The Settlers II is an economic strategy game developed and published by the German studio Blue Byte Software. It came out for MS-DOS in Germany on 17 April 1996, reached the UK on 13 August and North America on 31 August 1996. Thomas Häuser was the lead designer and Haiko Ruttmann wrote the music.
A Mission CD expansion followed in December 1996, and the Gold Edition of October 1997 combined both. That Gold Edition is the version that travelled furthest: to Mac OS in 1997, to the Nintendo DS in 2007 and, as an officially licensed port, to AmigaOS in 2025. The game sold over 500,000 copies worldwide by August 1997.
The Settlers II 10th Anniversary (2006) is a separate Windows remake with a new storyline, while the 2018 History Edition updates the original for Windows 10.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici | MS-DOS | Aug 31, 1996 | Blue Byte Software | 1 |
| NA | The Settlers II: Gold EditionMac OS port of the Gold Edition. | Mac | Sep 24, 1997 | — | 1 |
| NA | The SettlersPort of the Gold Edition. | Nintendo DS | Aug 21, 2007 | Ubisoft | 1 |
| EU | Die Siedler II: Veni, Vidi, ViciGermany. | MS-DOS | Apr 17, 1996 | Blue Byte Software | 1 |
| EU | The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, ViciUnited Kingdom. | MS-DOS | Aug 13, 1996 | Blue Byte Software | 1 |
| EU | Die Siedler II: Mission CDExpansion, Germany. | MS-DOS | December 1996 | Blue Byte Software | 1 |
| WW | The Settlers II: Gold EditionOriginal game plus the Mission CD; region not specified in the source. | MS-DOS | October 1997 | Blue Byte Software | 1 |
| EU | Die SiedlerGermany; port of the Gold Edition. Europe-wide 3 August 2007. | Nintendo DS | Jul 12, 2007 | Ubisoft | 1 |
| WW | The Settlers 2: Gold EditionGOG.com digital release. | Windows | 2009 | — | 1 |
| WW | The Settlers II: History EditionOptimised for Windows 10. | Windows | November 2018 | Ubisoft | 1 |
| WW | The Settlers II: Gold EditionOfficially licensed AmigaOS port by Look Behind You. | Amiga | Oct 18, 2025 | — | 1 |
Also known as: The Settlers II: Veni, Vidi, Vici WW1Die Siedler II: Veni, Vidi, Vici EU2The Settlers II: Gold Edition WW1Поселенцы II: Veni vidi vici RU2
Box art by region
EU Die Siedler II: Veni, Vidi, Vici
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.
Version differences
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ContentMission CDGold Edition
The 1996 Mission CD adds nine Roman campaign missions, twelve free-play maps and a map editor. The 1997 Gold Edition bundles it with the original game, with small graphical and gameplay tweaks.1
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GameplayNintendo DS
The 2007 DS port is controlled entirely with the stylus: menus sit on one screen and the action on the other, with redrawn graphics and optimized maps.1
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Bug fixNintendo DS
Critics panned the DS version for unresponsive touch controls, a poor HUD and game-breaking bugs; it averaged 39/100 on Metacritic.1
Translations
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German Official
Blue Byte Software1996MS-DOSReleased
The game was made in Germany; GOG's Gold Edition lists English, German, French and Polish.3
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
How to run it today
Buy The Settlers 2: Gold Edition on GOG. It includes the original game and the Mission CD and runs in DOSBox on Windows 10 and 11.3
Reception
The game sold over 215,000 units by June 1996 and roughly 600,000 by May 1998, earning a VUD Platinum Award in August 1998. Critics praised its economy and graphics, and GameRankings averaged 84% for the PC original.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.