
Play Populous (Japan) Online
You play a god, gaming against other gods in a celestial game of conquest. To win, you must help your chosen people take over the world and wipe out the vermin who worship that other god.
Each god starts out with a single human, dumped into the middle of the wilderness. Sometimes there is inhabitable land in sight, sometimes not. To get a chance to win, you must change the landscape, creating flat land for your followers to build on. The more followers you have, the more powerful you will be, so take care of them. Build as fast as you can, because the other god is doing the same.
When you have enough followers, you can make the leader of your people into a hero. He will then go around the land you have built, literally taking strength from the people into himself, and working his way toward the enemy. When he gets there, he will engage in holy warfare upon your enemy's people. He will burn; he will kill. And he won't stop until they're all dead... or he is.
But you don't have to let your people have all the fun; the gods have other tools as well. You can drown your enemies one at a time with your land-lowering powers, submerge their towns in swamps, or raise a volcano in the middle of their best farmland. Even better, you can flood the land and drain all the people who didn't build on high ground.
And when you win, you'll have 500 more worlds to conquer. A god's play is just never done.
Available Versions
Populous (Europe) (1990)(Master System)
Populous (Japan) (1990)(Turbografx-16)
Populous (USA) (1989)(Genesis)
About Populous (Japan)
Populous (Japan) was first released in 1990 by Bullfrog Productions, Ltd. for the Turbografx-16 system. Developed by Bullfrog Productions, Ltd., this game quickly became a fan favorite for its Strategy and Strategy / tactics and Unknown elements.
Game Features
- Authentic Turbografx-16 experience directly in your browser
- Save and load your game progress at any time
- Full screen gameplay option for immersive experience
- Customizable keyboard controls
- Strategy and Strategy / tactics and Unknown gameplay that defined a generation
- DeveloperBullfrog Productions, Ltd.
- PublisherBullfrog Productions, Ltd.
- Release Date1990-12-31
- GenresStrategyStrategy / tacticsUnknown
- PlatformsTurbografx-16
- Players0
Populous (Japan) Series
How to Play Populous (Japan) in Your Browser
1. Click Play
Simply click the "Play Now" button at the top of this page to start the game immediately.
2. Use Controls
Use your keyboard to control the game. Check the keyboard configuration section below for details.
3. Save Progress
Use the save feature to preserve your progress at any point in the game.
Pro Tip
For the best experience playing Populous (Japan), use a desktop or laptop computer with a keyboard. Full-screen mode provides the most immersive gameplay.
Emulator Keyboard Configuration

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Last updated: 2025-03-14T08:16:45.428Z
This page is part of our effort to preserve classic video game history. Populous (Japan) © 1990 Bullfrog Productions, Ltd.. This online emulation is provided for historical preservation and educational purposes only.
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