Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! is a 1997 real-time strategy wargame developed by Firaxis Games and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released exclusively for PC, as the latest title to come from legendary game designer, Sid Meier.
Overall, Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! was an enormous success. Critically, it holds a 92 on Metacritic, indicating universal acclaim. By the time its sequel rolled around in 1999, it had managed to sell 200,000 copies, a strong effort for a niche strategy game. Notably, the game is the first-ever release by Firaxis Games, which is now known as one of the top developers of the strategy genre.
Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Premise
©Screenshot from Sid Meier’s Gettysburg!
The gameplay of Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! is some of the most in-depth work from Sid Meier to this day. At the start of the game, you can choose whether to recreate the Battle of Gettysburg as it happened in history, or whether to play it as a historical “what-if” scenario, where anything can happen. This can be done over the three days of battle, or across more than 20 individual scenarios.
In the game itself, you take charge of your army in real-time, moving your units strategically around the battlefield to gain an edge on your opponents. Terrain plays a role in your success, with hills and forests having an effect on your line of sight and movement speed. This adds another layer of complexity to the gameplay. Importantly, you also need to consider the morale of your units, as it can impact their performance in battle.
It isn’t all about the single-player action, either. The multiplayer mode in Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! allows you to compete in battles against other players online, although nowadays you need to download the third-party software GameRanger in order for it to continue working.
Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Main Characters
©Screenshot from Sid Meier’s Gettysburg!
Although the American Civil War has no lack of influential figures to choose from on both sides, Sid Meier’s Gettysburg mostly chooses to shy away from them in favor of the broader strokes of battle. The soldiers are the stars here.
Instead, the game chooses to mention the figures in passing, with references there for the history buffs playing. In many ways, the main characters in the game are simply the two factions: the Union, and the Confederacy.
Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Titles in the Series
©Screenshot from Sid Meier’s Gettysburg!
Sid Meier is one of the most influential video game designers of all time, and few have had his influence over the strategy genre. He is perhaps most known for the series, Sid Meier’s Civilization, which is still going strong to this day, although he has dabbled in plenty of historical events to varying degrees.
His American Civil War series began with Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! and became his first real-time tactics title. After the financial success of the game, it was followed up by Sid Meier’s Antietam! which explored another key battle of the American Civil War. That would be the end of his exploration of this period, with other titles taking priority.
With the overwhelming success of the Civilization games, it’s hard to see a scenario where Sid Meier returns to the American Civil War any time soon, especially with the turn-based nature of his modern games. Still, the original games are still great, so there’s no real reason to look back.
- Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! (1997)
- Sid Meier’s Antietam! (1999)
Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Cheat Codes
©Screenshot from Sid Meier’s Gettysburg!
Like many other strategy games, Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! has a bunch of different cheats you can use to your advantage. The cheats themselves are named after various important figures from the American Civil War, and are different depending on which side you’re playing as. To use these cheats, you need to open the console by holding Shift and pressing Enter on your keyboard.
We’ve put together a full list, including the Union and Confederate cheat codes that you need to use:
| Union Cheat Code | Confederate Cheat Code | Cheat Code Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Reynolds | Hill | Gives you all unit reinforcement. |
| Hancock | Jackson | Relieves all unit stress. |
| Hooker | Longstreet | Fortifies everyone. |
| Halleck | Halleck | Unlocks AI vs AI mode. |
| Sheridan | Lee | Automatically rallies all units. |
| Buford | Stuart | Resets the scenario clock. |
| Sedgewick | Pickett | Advances the clock to end times. |
| Custer | Harrison | Allows you to see enemy Order of Battle. |
| Warren | Hotchkiss | Allows you to see all enemy troops. |
| McClellan | Beauregard | Raises officer experience. |
Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Cheat Code FAQs
©Screenshot from Sid Meier’s Gettysburg!
Does Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Have Achievements?
Unfortunately not. When the game was released, most games didn’t have achievements as we know it today. It also never received a re-release on a platform like Steam, where achievements may have been added afterward.
What Happens If I Use Union Cheats As Confederates and Vice Versa?
Nothing. Although you can try, the codes will only work if you’re playing as that side of the war. Union cheats only work while playing as the Union, and it’s the same for the Confederates. The only cheat that isn’t the case is “Halleck,” where it doesn’t matter which side you play as.
How Do I Enter Sid Meier’s Gettysburg! Cheat Codes?
During gameplay, simply hold Shift while pressing Enter on your keyboard. This opens up the in-game console, where you can enter the cheats shown above.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Screenshot from Sid Meier's Gettysburg!.