Floating islands. Dragons. Ancient magic. Entire kingdoms drifting through the skies. Driftland: The Magic Revival on Xbox doesn’t exactly do things by halves.
Originally released on PC (Steam) more than a few years back (2019 in fact), the fantasy RTS from Star Drifters has now made the jump to Xbox Series X|S courtesy of Ultimate Games, bringing its unusual mix of strategy, world-building and magical terraforming to console players for £16.74.
And while the strategy genre is packed with familiar ideas, Driftland has always had one mechanic that helps it stand apart – the ability to literally move the world around you.
At A Glance
- Game: Driftland: The Magic Revival
- Developer: Star Drifters
- Publisher: Ultimate Games
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S
- Genre: Strategy / RTS
- Price: £16.74
A World Held Together By Magic
After a devastating war between ancient mages shattered the planet into floating fragments, the surviving factions used the last of their magical power to stop the entire world collapsing completely. Centuries later, magic has begun returning, new Mage Overlords have emerged, and old rivalries are starting to surface once again.
From there, players take control of their own floating realm, expanding across procedurally generated maps by connecting drifting islands together and slowly building up resources, armies and magical influence.
But whilst most strategy games focus on controlling units, and Driftland still does, its real gimmick lies in reshaping the battlefield itself.
Using magic, players can physically move floating landmasses around the map, connecting isolated islands, opening new routes or cutting off enemies completely. It gives the game a very different feel compared to more traditional RTS titles where the map stays static from start to finish.
There’s also less emphasis on micromanaging individual troops. Instead, you assign general goals to units and let them carry out orders more independently while you focus on the bigger picture. Think of this as a slightly more relaxed approach to strategy – at least until dragons start showing up.
Flying Beasts, Magic And Procedural Worlds
As your kingdom expands, you’ll gain access to aerial units, magical economies and creatures that can be tamed and ridden into battle.
Dragons are obviously the headline attraction, but Driftland’s fantasy setting leans heavily into airborne combat and exploration across its fragmented world. Combined with procedurally generated maps, the result is a strategy game that should feel a little different every time you start over.
A Different Kind Of Console RTS
Strategy games on console always face the same challenge – making complex systems feel manageable with a controller.
Driftland seems to sidestep some of that by focusing more on broader command decisions rather than constant micromanagement. That could help it settle nicely on Xbox (downloadable via the Xbox Store), particularly for players who enjoy strategy games but don’t necessarily want something relentlessly demanding.
And really, any RTS that lets you drag floating islands around while commanding dragon-riding armies already has a decent sales pitch.
