Merchant: Real World Empire

Merchant: Real World Empire

Cozy medieval trade strategy

97 ratings
82 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • June 12, 2014
  • September 2, 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

3.7.0

September 2, 2026

Raise a monument, and it stays standing on the map. • The Junior Mason erects a stone on empty land or in a settlement, your own or somebody else's, and you choose what it says. Only the merchant who raised it can take it down. • The Senior Advisor reads your whole realm. He names the best unclaimed land for each commodity, and reports on the settlements you already hold. • The map now stops at the waterline. Coastlines follow the real ones instead of running on into open sea. • A district is named after the place that lies there, not after wherever its first settler happened to stand. • A City Focus can move. Your Castle, Abbey or Metropolis can be handed to another of your settlements while you stand at the destination. • The Banner screen names the closest arenas to you, with the distance and the direction to each. • Building a castle now says beforehand what it changes. A castle can be run at a lower rung or switched off, retaking your own no longer needs a purchased title, and what its fall costs you follows the castle's own rung. • Your influence card names which of your five categories is the weakest, and what to give to raise it. • Every amount slider takes a typed number and has a Max button. • The library and the settlement screen say from which level a building becomes available. • The map starts faster and holds less in memory.

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In-App Purchases

$0.99

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User reviews

It's perfect

There's nothing out there like this game. You need to try it. Have patience and take your time. No ads, no grinding. We've been waiting so long for it to come back, and now it has!

I prefer the older version

I don’t remember when I played it (maybe 10 years ago in 2016?). But I remember it was much more better and didn’t feel like vibe coded.

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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New version

New version is much better and devs are very responsive. Fun AR game.

Game Relaunched

The developer is relaunching the game after a while. The community discord is great, and the dev is very responsive to feedback.

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.