
Arete: The Battles of Alexander the Great is a classic hex-and-counter digital wargame where you'll relive the Macedonian king's most epic battles, from fighting alongside his father in Greece to climactic clashes with Darius in Persia to battling warlords at the extreme fringe of the empire.
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Step back into the ancient world and lead your Macedonian army to victory with Arete, the immersive hex-and-counter wargame that brings the legendary conquests of Alexander the Great to life. Whether you’re a seasoned wargaming grognard or a newcomer to the battlefield, Arete offers a rich and engaging experience for all.
The game follows his military triumphs from fighting alongside his father, the trailblazing Philip II, to his clashes with the vast Persian army of King Darius III and finally to his invasion of India as he sought to reach the “end of the world” in the East. Arete (pronounced “ah-reh-TEE”) is a Greek word that means a combination of “excellence” and “virtue,” and in Ancient Greece it held particular significance as a concept of being in constant pursuit of the greater good through one’s heroic deeds.
Solo Quick Game: Jump into the action and master the art of war. Challenge yourself against cunning computer opponents in meticulously crafted scenarios and relive the pivotal battles that shaped history.
Solo Campaign: Embark on an epic journey through Alexander’s greatest battles. Progress through all eight scenarios and relive the legendary conquests. Check your grades to see how you stack up against the Macedonian king!
Pass-and-Play: Enjoy the classic wargame experience with friends! Take turns commanding your troops in a local multiplayer mode that’s perfect for game nights.
Online Play: Compete against players worldwide. Test your strategic prowess and rise through the ranks to become the ultimate conqueror.
Tutorial: New to strategy games or need a refresher on ancient warfare? Arete’s tutorial will guide you through the basics to ensure you're battle-ready. Dig into the full rules if you want to review, gain a deeper understanding, or browse the combat tables.
Challenging computer opponent with multiple programmed behaviors (attack, defend, march, etc.). Dice rolls are ALWAYS completely random. The challenge comes from the game's "brain."
Rules and History: Dive deeper with the full rules of the game and delve into the rich history of Alexander the Great. Gain insights into his strategies and the historical context of each battle.
Human-drawn Art: The game features eight exclusive, hand-drawn maps and dozens of hand-drawn counters. We will never use AI art in our games.
Relive Alexander’s greatest battles with eight scenarios, each on its own unique map and offering a distinct challenge:
Chaeronea, 338 BC
Granicus, 334 BC
Issus, 333 BC
Tyre, 332 BC
Gaugamela, 331 BC
Persian Gate, 330 BC
Jaxartes, 329 BC
Hydaspes, 326 BC
Plan your moves, outsmart your opponents, and change the course of history with every decision you make.
Download Arete today and become a legendary conqueror!
Lead your empire, rewrite history, and achieve true greatness with Arete: The Battles of Alexander the Great.
Genres
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Languages: English
Engagement
Hours played at review time, across 22 reviews with recorded playtime.
Reviews
Some fairly unintuitive battle results. 3 units, full strength, with in formation bonus. I surround an enemy unit, not-reinforced, with less strength than each of my units, on 3 sides and attack at once. And it's my 3 units that break. I understand that chance is a thing, but this is just silly.
Polished with a clean UI and UX, in an ancients wargame? Sign me up. This game scratches that itch, and the devs are responsive and engaged.
Simple rules and still a tactical depth, great game !
A great hex and counter wargame with good AI.
I haven't played much of it, but I've enjoyed immensely what I have.
Love the maps!
It offers an interesting setting in the antique with enough unique gameplay mechanics to make this worth trying out if you generally like turn based strategy. I recommend it.
Even though this doesn't run quite right on my system and I had to get a refund, this game looks like it is definitely worth your time. Running Manjaro Linux this game did not like my OS. Buttons worked but the game refused to return to the last screen so I could choose something else. There are other issues but I am assuming this is because of my Linux system. More than likely it is. I was so hoping to play this further but it was not meant to be. I've not seen a war game with these battles anywhere and it shocked me. For this reason this game is a fast purchase for those that enjoy the BC days. These battles are completely overlooked or ignored by 90% of other war games and it is a shame. This makes this game a rarity for the history it brings to you. The graphics of this game are quite beautiful and navigation is simple. I never got far into the game itself but it looks like the dev put a lot of love into his labor. I am hoping down the road the dev can find a way to make this game run in Linux so I can have a chance to play it thoroughly. Once the Linux "blockage" has been removed I will for sure return to play. If you're a Linux player, you may want to avoid this game until it has been updated or fixed. PS: Thank you to the dev for contacting me via the community hub. He didn't have to but he did. A nice thing to see. Please fix this game so I can return and check it out in the future. It's much appreciated.
Bardzo przyjemna, chociaż dość krótka gra dla ludzi, którzy lubią strategiczne gry planszowe. Minusem, ale też plusem gry, jest bardzo duża losowość starć. Gra mogłaby być trochę bogatsza jeśli chodzi o wpływ terenu, różnice w jakości jednostek, mogłaby mieć więcej bitew. Ale i tak grało się przyjemnie. 7/10.
Good. Covers the major battles, all the way to the Hydaspes. I liked the maps, and the counters looked nice.
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Trends
Concurrent players on Steam, sampled daily since tracking started.
Momentum
Pace estimated from the game's recent review growth (our daily snapshots) at its own sales-per-review ratio — a momentum signal, not booked sales.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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