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Populous
Populous stands as a defining action title on the SNES. With polished gameplay mechanics and memorable level design, this classic delivers an experience that has stood the test of time.
- Developer
- Bullfrog
- Released
- 1990
- Platform
- SNES
- Genre
- Action
- Players
- 1P
- Rating
- 4.8 / 5 (1.9K)
- Last updated
Populous Controls — SNES Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Populous on our in-browser SNES emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | D-Pad Up | Move up |
| ↓ | D-Pad Down | Move down |
| ← | D-Pad Left | Move left |
| → | D-Pad Right | Move right |
| X | A | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | B | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | X | Tertiary action |
| A | Y | Quaternary action |
| Q | L | Left shoulder |
| W | R | Right shoulder |
| Enter | Start | Start / Pause |
| Shift | Select | Select / Mode |
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Populous Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Populous on SNES before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Populous" SNES longplay 1990
Populous Cheat Codes
26 community-curated cheats for Populous. Tick any to activate them automatically when you click "Play with cheats" — or copy a code into your own emulator.
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Allows you to select any world from the Conquer screen with the B and X buttons
DD30-64DD7E09BB000.00 -
Your population starts at 10 instead of 3 for battles 0 thru 4
DC6C-6F090186A50A -
Your population starts at 20 for battles 0 thru 4
F06C-6F090186A514 -
Your population starts at 30 for battles 0 thru 4
F36C-6F090186A51E -
His population starts at 10 instead of 3 for battles 0 thru 4
DC6C-6F690186A60A -
His population starts at 20 for battles 0 thru 4
F06C-6F690186A614 -
His population starts at 30 for battles 0 thru 4
F36C-6F690186A61E -
You have no Supreme Commands available for battles 0 thru 4
DD6C-6D690186A200 -
He has all Supreme Commands available for battles 0 thru 4
7E6C-6D090186A13F -
Your population starts at 10 instead of 3 for battles 5 thru 9
DC6C-67A90186AF0A -
Your population starts at 20 for battles 5 thru 9
F06C-67A90186AF14 -
Your population starts at 30 for battles 5 thru 9
F36C-67A90186AF1E
Show 14 more cheats Show fewer
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His population starts at 10 instead of 3 for battles 5 thru 9
DC68-6DD90186B00A -
His population starts at 20 for battles 5 thru 9
F068-6DD90186B014 -
His population starts at 30 for battles 5 thru 9
F368-6DD90186B01E -
You have no Supreme Commands available for battles 5 thru 9
DD6C-67D90186AC00 -
He has all Supreme Commands available for battles 5 thru 9
7E6C-64A90186AB3F -
Your population starts at 10 instead of 2 for battles 10 thru 14
DC68-64090186B90A -
Your population starts at 20 for battles 10 thru 14
F068-64090186B914 -
Your population starts at 30 for battles 10 thru 14
F368-64090186B91E -
His population starts at 10 instead of 2 for battles 10 thru 14
DC68-64690186BA0A -
His population starts at 20 for battles 10 thru 14
F068-64690186BA14 -
His population starts at 30 for battles 10 thru 14
F368-64690186BA1E -
You have no Supreme Commands available for battles 10 thru 14
DD68-6F690186B600 -
He has all Supreme Commands available for battles 10 thru 14
7E68-6F090186B53F -
Automatic Win
7E008E00+7E009800
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Populous released?
Populous was released in 1990 for the SNES.
Who developed Populous?
Populous was developed by Bullfrog, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
How many players does Populous support?
Populous is a single-player Action game for the SNES.
What type of game is Populous?
Populous is a Action game for the SNES, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Populous for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Populous runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Populous in the browser?
No. Populous streams from a public archive into a browser-side SNES emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Populous?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original SNES cartridge supported.
Does Populous work on mobile devices?
Yes — the SNES emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Populous this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Populous. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
