20 Years Later, This Underrated Star Wars Game Desperately Needs A Sequel

The mid-2000s were a golden era for Star Wars games. In 2004-2006 alone, we got Knights of the Old Republic 2, Republic Commando, LEGO Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith, Battlefront 2, and LEGO Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy, just to name the biggest highlights. In this storm of great tie-ins, however, Star Wars: Empire at War also shouldn’t be forgotten.

Empire at War was never made to reach an audience as massive as Battlefront 2. Setting aside the action-packed gameplay of most Star Wars titles, Empire at War embraced the real-time strategy formula that defined franchises like Age of Empires and Starcraft. For its target audience, Empire at War was a hit, and it’s almost criminal that it never received a sequel.

Star Wars: Empire At War Is A Strategy Standout

A Good RTS With Great Flavor

Star Wars: Empire at War was the first game from developer Petroglyph Games, but the studio had plenty of genre expertise behind it. After Command & Conquer developer Westwood Studios shut down, several key employees founded Petroglyph and started working on the Star Wars RTS.

Sci-fi and real-time strategy have always gone hand-in-hand, and Star Wars, in particular, proved to be a perfect fit. With plenty of iconic troops, vehicles, and locations, Star Wars lends itself to exciting battles both on planet surfaces and in the reaches of outer space. In Empire at War, these fights play out either as part of an overarching Galactic Conquest campaign or Skirmish battles.

Empire at War didn’t set the world on fire when it released, and it didn’t necessarily deserve to. In terms of strategic depth, Empire at War is more solid than great, and those looking for the best possible tactical experience would be better off turning to the titans of the genre. All the same, marrying a strong framework with a fantastically flavorful IP gives Empire at War a unique appeal, and it’s kept players coming back for decades.

Empire At War Mods Make It Even Better

So Much To Explore

These days, the community has done all the work necessary to make Empire at War truly great. Not only does the extensive modding scene contain plenty of simple fixes and balance tweaks, but it’s also full of total conversions that bring new Star Wars experiences to the table. Many step outside the game’s Galactic Civil War setting, bringing the Clone Wars or even the era of the High Republic to life.

20 years later, that modding scene hasn’t yet cooled. Thrawn’s Revenge, a popular mod that embraces the Legends take on the formation of the New Republic, received its most recent update on February 6, 2026. Even if you played Empire at War when it released, you could come back today and find countless hours of new content to experience.

Even so, a proper sequel could bring so much to the table. Empire at War looks like you’d expect a 2005 RTS to, and a game with modern graphics could easily punch up the immersion. It could also be an opportunity to incorporate more modern elements of the Star Wars canon, whether pulling from Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars or the Disney films.

Above all else, Star Wars: Empire at War 2 could punch up the strategy and mechanics to compete with the best in the genre. The heyday of RTS games in the mainstream is arguably over, and classics in the Starcraft, Age of Empires, and Command & Conquer franchises are often still cited as the best of all time.

It’s The Perfect Time For An Empire At War Sequel

Star Wars Fans Are Hungry

Star Wars: Empire at War gameplay screenshots on Hoth

While this could arguably shrink the market for an Empire at War sequel, it also gives it a chance to stand out. There are still good RTS games coming out today — and Age of Empires returned in fine form with 2021’s Age of Empires 4 — but an Empire at War sequel has the potential to be a flagship comeback in the mainstream. The slower pace of modern Star Wars game releases would also give it more breathing room than it had in 2005, likely bringing in some skeptical Star Wars fans looking for any new tie-in to play.

In the absence of an Empire at War sequel, Star Wars is at least set to return to the realm of strategy this year. Star Wars Zero Company takes on the turn-based tactics genre, invoking the squad-centric approach of games like XCOM. It won’t be anything like Empire at War, but it could still provide a satisfying mental workout.

Only Empire at War 2 or a proper spiritual successor, however, could directly scratch the Empire at War itch. Star Wars is no stranger to bringing back game franchises, with revivals ranging from the EA Battlefront games to the upcoming Episode 1: Racer follow-up Galactic Racer. With potentially years to go before the release of games like Star Wars Eclipse and Fate of the Old Republic, it’s time to sneak a Star Wars: Empire at War follow-up into the mix.