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Game
Game2014
The Guild Gold Edition
Developer 4HEAD Studios
Europa 1400: The Guild (German: Die Gilde) is a 2002 simulation game developed by 4HEAD Studios and published by JoWooD Productions. It is the first installment in the Guild series, released in October 2002 for Windows. The game simulates medieval life combined with elements of real-time strategy, role-playing, and nonlinear gameplay using a 3D engine. Taking place in historic European cities, the player tries to… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
183 reactions from 1 source (Steam reviews) · newest Oct 5, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
62
Fresh
114 positive · 69 negative
95% range 55–69%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 114 | 69 | 0 |
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
456 of 613 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 183 · most liked first[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38888018-United-Critics/] Please follow United Critics for quality reviews The Guild Gold Edition Review Categories Rating Explanation Gameplay 🎮 7 Political strategy turn-based simulation, if none of these categories interest you then you probably wouldn’t be into this. Visuals 🎬 7 It’s a bit rough around the edges to today's standards, but this was released in 2002 so there were hardware limitations back then.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[09/2026 edit: this turned out to be my most controversial review because I mentioned a game mechanic some people might think is a spoiler. I will edit it out, so don't look at the comments if you fear spoilers in a RNG dynasty simulator] it's a good "just one more turn" game. very addictive. but there is a well-known bug that causes player's saves to become corrupted after a certain number of in-game years (2025 update: I played the Nuremberg map. this bug seems to affect larger maps such as…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Guild is probably one of the most amazing medieval-dynasty-rpg-citybuilder-trading-simulations ever developed and in that alone, is practically one of a kind. It takes a while to get into and the algorhythms of the first entry of the series can be abused to no end. (bribe everyone, all the time, if you can afford it to snowball your career), but to this day, no other game has ever done it better, not even Crusader Kings 2 (being on an entirely different scale though) The Guild is a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Trust in goodwill, and you'll lose. To survive, you have to doubt people.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game back in the days. But this version just doesn't work properly: crashes for no obvious reason and it was impossible to save a game - and that's a terrible combination of bugs...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I would love to leave good review of this game it is simply not possible. The game no longer works. I did manage to find couple of fixes few months back and managed to squeeze 20h out of the game but it did crash frequently. Now it will crash as soon as you run it. Not fix is possible. Publisher is just out to make quick buck from nostalgic idiots like myself. Avoid in wide arch, simply not worth it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There’s definitely an interesting game here, but it’s buried under too many negatives. The UI is frustrating, the combat feels clunky and unresponsive, and the bugs are still bad enough that I eventually gave up on playing. I didn’t bother looking for mods to fix the issues since I already own the sequels, I think I’ll just move on.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game as a child and still do as an adult but I sadly cant recommend it. It still has the same and other problems it had in the past. It is a great game with great visuals (for the time and still nice nowadays) nice gameplay realistic occupations & history and more. Fun to play hard to master but it sadly has gameending problems. Crashes at the same time which you cant avoid Random crashes which makes your savefile corrupted or what the game calls it: "Wrong version of saved game"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game doesn't seem to work on newer Nvidia graphic cards (Like my GTX 960). It seems to work in Windows 7 and GTX 560 or older. I tried everything, changing the resolution, putting it in compatibility mode, even running it with 256 colors in 640x480.... Nope, crash on start. It seems Nvidia is not big on supporting older direct X games while AMD is fine even with the newest cards. But even with AMD, the resolution you will get is capped at 1156xYYYY and you will get troubles with dual monitors…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A classic, that's how I would describe this game. I originally played the base game of The Guild somewhere in 2003 when I loaned the disc from a friend. I later on purchased The Guild Gold edition in 2006 on disc and played it extensively. It's one of those games that always has been installed on my pc and when it was on sale it was a no-brainer to repurchase it on Steam. It's a game that I always enjoyed playing and that I always can get back to. It's a medieval business and town simulator.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game seems like a great concept, but it doesn't work properly on a modern PC (Windows 7 64-bit, GeForce GTX 770). The biggest issue is that what looks like a drop down to select a bribe amount or budget for a craftsmen does not display the available options. It also displays on the wrong monitor in a dual monitor setup, only works at 1024x768 resolution and has other graphical artifacts. The Guild II: Renaissance seems like the best alternative until The Guild 3 is released.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After initial problems with display and crashing, I now have the game running smoothly. This is a game I played a lot a few years ago, so I was pleased to find it available again on Steam. Initially it appears to be a simple trading game, but, it is much deeper and darker than it seems. Example, use black arts, propoganda and corruption to get an enemy executed for a crime he did not commit then buy up his property (if he has no children to inherit), if you are that way inclined. Or jockey…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This once was an absolutely excellent game of its time, but it doesn't run (properly) on modern systems. If you're not running it on a 10-15 years old computer, better think twice about buying it. Incredibly sorry to say.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I used to love this game as a child. The act of struggling through medieval europe as a craftsman; and all the buying, making and selling made this game very appealing. The charm is still holding its own. But as I progressed through the game, the many bugs became more and more apparent. For example, if you assume trading or banking, the game starts crashing frequently. Recently I played as showman and went on to own all the showmen's in london. And even though all of them were being run by…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Such a charming game! I adore the soundtrack and the atmosphere. The game isn't super complex but it goes so deep. I play this at least once a year in the colder seasons. Too bad these games don't receive much love.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It doesn't work correctly. I loved it back on the old windows XP days. I've tried and tried to get it to work right for years on everything windows 7 and beyond without luck, although some claim to have fixed it, I've tried them all without success. If you want to see how it's supposed to play, play it on an old XP machine, the only way it works properly. Then once you play MP over a local network, you'll never want to play it any other way!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Undoubtedly a good game. Unfortunately it doesnt run well on modern systems. Frames Per Second are quite low and if there are any text boxes open, mouse controls nosedive by quite a bit. However The Guild 3 has been announced, and I am looking forward to that one!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best games I have ever played. It's a terrible shame what has happened to it. It's more likely to fall apart than your great grandma, and steam hasn't done anything about it. Most people won't even be able to play it, out of the box, because you'll immediately be grappling with CTD and graphical errors (it crashes on widescreen monitors, unless you force it to play in a window, by editting the .ini file). Even after that, expect to grapple with the controls and the manual (if you can…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Old game from childhood. It has unique atmosphere, great soundtrack and nostalgic feeling. The controls are a bit weird but understable. Good game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No one has solved the graphic problems. Frankly, the original version was 500 times better anyhow. If you play without the new graphic card option, the game stutters and lags. If you play with the new graphic card option, in-game windows are cut-off. Your storage, the market place, etc. Crucial aspects of the game. People have complained about this for years. Nothing has ever been done. This issue affects Win 8.1 and Win 10, if not also other versions. The game itself is worth buying, but not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is still my favourite after all these years!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Guild is an economic strategy/life simulation game. I remember well when it was first released. It was buggy and clunky, yet unique and incredibly addictive. And it remains that way to this day. Plays well on Deck with a mouse.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A lot of people don't even know this gem, sadly.. The Guild might be pretty old and the graphics are outdated but who cares about graphics anyway. The mechanics and possibilities it has to offer are amazing! You can live your own medieval life to your own desire and with everything that comes with it. You start as a unknown villagers child but with hard work, management knowledge and a bit of luck you can become the mightiest individual of your town. Obviously it takes a while to get going…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game crashes after some great playing time. There are many references to this issue in the local forum. No solution found. The publisher selling an unrepaired game for so long should be punished! I recommend that everyone completely hide the THQ Nordic before the patch is released. It was the greatest game on the old systems. Why did the publisher took our money here on Steam and bury the Guild? Dear reader! You can find the unpatched artifact for free or pay for it here.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Лучший симулятор средневековья вообще и лучшая игра из серии. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbG7v-JvODo
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →game is well but lets play Remake....
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the best games I used to play as a child. Lovely winter nights I recall venturing into it, building my name in the economy simulation. From time to time I play it and it hits the same. Oh, i wish for remaster. Make it more polished, even deepends game mechanics. Fix bugs. Ultimate The Guild experience (not that Guild 3 fail where too many bugs and features made it complete mess)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A true gem 10€ is a bit too much for such an ancient game, wait for a sale. The graphics are really outdated, but underneath lies a brillant experience. It's one of my all time favorite games. The feeling of progression is awesome and both micromanaging your little smithy and macromanaging your wide-ranging business-network is fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Riddled with bugs and doesn't really work on modern hardware. Really sad about that because it's a really good game for a relaxed evening.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A classic that can still be enjoyed in 2017.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I play a lot of strategy games. More specifically, I play a lot of medieval themed strategy games. AoE, Civ and the like. This game had all the tags of a game I would enjoy, and indeed I have. It does tend to crash sometimes, but for an older game running on a modern computer that's to be expected. This game puts you as the head of a dynasty, starting off with one profession and business and developing into something more. Meanwhile, you are free to become elected within the town government.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game, but doesn't work on newer systems/Windows 10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got this game years before steam. And I fell in love with it, I love this game way better than guild 2 even. play enough hours you will find out there is certain things you can do to get rich fast. I find that to have the most fun is to be rich fast to get into the politics and marrying right. the game might be boring at first trying to manage shop but there is a lot more to the game as well. my favorite job is probably being the theif.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I cannot express enough how good this game is and I don't think I'll ever find something as timeless as this game. The graphics are so old but unlike some games where the times have caught up to it and it doesn't hit well in the current modern times, this game with all its age is still timeless and there are only a handful of games that are literally as timeless as this, where its still so good even when everything else is already so modernized and have way better graphics and such. This is one…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No one will read this anyway, so I´ll say that I`m gay
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game runs slowly. It took me a lot of time to go through the tutorial. Graphics are not bad.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →pure Nostalgie. Das Spielkonzept ist noch immer fantastisch und fesselt stundenlang. (regelmässiges Speichern nicht vergessen, das Spiel hat die Tendenz abzustürzen)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Es ist Gold. Also Gilde Gold. Baut eure Familie auf, eine Dynastie, übernehmt Ämter und Betriebe. Es ist eine solide Wirtschaftssimulation die mit einem Rollenspielflair, beides macht durchaus viele Stunden Spaß. Eine große Anzahl an auswählbaren Berufen erhöht den Widerspielwert um alles mal gesehen zu haben. Während einige Berufe das 08/15 Herstellen und Verkaufen sind, glänzen andere Berufe weniger wegen Geldmöglichkeiten als mit den Möglichkeiten, die man in der Politik des Spiels bekommt.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It doesn't work well on more modern systems. I launched it successfully with option for newer cards, but after I changed few settings in graphics options, it crashed, and I couldn't start it anymore. Buy The Guild II: Renaissance or The Guild 3 instead of this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This videogame is a classic in the History of german video games. It is a game that i've played since i was 4 and it released on my birthyear it shaped me as a gamer and video game enthusiast while this game isn't the greatest story driven game, the Character you built and the story you create yourself while expanding into one of the biggest "Dynasties" not just financially but also through diplomacy. Are some of the things that make this game the classic it is and i still enjoy playing the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my favorite games when I was a kid. Played for many many many hours. Bought it again on steam, graphics are a bit dated. But the game is still interesting and fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The original, the best.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of my alltime favorite games. Unfortunately on Win7 or Win10 it won't run even for 10 minutes without a crash. Be warned! I tried all kinds of compatibility-solutions, nothing worked for me. Also savegames do not work propably sometimes. I do not recommand this - unless you want to donate 10 Euro to Steam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the most fun and interesting games I have ever played. Even today I play it once a while and it is still amazing.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Guild Gold Edition is an ambitious medieval life, dynasty, and economic simulation developed by 4HEAD Studios and published by XXX that offers a uniquely layered approach to strategy gaming. Rather than focusing on a single pillar such as city building or warfare, the game blends personal role-playing, business management, political intrigue, and long-term family progression into a sprawling sandbox set in late medieval Europe. The Gold Edition bundles the base experience with its expansion…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will leave the cat here, so that everybody who passes by can pet it and give it a thumbs up and awards. ／＞ フ | _ _ l ／` ミ＿xノ / | / ヽ ﾉ │ | | | ／￣| | | | | (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__) ＼二つ
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game after hearing how amazing it is from a trusted friend. It is not. We are no friends anymore.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Europa 1400: The Guild is a masterclass in blending history with intricate roleplaying elements. Transporting players to the dawn of the 15th century, this game offers an immersive experience that bridges time and space. Its roleplaying qualities are not only deep but are rooted in historical accuracy, giving a fresh layer of depth to the characters and storylines. The innovative gameplay is a testament to the creators' dedication. Europa 1400 doesn’t merely copy standard templates; instead,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The only game that helps me live out my dream of being a wealthy bourgeoisie in the Middle Ages.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The lag is constant and unbearable!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →On of my favorite games of all time. To this day no other game has done what this game did (and still does). The Guild 2 and 3 are far inferior as they made some very questionable game design choices in those like having to micro-manage your character and other family members which is annoying. But this game, from the amazing UI, to the great music and game design is just fun to play even after 20 years. I wish there would be a modern remake of this game but it will probably never happen. In…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game just kept crashing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →still an awesome game after all these years
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't know if it just needs a better tutorial, but I couldn't really figure out how to progress in the game. My "opponents" were ranking up and I was stuck at citizen.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing and old school I found some problems but solved them as well https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat This is solution for any cut animations/graphics/lags problems It will solve things for you to every old game if u want to play it on newer versions of windows. You simple download zip, copy dll from it and paste next to exe that starts your game. Then after you started the game. Everything runs smoothly asf. No need to run as administrator, nor compatible modes etc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I remember playing this years ago " The Guild Gold Edition" is unlike any other age of empire games, " i love age of empires " The Guild is awsome because it has extra features. its pretty kewl. Good memories and great game! xD Edit 7/30/2016, to those who dont know the gameplay of " The Guild ", I said it is similar in a way that you have to create units, attack, defend, as well as your own character who grows old and dies but this feature is not in age of empires, only in " The Guild " but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When it comes to multiplayer games, I typically prefer board games, card games, miniature wargames and TTRPG's. However, this was one of best and most memorable games I played with my friends. It warms my heart no know that they're finally making a true sequel for the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will always love it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun time building an empire of business and family including politics and trade
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The gameplay is good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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