Empires of the Undergrowth Review: The Ant Colony RTS Players Love
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Short answer: Empires of the Undergrowth is a real-time strategy game where you lead an ant colony. You dig your nest, gather food and send your soldiers to fight rival colonies, spiders and beetles. Players rate it Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (95% of 11,125 English reviews), and PC Gamer called it a ridiculously good RTS about ants. It is fully released and costs $29.99.
What is Empires of the Undergrowth?
Empires of the Undergrowth is an ant colony strategy game from Slug Disco, published by Hooded Horse. Underground you expand your nest on a hex grid and raise workers and soldiers. On the surface you guide your ants with pheromone markers to gather food and attack enemies. A story campaign follows lab ants with a fast-evolving genome, while documentary missions let you play as real species in their natural habitats.
| Developer | Slug Disco |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Release | 7 June 2024 (Early Access from December 2017) |
| Platforms | Windows and macOS |
| Genre | Real-time strategy |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 11,125 English reviews) |
| Price | $29.99 |
What players and critics love
Real ant species
Leafcutter, trap-jaw, wood and Matabele ants each play differently. Reviewers enjoy learning about how real ants live while they play.
Documentary-style missions
Narration in the style of a nature documentary guides you and warns you about danger. One reviewer said it pairs perfectly with the soundtrack and sound effects.
Easy to control
You group your ants and steer them with pheromone trails, and they attack enemies on their own. One reviewer called it remarkably easy to play for an RTS.
A strange, fun campaign
PC Gamer praised the campaign, where your lab ants evolve and face odd hybrid enemies, such as a hermit crab mixed with a scorpion.
What to know before you buy
- Fully released. It left Early Access on 7 June 2024 after years of updates.
- Gentle learning curve. Harder gateway missions and challenge modes are there for veterans.
- Unit control limits. One reviewer missed the option to split one ant type into separate groups for attacks on many fronts.
- DLC. Exploding Ants is a small DLC for $4.99.
Who should buy Empires of the Undergrowth?
Buy it if you like RTS games but want something fresh, or if you have ever watched an ant colony and wondered how it works. It is also a good RTS for newcomers. For another unusual Hooded Horse strategy game, try our Against the Storm review.
Sources
- Steam store page and user reviews for Empires of the Undergrowth
- PC Gamer: Empires of the Undergrowth coverage
- Movies Games and Tech: Empires of the Undergrowth review
- Nexus store page for Empires of the Undergrowth
Last checked against sources: 10 November 2026.
