Populous: The Beginning
PC · 1998
About this game
Populous: The Beginning is a strategy and god-style video game.
It is the third entry in the Populous video game series, developed by Bullfrog Productions in 1998.
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The PC version of the game was released November 30, 1998 and a PlayStation version was later developed and released on April 2, 1999.
Unlike earlier games in the series, which cast the player in the role of a god influencing loyal followers, The Beginning took a radical departure and placed the player in the role of a shaman, who directly leads her tribe against opponents.
Throughout the twenty-five missions of the campaign, the player leads their tribe across a solar system, dominating enemy tribes and tapping new sources of magic, with the ultimate goal of the shaman attaining godhood herself.
Populous: The Beginning was the first entry in the series to use true 3D computer graphics; Bullfrog waited four years after Populous II: Trials of the Olympian Gods so that the graphics technology could catch up to their vision for a new and different game in the series.
The developers considered the addition of terrain deformation and manipulation, combined with "smart" villagers who automatically attended to tasks, to add an entirely new dimension to the series.
The game's original title was Populous: The Third Coming before being changed prior to the beta release.
Populous: The Beginning plays very differently from earlier titles and received mixed reviews.
Reviewers positively noted the excellent graphics, while complaints were directed at the artificial intelligence and the indecision in game design between being a real time strategy title and a god game.
GamePro's Peter Olafson wrote that Populous: The Beginning was not a bad game, in fact a good one; "but it's a different game—one without a quintessential quality that defined Populous."
About PC
PC gaming spans over four decades, from early DOS titles to today's massive Steam and digital-storefront libraries. Because "PC" covers everything from 1990s CD-ROM releases to current AAA titles, it's the single largest platform by game count on Gamevaro. For collectors, PC gaming splits into two very different worlds: physical big-box releases from the 1990s and 2000s (increasingly collectible, especially complete-in-box with original manuals and inserts) and the modern digital library, which Gamevaro tracks for portfolio and spending purposes even though it has no resale market.
Gamevaro tracks Populous: The Beginning for PC with separate market values for loose, complete-in-box (CIB) and factory-sealed copies, sourced from real eBay sales. Prices also vary by region — PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J releases of the same game often sell for different amounts due to print run sizes and regional collector demand.
Adding Populous: The Beginning to a Gamevaro collection takes seconds — search by title or scan the box barcode, and the app fills in cover art, release details and current pricing automatically. This PC release dates back to 1998.
Market values by condition
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Rarity & condition
No market sales have been tracked yet for Populous: The Beginning — this could mean it rarely changes hands, or simply that Gamevaro hasn't recorded a sale for it yet. Be the first to add it to your collection.
Condition matters a lot for collector value: loose (cartridge/disc only), complete-in-box (CIB, with original packaging and manual) and factory-sealed copies are tracked separately because the price gap between them can be significant, especially for older releases.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Populous: The Beginning worth?
Gamevaro hasn't tracked a market sale for Populous: The Beginning (PC) yet, so no current value is available. Prices are sourced from real marketplace sales, and this page will update automatically once sales data comes in.
Is Populous: The Beginning rare?
No market sales have been tracked yet for Populous: The Beginning, which could mean it rarely changes hands or that Gamevaro simply hasn't recorded a sale for it yet.
What's the difference between loose, CIB and sealed for Populous: The Beginning?
Loose means cartridge or disc only, CIB (complete in box) includes the original box and manual, and sealed means factory-sealed and never opened. These are tracked as separate market values because the price gap between them can be significant, especially for older releases.
Ratings & Reviews
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