How to play Cradlecrown
Cradlecrown is a free real-time strategy (RTS) game that runs in your browser with no download. Start with a small settlement, build an economy, grow your civilization through the ages and lead your army to destroy the enemy town center.
Play nowThe game at a glance
- Genre: real-time strategy, city building and battles.
- Players: single player against the AI (Easy, Normal, Hard) or 2–8 players online.
- Civilizations: 65 historical civilizations across 5 regions.
- Maps: Green Valley, River Bends, Highland Basin and Lake Country.
- Platform: desktop and mobile browsers. Nothing to install, no account required.
- Languages: English and Turkish.
The first minutes: economy
You start with a town center and a few villagers. Villagers gather resources and construct buildings.
| Resource | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Gold | A mine built on a gold deposit. Each mine or camp takes up to 3 villagers. |
| Stone | A mine built on a stone deposit. |
| Wood | A lumber camp next to a forest. |
| Food | Farms. The harvest is carried to a mill. |
| Population | Houses raise the population limit. At the limit, no new units can be trained. |
Tip: keep training villagers early and never leave one idle. A strong economy speeds up both your age advances and your army.
Ages and choosing civilizations
There are four ages: First Settlements → Kingdoms → Empires → Dynasties. Build your landmark, select it and research the next age; it costs gold, food and time.
What makes Cradlecrown different: in every age you continue as one of four civilizations from your region, and you keep the legacy you earned from the ones before. Each match becomes your own route through history. Every civilization has its own landmark, a signature unit and a play style (offense, endurance, maneuver, trade or pressure).
Five regions
- Mesopotamia and Iran: from Sumer to Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, Achaemenid Persia, the Sasanians, Abbasids, Seljuks, Timurids and Ottomans.
- The Nile and North Africa: from Old Kingdom Egypt to Kush, the Ptolemies, Byzantine Egypt, Fatimids, Ayyubids and Mamluks.
- The Indian subcontinent: from the Indus settlements to Maurya, Gupta, Chola, the Delhi Sultanate and Vijayanagara.
- East Asia: from Shang to Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming.
- The Aegean and Mediterranean: from the Minoans to Mycenae, Athens, Sparta, Macedon, Rome, Eastern Rome, Byzantium and Venice.
The in-game Civilizations library has a short history of each civilization with its sources.
Armies and unit counters
Sending the right unit against the right enemy matters more than numbers:
| Unit | Strong against | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Spearman | Cavalry | Archers |
| Archer | Spearmen | Cavalry, infantry |
| Cavalry | Archers, infantry | Spearmen |
| Infantry | Archers | Cavalry |
| Catapult | Buildings and massed troops (long range, area damage) | Fast units |
Towers shoot arrows at nearby enemies; walls and gates protect your city. You and your allies pass through your gates, while the enemy has to break them.
Controls
Mouse and keyboard
- Left click / drag: select units.
- Right click: move or attack (works on the minimap too). Hold Shift to queue orders.
- A + left click: attack-move.
- F: select all soldiers. 1–4: army groups.
- B: buildings menu (e.g. B F for a farm).
- Arrow keys pan the camera, the mouse wheel zooms. Esc cancels the selection or opens the menu.
Touch
- Tap a unit or building to select it, tap the ground to move, tap an enemy to attack.
- Drag with one finger to pan, pinch with two fingers to zoom.
- The Army button selects all soldiers. Use ☰ to pause.
Playing online
In multiplayer you can join an open room or create your own; add a password to make it private. Fill empty seats with bots, set up teams or play free-for-all. With an account you can add friends, invite them to your room and climb the leaderboard.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cradlecrown free?
Yes. The whole game is free to play. The optional Founder's Pack only gives cosmetic rewards such as a title and a profile frame.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. Cradlecrown runs in the browser; open cradlecrown.com and start playing.
How many players can play?
Play alone against the AI, or online with 2–8 players in rooms. Empty seats can be filled with bots, and matches can be team games or free-for-all.
Do I need an account?
No, you can play without one. An account (email code or Google sign-in) adds profile stats, the leaderboard and a friends list.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. There are touch controls: tap to select, drag to pan, pinch to zoom. Mouse and keyboard on desktop is the most comfortable way to play.
How do you win a match?
Matches use the Conquest rule: destroy the enemy town center to win.
Which languages are supported?
English and Turkish. Switch the language from the main menu.
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