Gladiators Online
Gladiators Online: Death Before Dishonor is a gladiator management and dueling sim that casts you as the head of a rising household in the ancient world. You recruit fighters, outfit and train them, then step into 1v1 arena battles where timing and decision-making matter as much as stats. Between matches, you run the business side of the ludus, balancing recovery time, staffing, and finances while trying to build a name that carries across the Roman Empire.
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Publisher: Dorado Games Playerbase: Low Type: Simulator Release Date: November 03, 2015 Shut Down: January 3, 2018 Pros: +Runs well on modest PCs. +Plenty of hands-on management choices. +Multiple gladiator archetypes with different strengths. +Straightforward overall concept. Cons: -Controls can feel clunky at times. -Many actions are gated by real-time waiting. -Animations can look awkward in motion. |
Gladiators Online Overview
Gladiators Online: Death Before Dishonor is a Roman-era arena simulator where you operate a household and its fighting school, aiming to turn raw recruits into profitable champions. Progress comes from a loop of scouting the market, spending wisely to acquire promising gladiators, gearing them appropriately, then entering duels to earn cash and reputation. The core battles are 1v1 and put you in direct control through simple commands, choosing when to strike, defend, and trigger special abilities, so momentum can swing quickly if you misread an opponent.
Outside the sand, much of the game is about running an efficient operation. Injuries and fatigue push you toward downtime management, including sending worn-out fighters to the Sanitarium, maintaining equipment, and hiring staff to keep the household productive. The pacing also leans on timed actions, meaning recovery and other improvements do not happen instantly, so planning your schedule is part of the challenge. Gladiators Online shut down on January 3, 2018.
Gladiators Online Key Features:
- Real-Time Combat – direct your gladiator in duels by deciding when to attack, defend, and activate special skills during the fight.
- Distinct Skillsets – as fighters gain experience, you can expand their move options and steer growth by prioritizing specific attributes.
- Micromanagement – oversee the day-to-day running of your gladiator business, from training routines to negotiating for recruits.
- Temporal Improvements – many actions, including healing and recovery, are tied to timers, pushing you to plan ahead and sequence tasks.
- Robust Matchmaking – matchmaking is designed to pair gladiators against opponents in a similar level range.
Gladiators Online Screenshots
Gladiators Online Featured Video
Gladiators Online Review
Gladiators Online is at its best when it leans into the fantasy of running a small fighting stable and trying to outsmart other households with smart recruitment and sensible preparation. The premise is clear from the start, buy fighters, train them, equip them, then prove your worth in the arena. It is a straightforward structure, but it has enough moving parts to keep the loop engaging for players who enjoy optimization and gradual progression.
Arena combat: simple inputs, meaningful timing
Fights are designed around quick decisions rather than complex execution. You are not performing elaborate combos, instead you are reading the opponent and choosing the right moment to attack, block, or spend a skill. That makes duels feel more tactical than flashy, and it helps the game stay accessible. When it works, the back-and-forth is tense, especially when both gladiators are evenly matched and a single mistake can decide the outcome.
The downside is that the handling can feel rough. Inputs do not always have the crispness you want in a timing-focused duel, and the presentation sometimes undermines the drama, with animations that can look stiff or slightly off. The overall design still communicates what is happening, but it is not as smooth as the theme deserves.
Management layer: the real hook
The long-term appeal comes from the business side. Recruiting on the market, weighing prices, and figuring out whether a new purchase is worth the investment gives the game a nice strategy angle. Equipment decisions matter as well, since gear is a tangible way to improve performance without waiting for long-term training to catch up. Hiring workers and keeping an eye on finances reinforces the feeling that you are building an operation, not just queuing for fights.
Timers are a defining feature, and whether you like them will shape your opinion of the game. Recovery and other actions taking real time adds structure and encourages planning, but it also means you can hit pauses where you are waiting for key tasks to finish. For players who enjoy checking in, making a few decisions, and setting the next steps in motion, that pacing can work. If you prefer constant hands-on play, the time gates can feel restrictive.
Progression and variety
The class distinctions help give your roster personality. Different gladiator types encourage different approaches in duels and in how you build stats and skills over time. Even with a relatively simple control scheme, the combination of class identity, skills, and gear choices gives you enough variety to experiment with multiple fighters rather than relying on a single solution.
Who it was for
Before shutdown, Gladiators Online most strongly suited players who like micromanagement and steady improvement, and who do not mind a timer-based cadence between bursts of arena action. The system requirements are modest, and the overall concept is easy to grasp, but the rougher feel of combat and the waiting between actions kept it from being a universally easy recommendation.
Gladiators Online Links
Gladiators Online Official Site
Gladiators Online Steam Page
Gladiators Online Steam Greenlight
Gladiators Online Wikia [Database/Guides]
Gladiators Online System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10
CPU: Intel Pentium (2.6 GHz)/ AMD Athlon 64 (2.6 GHz)
Video Card: GeForce 9400 GT (512 RAM)/ Radeon 4350 (512 RAM)
RAM: 2 GB
Hard Disk Space: 1 GB
Gladiators Online Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon!
Gladiators Online Additional Information
Developer: Dorado Games
Game Engine: Unity
Closed Beta: July 30, 2014
Closed Beta End: September 17, 2014
Release Date: November 04, 2015
Steam Release Date: November 04, 2015
Shut Down: January 3, 2018
Development History / Background:
Gladiators Online was created by the independent studio Dorado Games, previously known as Stillfront Online Games. The game moved into Closed Beta on July 30, 2014, with that test period concluding on Spetember 17, 2014. It later appeared on Steam Greenlight on June 11, 2015, where it gained approval, leading to a full Steam release on November 04, 2015. Service for Gladiators Online ended permanently on January 3, 2018.