Genre: Simulation, Strategy
Developer: Cryo Interactive Entertainment
Publisher: Cryo Interactive Entertainment; Amber Company; R&P Electronic Media
Year: 1997
Platform: Microsoft Windows
The 3rd Millennium is a government simulation and strategy game by Cryo Interactive set in the near future. The game begins in the year 2001 with a world divided into 31 states across five large countries, and the overarching objective is to rise from state governor to world president by the year 2500. It was released for Microsoft Windows and is a Windows-only title.
Gameplay focuses on long-term political and economic management rather than warfare. Players build cities structure by structure, collect taxes, pass social reforms, negotiate with other leaders, and contest elections. As influence expands, additional options unlock, and a single campaign can span up to five hundred in-game years.
The presentation uses an isometric, diagonal-down viewpoint typical of management titles of the period. According to contemporary materials about the design, the world model employs real-world census, socio-economic, and ecological projections for the period 2000–2500, and the isometric map scale is described as approximately 2,500 square kilometres per tile. Consistent with the political focus, there is no combat; this was an explicit design choice to avoid unrealistic military conquest in a modern setting.
The game was first released in France in 1997 and reached additional markets, including the United States, in early 1998. Publishing varied by region, with Cryo Interactive handling primary distribution and Amber Company and R&P Electronic Media credited in certain territories. Contemporary critical reception was mixed: some outlets praised atmosphere and audio design, while aggregate scores from individual magazines clustered around the mid-range.
