords is set in medieval Europe, specifically inspired by late 14th-century Franconia, which is now part of Bavaria, Germany. The game takes historical accuracy seriously. No fantasy creatures, no magic, no over-the-top castles. This is about real medieval life.
You play as a lord. Not a king, not an emperor. A lord. You have a small plot of land, a handful of families, and big dreams. From there, you build your settlement, manage resources, attract more villagers, and eventually compete with other lords for control of the region.
The City Building
This is where Manor Lords really shines. Most city builders use grids. You know what I mean. Roads that are perfectly straight. Buildings that snap into tidy little blocks. Manor Lords does not do that.
The game encourages organic city building. You draw roads that curve naturally. Houses follow the shape of the land. Your town grows the way real medieval towns grew, around trade routes and natural landmarks.
You start with nothing. A few homeless families, some basic resources, and a lot of work ahead of you. The first thing you need to build is a logging camp. Without lumber, you cannot build anything else. Then you need a woodcutter for firewood. Winters are brutal in this game, and if your villagers do not have fuel, they will freeze.
The housing in Manor Lords is called Burgage Plots. This is not just a house. It is a plot of land where a family lives AND works. Each burgage plot can have a backyard extension. You can add a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, or even an artisan workshop. A larger plot means a bigger garden, which means more food. So you need to plan your space carefully.
The Economy and Resources
Managing your resources is a big part of Manor Lords. You have to balance food, fuel, clothing, and tools. The game does not give you exact numbers. You have to look at the Barrel icon on your UI. It tells you roughly how many months of food and firewood you have left.
Here are the main resources you need to worry about:
- Food: You can get this from hunting, foraging berries, fishing, farming, and backyard extensions
- Fuel: Firewood from woodcutters. Later you can use charcoal
- Clothing: Leather from hunting, linen from flax, wool from sheep
- Tools: Needed for mining and advanced production
The seasons matter a lot. Winter means your villagers consume twice as much firewood. They cannot farm when the ground is frozen. You need to stockpile resources before the cold arrives.
Farming in Manor Lords is surprisingly complex. You need to check soil fertility before planting. Different crops grow better in different areas. And farming requires a lot of workers. Most experienced players suggest avoiding farming in the first year. Stick to hunting and gathering until you have a stable population.
The Combat
Manor Lords is not just a city builder. It also has real-time tactical battles. The developer describes it as “a city builder with battles,” not a Total War competitor.
When bandits attack or rival lords declare war, you need to defend your people. You have three ways to raise an army:
- Retinue: Your personal bodyguards. You get these when you build your manor. They are professional soldiers, but they cost money to maintain.
- Militia: Your villagers. When you need soldiers, you can call up your farmers and woodcutters. The downside? If they die in battle, you lose workers from your town.
- Mercenaries: Paid soldiers. They cost Treasury money, but they do not affect your population.
The combat itself is strategic. You can use terrain, formations, and morale to win battles. Holding the high ground gives you an advantage. Flanking enemies reduces their morale. But do not expect the depth of Total War. The combat is currently simpler, and the developer has said they want to keep it that way.
Different Game Modes
Manor Lords has several game modes:
- Rise to Prosperity: No combat at all. Just pure city building. Perfect if you want to relax.
- Restoring the Peace: Some bandits, but no rival lord. Good for learning the combat mechanics.
- On the Edge: Full combat experience. Bandits, rival lords, and a challenging Baron who tries to take over the map.
- A Duel and Fractured Realm: Added in a major update in October 2025, these add new challenges and maps.
Development Status and Future
This is important to understand. Manor Lords is in Early Access. It is not a complete game. The developer has been very open about this. Before launch, he actually asked players to lower their expectations because he was worried the hype had gotten out of control.
So what is missing? The biggest things are:
- No multiplayer and the developer has said not to expect it anytime soon
- Limited diplomacy with AI lords
- No city walls yet (only castle walls)
- Some features are still being balanced
However, the game has already received major updates. In October 2025, a huge update overhauled the code and added new game modes, four new maps, and a revamped perk system. The game also migrated from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5 in mid-2024.
The developer is committed. Updates are coming. But if you want a completely finished, polished experience, you might want to wait.
What is the System Requirement for Manor Lords?
Now let us talk about the technical side. The good news is that Manor Lords is not very demanding. You do not need a expensive gaming PC to run this game.
However, there is one thing you should know. Manor Lords is a strategy game, and like most strategy games, it becomes more demanding as your city grows. A large settlement with hundreds of villagers will put more pressure on your CPU than the early game.
Minimum System Requirements (For 1080p / Low Settings)
If you just want to play the game on low settings, here is what you need:
- Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-4670 or AMD FX-4350
- Memory (RAM): 8 GB
- Graphics Card (GPU): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (2 GB) or AMD Radeon RX-460 (4 GB)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 16 GB available space
My advice: These requirements are from 2013 and 2014. If you have a PC that is about ten years old, you can run this game on minimum settings. The GTX 1050 is a very common budget card.
Recommended System Requirements (For 1080p / High Settings)
For a smooth experience with higher graphics settings, aim for this configuration:
- Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor (CPU): Intel Core i5-7600 or AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
- Memory (RAM): 12 GB
- Graphics Card (GPU): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB)
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 16 GB available space
Can My PC Run Manor Lords?
The honest answer is probably yes. The recommended GPU, the GTX 1060, came out in 2016. That is almost ten years old as of 2025. Most gaming PCs from the last eight years will meet or exceed these requirements.
One important note: The developer has said that Manor Lords is more CPU intensive than GPU intensive. Once you build a large city, your processor has to track hundreds of villagers, their jobs, their homes, and their needs. If you have an older CPU, you might experience slowdown in the late game.
Also, while an SSD is not strictly required, I strongly recommend installing Manor Lords on one. The game loads faster, and the performance is smoother.
Is There a Console Version?
As of now, Manor Lords is PC only. There is no official announcement about PlayStation or Xbox versions. The game is currently only available on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
People ask a lot of questions about Manor Lords. These are the most common ones I have seen on Reddit, Steam forums, and Discord.
1. Is Manor Lords a finished game?
No. Manor Lords is in Early Access. It launched on April 26, 2024. The developer has been releasing updates, but many features are still missing or incomplete. If you want a complete experience, wait for the full release. If you want to support development and play an amazing work-in-progress, buy it now.
2. What should I build first in Manor Lords?
Start with a logging camp, a woodcutter, a granary, and a storehouse. In that order. Do not build houses immediately. Your homeless families can survive in tents for a little while. Get your resource production running first. Also, do not upgrade the homeless tents to a Worker’s Camp. This causes problems with population growth.
3. Should I start farming right away?
No. Avoid farming in the first year. Farming requires many workers, and the harvest takes a long time. Focus on hunting and gathering berries. You can also add vegetable gardens and chicken coops to your burgage plots for steady food production.
4. Why is my population not growing?
You need empty houses for new families to move in. Build more burgage plots. Also check your approval rating. If your villagers are unhappy, no one will come. The biggest approval killers are lack of food variety, lack of fuel in winter, and no church for level 2 houses.
5. Does Manor Lords have multiplayer?
No. The developer has said multiplayer is “not anytime soon, if at all”. This is a single-player game. Do not buy it expecting to play with friends.
6. How do I trade in Manor Lords?
Build a Trading Post. Then you need to set a “Trade Rule” for each item you want to buy or sell. By default, everything is set to “No Trade.” You have to manually change this. Some high-tier items like tools and weapons require you to establish a dedicated Trade Route first.
7. What is the difference between Regional Wealth and Treasury?
Regional Wealth is the money of your villagers. It is used to buy backyard extensions, animals like oxen, and import goods. You get Regional Wealth from trade and from level 2 burgage plots.
Treasury is your personal money as the lord. It is used to hire mercenaries and settle new regions. You get Treasury from taxes and from clearing bandit camps.
8. Why is my ox not working or running away?
Oxen need a place to stay. Build a Hitching Post. If you have multiple oxen, build more posts or upgrade to a Stable. Also, oxen need to be assigned to specific tasks. A Logging Camp needs its own ox. A Sawmill needs its own ox. You cannot share one ox between multiple buildings.
9. How do I make ale?
Grow barley on your farms. Take the barley to a Malthouse to turn it into malt. Then take the malt to a level 2 or higher burgage plot with a Brewery extension. The brewer will turn malt into ale. You need a Tavern to serve ale to your villagers. Ale satisfies the Entertainment need for level 2 and level 3 burgage plots.
10. Why am I not getting enough food?
Check the Barrel icon on your UI. It tells you how many months of food you have left. If it is low, you need more food production. The best early game food sources are hunting, foraging, and backyard vegetable gardens. Chicken coops give eggs, which add food variety. Apple orchards take three years to produce a surplus, so plant them early but do not rely on them immediately.
11. How do I get the true ending or win the game?
There is no “true ending” in Manor Lords. The game is a sandbox. You set your own goals. Some players aim to control all regions on the map. Others just want to build a beautiful city. There is no campaign with a final boss. The story is whatever you make it.
12. Is Manor Lords worth buying in 2024/2025?
This depends on what you want. If you love city builders and do not mind Early Access bugs and missing features, yes, absolutely. The core gameplay is solid and addictive. If you want a polished, complete experience with all features implemented, wait for the full release.
The game has sold over three million copies by February 2025. That many people cannot be wrong. But read the reviews. Some players complain about the lack of endgame content and the simple combat. Know what you are getting into.
13. My game is lagging. What should I do?
First, check if you are in the late game with a large city. Manor Lords becomes CPU heavy as your population grows. Try lowering the graphics settings, especially shadows and draw distance. Also, make sure the game is installed on an SSD if possible.
If you have only 8 GB of RAM, consider upgrading to 12 or 16 GB. Memory is one of the biggest bottlenecks for this game.
14. Can I build walls around my whole city?
Not yet. The Castle Planner only lets you build walls around your manor and a few military buildings. City walls are a planned feature that will come later in Early Access. For now, do not try to enclose your entire settlement. The game is not designed for it.
15. Does Manor Lords have mod support?
Official mod support is not fully implemented yet. However, the community has started creating mods. As the game moves closer to full release, mod support is expected to improve.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy Manor Lords?
Let me be honest with you. Manor Lords is not for everyone. If you need a game with a clear campaign, a defined ending, and no bugs, skip this for now. Wait for the full release.
But if you love city builders like Banished, Foundation, or Ostriv, you should buy Manor Lords today. The organic building system is refreshing. The historical accuracy is impressive. The graphics are beautiful. And the developer, Greg, has shown real dedication to improving the game.
The game has weaknesses. The combat is simple. The AI diplomacy is basic. Some features are missing. The endgame can feel empty. But the foundation is rock solid.
Here is the bottom line. I have played over 80 hours of Manor Lords. I have built villages, fought bandits, managed trade routes, and survived harsh winters. I have lost entire settlements to poor planning. I have also built towns that made me stop and just admire the view.
For the price, you are getting a game that will give you dozens of hours of enjoyment now, with more content coming for free through updates. That is a good deal.
If you are still not sure, wishlist the game on Steam and wait for a sale. But if you ask me? Buy it. Build your village. Watch it grow. And remember to keep enough firewood for winter.
