Merchant: Real World Empire

Merchant: Real World Empire

Cozy medieval trade strategy

91 ratings
22 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • June 12, 2014
  • July 24, 2026
Merchant: Real World Empire screenshot #1 for iPhone
Merchant: Real World Empire screenshot #2 for iPhone
Merchant: Real World Empire screenshot #3 for iPhone
Merchant: Real World Empire screenshot #4 for iPhone
Merchant: Real World Empire screenshot #5 for iPhone
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About

Explore your surroundings to build a real-world trading empire. Gather resources, craft goods, and master the market to outsmart rivals and conquer territories. Grow your settlements from humble camps to sprawling medieval powers.

Explore real-world locations with GPS
Build and upgrade settlements
Master a player-driven economy
Craft goods and fulfill requests
Conquer and defend territories
Engage in player-vs-player trading
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What's New in Merchant

3.4.0

July 24, 2026

A calm update, in the spirit of the game: no timers, no stress. • Trading Post: a new building that puts a slice of your settlement's fresh production up for sale on the district market. Set your own prices and earn gold while you are away. • Liberate and counter-siege: retake your own occupied settlement, and lay a counter-siege to win your castle back. • Play streak: returning day after day now builds a streak with growing rewards, and a bundle of Favors every seventh day. A single rest day is forgiven. • Something at every level: unlocks have been redistributed so that every level up to 29 announces something new — from paying respect at level 4 to the citadel at 22. • The Ledger Room now tells the whole story: your treasury, your allegiances and your army, in one place. • Tribes trade like neighbours: trade deals now rest per settlement, so another Selo or Burgh means another trade. Their personal favors remain one audience per day. • Corruption starts later and gentler: nothing before level 9, and only after two idle weeks. • Plus Locker status visible from the Empire view, a Get Stock button that only appears when there is something to collect, might rankings that agree across every list, and dozens of smaller fixes.

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In-App Purchases

$0.99

Pouch of 10 Favors

10 Favors to skip waits and rush tasks

User reviews

Nothing Else Like It..

This is simply an amazing game. There is nothing else in terms of phone games that is like it. It’s like a much deeper, multiplayer version of Settlers of Cataan. The player base is amazing, and cultivates a spirit of friendly, light-hearted competition. A fair number of us have played since the earlier versions around 15 years ago. The current version of the game is the best yet! They’ve really fleshed out the RPG side of things with the tribal mechanics. We also have a player run discord, where the dev team is regularly active. Come join us and build your kingdom on your real-life hangouts!
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Reboot!

I played this many years ago and had lots of fun with it. Now that it’s been picked up again and being regularly updated, I’m excited to get back into it! There’s some gameplay and balance issues right now (by far the most profitable way to advance is to just loot stuff during a long car ride), but the devs are active and responsive so I’m very optimistic about the game’s direction.
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7Pm game shuts down

First let me say I love this game, it plays by location, you build your settlement, and explore. The one issue though is it will not load after 7pm EST! From then on every night until morning it is unavailable. This is a game I would spend money on, and it’s frustrating that developers have not fixed this issue. So if your willing to only play from morning til 7 at night, great game, but why it was given 3 stars!
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Robert Kennedy of New York

Ok this game is great and has huge potential. The amount of stuff you can do at its current state is awesome to me. Wish more players played to make even more interesting. If you play currently or will play drop Robert Kennedy .... of New York a friends request. Even if it’s just to know someone that plays currently since most of the players I looked up last log in was two years ago.
Ok back to game content. Ok you get to set up camps anywhere in the real world. They give you options what type of products or resources they produce. There is no limit on how many camps/castles you can own. You can dispatch a person to retrieve the products from any camp without having to go to the camps now which is nice. You find treasure, animal herds, npc camps/traders, etc. throughout the world. I currently have my two main camps at my home and my work since I visit them everyday and my biggest ore producing camp at my Tim Hortons where I get my coffee daily LOL.... that way I can collect on the run and upgrade anything needed. You have to be at location to upgrade buildings unless I can store the resources there needed and upgrade from home camp I have not tried that yet.
It’s worth a try for anyone who likes person to person markets where the players make the costs and are the only providers. You gain exp. with everything you do and as your avatar goes up in levels and titles more building options and other open up. If your lucky enough to be by other players that play you can create trades/routes or create allies helping each other out or attack their settlements etc.
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Abandoned gem

An amazing game that should have shaped mobile gaming. I beg the developers to come back and make small fixes to the game. The help section is broken, the achievement menu is broken, and taking over settlements is broken as well. If the devs come back and fix at least one of these things, I will give them their star back.
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Developer apps

FAQ

Does Merchant have ads?

No, Merchant does not contain advertisements. The game is free to play and offers in-app purchases.

What devices does Merchant support?

Merchant is available on iPhone and iPod devices. It was last updated on June 21, 2026.

How does trading work in Merchant?

Players can gather raw materials, craft them into valuable goods, and then trade them on a player-driven market. You can set your own prices, fulfill NPC requests, or sell instantly for quick coin.

Can I play Merchant offline?

Merchant is a persistent online world and requires an internet connection to play. It features a living map and real-time interactions with other players.

What is the age rating for Merchant?

Merchant has an age rating of 12+, making it suitable for teenagers and older players. The game involves strategy, trading, and conquest.

How often is Merchant updated?

The latest version of Merchant, 3.0.3, was released on June 21, 2026. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, the game has been active since 2010.

What are the in-app purchases in Merchant?

While specific details on in-app purchases are not provided, they typically support progression or cosmetic enhancements in free-to-play games like Merchant.

How do I build my empire in Merchant?

You build your empire by exploring and claiming real-world locations, founding settlements, constructing buildings, and hiring specialists to expand your reach and resources.