Homeworld Remastered Collection is a loving celebration of one of the PC’s most visionary real-time strategy franchises, bringing both Homeworld (1999) and Homeworld 2 (2003) into the modern era without ever losing their soul. From the moment your mothership detaches from its cradle, you’re greeted by fully overhauled ship models, high-definition planetary backdrops and a gorgeously remastered orchestral soundtrack that elevates the series’ epic space opera narrative. The slick new graphics engine supports resolutions up to 4K, and lighting effects—engine trails glinting against distant stars, turrets firing bursts of plasma—feel fresher than ever. Even with these visual upgrades, the game preserves the minimalist UI aesthetic and intuitive fleet controls that made the originals so groundbreaking.

Underneath the polished veneer, the core gameplay remains as deep and rewarding as it was two decades ago. You still balance resource harvesting, tactical formation flying, and ship-class synergies across sprawling, multi-stage campaigns that demand both strategic foresight and split-second command decisions. Homeworld 2’s addition of specialized support units and new mission types really shines here, and both campaigns are bolstered by Steam achievements, cloud saves, and robust matchmaking for asynchronous skirmishes. The remaster also bundles the original “classic” builds, so purists can switch back with a single click.

There are a few rough edges—occasionally you’ll encounter frame dips during massive fleet engagements, and some of the multiplayer community has lamented missing legacy mod support—but these quirks never overshadow the overall experience. Whether you’re rediscovering this genre-defining saga for the first time or indulging in pure nostalgia, Homeworld Remastered Collection succeeds brilliantly at preserving everything that made the originals timeless, while bringing them up to today’s technical standards. It’s easily one of the strongest remasters available, and a must-own for any fan of space-based strategy.

difficult but gorgeous

(F) While playing the game keeps crashing with an "Access Violation" error. I can't rate the game anything other than a complete fail if I can't get past the second mission of the campaign. Tragic as I loved the original one of my favorite games.