Parents' Guide to

Sins of a Solar Empire

By Dwight Odelius, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Innovative real-time space-based strategy game.

Game Windows 2008
Sins of a Solar Empire Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

A good, clean RTS

There's very little questionable about this game. Starships blowing each other up is the extent of the violence. Bodies are never seen, nor is there any death sounds (i.e., screaming). It's very mild. Other than the violence inherent in a space RTS (including bombing planets until they are clear of the enemies colonists), there is nothing else to worry about in this game. No language, sex, drinking, etc. As far as modern games go, this is one of the cleanest. The game itself is very fun, as well. A strategic game that keeps you involved and thinking. The one caveat is that it can take a very long time to play a match. A very, very, VERY long time. Depending on the size of the map and the number of players, this can be an hour to quite a few hours. (It can really drag on near the end of a game, which is definitely a turn off - depending on your patience). Have no fear, though: you can save even multiplayer games!

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (4):

From the standpoint of pure strategy gaming, Sins should be very appealing. The unique game design has a significant impact on strategy, requiring the player to consider factors such as planetary climate, available resources, and risk of attack when choosing whether to try and take control of a planet.

In other areas, Sins is sorely lacking. The single-player game consists only of a handful of scenarios that pit the player against the computer AI. There is hardly any story to speak of, save for a brief cutscene that explains the history of the conflict between the three political factions. The game shines in multiplayer mode, but those new to strategy gaming will find this to be frustratingly difficult.

Game Details

  • Platform: Windows
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: Stardock
  • Release date: February 4, 2008
  • Genre: Strategy
  • ESRB rating: T for Fantasy Violence and Mild Language
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate