StarCraft (video game)
Three unique races battle for dominance in the Koprulu Sector.
StarCraft is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows. Released in 1998, it is the first installment of the video game series of the same name and is set in the 25th century in the Koprulu Sector of the Milky Way galaxy, featuring three intelligent species: Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss. The game is widely credited with revolutionizing the real-time strategy genre through its use of three distinct, balanced races.
- Developer
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Publisher
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Release Year
- 1998
- Platform
- Microsoft Windows
- Genre
- Real-time strategy
Lore & Background
When showcased again in early 1997, it received a far more positive response. The game's single-player campaign consists of 30 missions total: 10 for the Terrans, 10 for the Zerg, and 10 for the Protoss. The secret mission 'Into the Darkness' is part of the Protoss campaign (mission 9), making the total 30 missions across all three campaigns. Difficulty settings are not selectable per mission; the campaign has a fixed difficulty progression, and game speed can be adjusted during gameplay via the menu, not as a pre-mission option. A level editor provides four AI difficulty settings: easy, medium, hard, and insane.
Reader's Guide
StarCraft is considered one of the most important and greatest video games of all time, praised for pioneering unique factions in RTS gameplay and for its compelling story. Its multiplayer, powered by Blizzard's Battle.net service, is particularly popular in South Korea, where players and teams participate in professional competitions, earn sponsorships, and compete in televised tournaments. The game's three races—Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss—each have unique units and mechanics, with no race having an innate advantage. Resource management relies on minerals and vespene gas, while base construction varies by race. The game's storyline has been expanded through novels, the expansion pack StarCraft: Brood War, and two authorized add-ons.
Did You Know?
- The game's multiplayer is particularly popular in South Korea, where players and teams participate in professional competitions and televised tournaments.
- The single-player campaign consists of 30 missions total: 10 for the Terrans, 10 for the Zerg, and 10 for the Protoss. The secret mission 'Into the Darkness' is part of the Protoss campaign (mission 9), not an extra miss
Frequently Asked Questions
What is StarCraft (video game)?
StarCraft is a 1998 real-time strategy title from Blizzard Entertainment in which players command armies across the Koprulu Sector of the Milky Way, set in the 25th century. It serves as the opening entry in the StarCraft franchise.
What are the three playable races in StarCraft?
Players pick from Terrans (human colonial forces), Zerg (a hive-mind insectoid collective), or Protoss (an ancient, technologically advanced alien civilization), each offering a completely different unit roster and tactical identity. Blizzard designed all three to be competitively balanced against one another.
Why is StarCraft considered so important to the RTS genre?
The title is broadly credited with redefining real-time strategy by proving that three genuinely distinct yet balanced factions could coexist in a single competitive framework, a design blueprint many later titles followed. Its deep competitive multiplayer scene also helped launch the modern esports era, particularly in South Korea.
Who developed and published StarCraft?
Blizzard Entertainment handled both the development and the publishing, making it one of the studio's flagship titles alongside Warcraft and Diablo. It was their first major standalone real-time strategy project outside the Warcraft line.
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