Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. As Dash Rendar, it's up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance. May the Force be with you!
- Released
- 1996
- Developer
- Lucasfilm Games
- Platforms
- 1 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- playable
- Download
- 0.32 GB
What is Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire?
As Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance struggle to defeat Darth Vader and the Empire, a new threat arises. Dark Prince Xizor aspires to take Darth Vader's place at the Emperor's side. As Dash Rendar, it's up to you to protect Luke and help the Alliance. May the Force be with you!
Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.
The record
| First released | 3 December 1996 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Lucasfilm Games |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platforms | Nintendo 64 |
| Genres | action game |
| Languages | 1 supported |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q55263, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.
How was Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire received?
Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.
Accessibility
Seeing
None declared
Hearing
None declared
Input
- Partial Controller Support
Difficulty
None declared
Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
What does it support?
| Capability | Support |
|---|---|
| Controller | partial support |
| Cloud saves | No |
| Cross-platform play | No |
| Mod support | No official workshop |
| Online play | Single-player only |
| In-game purchases | No |
| Steam Deck | playable |
| Download size | 0.32 GB |
| Add-on content | None listed |
| Age gate | None |
Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.
What does it cost?
Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.
Problems players report
We read the 183 most recent negative Steam reviews of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.
- Performance and stutter12 of 183 (7%)
Just getting the game to run requires some kind of old video card emulator and then you have to cap the FPS because it wants to run at 2000.
Steam review, 17 December 2017 · 4 hours played · 32 readers marked it helpfulThis will lead to a lot of situations where your character will "stutter" while moving, leading to many frustrating deaths, mostly due to falling.
Steam review, 4 May 2017 · 5 hours played · 28 readers marked it helpful - Controller and input7 of 183 (4%)
There are some guides here and elsewhere as to fixing some of the issues, mostly regarding the framerate and controller issues.
Steam review, 4 April 2020 · 0 hours played · 9 readers marked it helpfulThe keybinding screen seems totally broken.
Steam review, 21 May 2023 · 1 hours played · 8 readers marked it helpful - Crashes and freezes6 of 183 (3%)
I'm lead to believe that the developers took a ROM, slapped the VERY BARE minimum amount of effort needed to keep the game from crashing at runtime, and released this into the wild.
Steam review, 18 May 2017 · 1 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpfulNo its not because game would be crashing or bugging really, but because it cant handle itself in otherways, like how you can go flying off platforms because game thinks you are falling even when u stand still and fly you over the edge Story: 2/10.
Steam review, 6 June 2020 · 10 hours played · 3 readers marked it helpful
A further 17 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.
Games like Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
24 games overlap with Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are STAR WARS Battlefront (Classic, 2004), STAR WARS Battlefront II (Classic, 2005) and Mass Effect 2 (2010 Edition).
Common questions about Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
What platforms is Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire on?
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is available on Nintendo 64. It first released in 1996.
How much does Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire cost?
$5.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.
Do players recommend Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire?
74% of 871 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Mostly Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.
Does Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire work on Steam Deck?
Valve rates Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire as playable on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.
How big is the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire download?
0.32 GB on PC, from the storage requirement on its Steam listing. Console versions differ.
Who made Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire?
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Nintendo.