The Settlers II downloads

Welcome to the downloads page!

• Blue Byte demos and updates
• Language packs
• Texture packs
• Map generators
• Links to map resources

Blue Byte demos and updates

The update and demo files originate from Blue Byte’s FTP server before it was taken down; the files have been converted from self-extracting executables to ZIP for easier access on modern devices. If you wish to find original untampered archives you can have a look into BlueByte Archive which has EXE distributions.

A curiosity of these update and demo archives is that it is possible to collect almost the entire full game out of them. However it is often just easier to simply get the game from GOG.com as it is often available for only 2.50 €, you get a pre-configured DOSBox, and there is no digital rights management.

However these files here do have their historical value. Feel free to investigate and research! Also, if you do have the original installation media and want to experience things “just like back in the day” then these files can be actually useful.

Update patches

Collection of official patches to upgrade older versions of the game.

Demos

Collection of official demos.

For a more complete listing of unique demo archives released in magazines visit Kult Game Downloads for Veni Vidi Vici demos and Gold Edition demos.

Pre-release betas

These have been found from early German magazine disks by fans who are digging through all the old archived material so that we can conserve gaming history. People discuss about these findings over at BetaArchive forums.

For more details on these you can check ModdingWiki page about The Settlers II releases.

Additionally if you are interested on pre-release material you can find a collection of early images and advertisements over at Kult’s All there is about Settlers 2 page! Hallfiry has also collected and uploaded Blue Byte News CDs to Internet Archive, so check them out.

Language packs

The game is only available in English on GOG.com so you can use these packs to change the language. These language packs target only the English version of the game which uses ENG extension on it’s text files.

I’m always open for more translations, or improvements to the existing ones! Contact via Mastodon @MerriNet@mastodon.social or RttR Discord

Installation instructions

I recommend first to make a backup copy of the whole DATA folder just in case something goes wrong. You can find this folder in C:\BLUEBYTE\SETTLER2\, C:\GOG Games\Settlers 2 GOLD\, C:\Program Files\GOG.com\Settlers 2 GOLD\, or whichever path the game has been installed to.

Once you have made a copy of the DATA folder you can extract the contents of the downloaded archive. Execute the download, browse to the DATA folder and extract files there.

Texture packs

New ground textures can provide some variety to the game experience!

View texture previews

Rusty Polar

Greenland has beaches and desert.
Wasteland is an underground cave full of lava.
Winter World is all about snow.

Rusty Polar replaces all of these with new sets!

Installation

1. Have a The Settlers II: Gold Edition (or Return to the Roots) game directory ready
2. Clone it if you want to have installation with the original textures
3. Extract zip contents to the game root directory

Wetlands texture set (Greenland replacement)

Say goodbye to the sandy beaches and dry desert sands, it is time to hydrate in Wetlands!

Rusty Valley texture set (Wasteland replacement)

Visit the dry and sandy environment, welcome to Rusty Valley!

Polar Night texture set (Winter World replacement)

Inspired by the moment of early polar winter when sun is past the horizon and temperature is about to plummet.

Merri’s New Greenland

This is a new texture set for the game to replace the original Greenland texture with something that is an attempt to look a bit better while also providing a few more unused textures to give a little bit more flavor.

The texture set comes with a map, Flow of Lava, which is a technical demonstration of the new features.

Map generators

These create random maps with varying level of balancing, and different kinds of supported features.

• Online: Return to the Roots Kartengenerator
• Windows: Kartengenerator from Isch und Ivans Siedler II Seite
• Windows: The Settlers II Map Generator v0.91 from 2005 – 2006

Links to map resources

These old sites are still well and alive:

• Software zur Siedler2-MissionCD - Jürgen Nagel
• Karten - Isch und Ivans Siedler II Seite

Wayback Machine

These sites are now only on Internet Archive, which desperately needs more donations to stay afloat:

• Welten - Sven Liebich
• Welten - Niki