Star Wars: Empire at War

• Assault on Kashyyyk ( Introductory mission )
• Shipyard Diversion
• Interpreting the Network
• Theft of the X-Wing
• Kessel Rescue
• Imperial Liberation
• Highest Bidder
• Rescue the Millennium Falcon
• Needle in a Haystack
• Borrowed Time
• Handle with Care!
• The Defense of Mon Calamari
• The Final Battle

• Battle of Ryloth ( Introductory mission )
• Taking Thyferra
• Crush. Kill. Destroy.
• The Pirate Menace
• Subjugating Geonosis
• Attack on Mon Calamari
• Trouble on Kashyyyk
• A New Weapon of War
• The Rebel Fortress
• The Traitorous Moff ( Part 1 )
• The Traitorous Moff ( Part 2 )
• An Engagement with the Emperor
• Capturing a Princess
• The Destruction of Alderaan
• End of the Rebellion: A hypothetical scenario where the Empire succeeds in eliminating the Rebellion across Alzoc III, Polus, Shola, Hoth, and Yavin 4

To enhance realism, the game incorporates an innovative gameplay approach. Instead of the conventional method of constructing workers, gathering resources, and recruiting individual units, players receive resources based on the number of planets they control. A player's income increases by controlling planets, which also provides unique benefits depending on the specific planet (such as increased armor, reduced prices, or the ability to produce special units).

Battles occur both on planetary surfaces and in the surrounding space. Control of a planet is determined by who controls its surface. Different considerations apply depending on whether you are attacking or defending. Attackers must capture Reinforcement Points to increase their unit deployment capacity, while defenders can immediately deploy up to 10 "units" on a planet. However, attackers have their own advantages, such as the ability to call in bombing runs if they have bombers in orbit. Similarly, ground-based installations (like the Ion cannon and Hypervelocity gun) can target units in orbit during space battles. Unlike Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, shields act as a tangible barrier that must be breached and protect bases from artillery and bombing attacks. Various building pads are scattered across the battlefield in both space and land engagements. These pads allow players to construct useful structures, such as turrets that can easily eliminate enemy units, and bacta healing stations.

Empire at War is set between Episode III and Episode IV, and it culminates with the construction and potential destruction of the Death Star. Although Empire at War includes three factions, only two are playable by default: the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. The third faction, the Black Sun, can be made playable through XML modding (see below). The units in the game represent a mix of the Clone Wars and New Order eras. The Empire's strengths lie in its powerful ships and numerous TIE Fighters, while the Rebels rely on faster ships and Raid Fleets (small ground troop fleets that can bypass space defenses). Similar to many RTS games, Empire at War employs a "rock-paper-scissors" unit dynamic, meaning each unit has a specific counter-unit. According to Brett Tosti, the LucasArts producer, this encourages players to develop diverse armies and fleets with units that can effectively counter others, rather than simply building a large number of "super units."

During battles, players can also call in reinforcements, including iconic heroes such as Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Additionally, players have the ability to construct planet-based ion cannons, factories, and space stations. The game features over forty locations, including Yavin 4, Tatooine, Dagobah, and other locations from the movies and the Expanded Universe.

The destruction of Alderaan is an unavoidable event, regardless of the player's actions.

Empire at War's campaign mode features two distinct endings, depending on the faction the player chooses. The Rebel campaign's conclusion closely mirrors the ending of Episode IV, with a cutscene depicting Luke Skywalker's X-wing destroying the Death Star, followed by the award ceremony. However, this ending should not be considered strictly canonical, as the final battle with the Death Star can occur over any planet in the game. Furthermore, the Rebellion can still "win" even if the Empire destroys planets other than Alderaan, including Yavin 4.

The Imperial campaign's ending is non-canonical and is designed as an "alternate history" scenario similar to the Infinities universe. The ending cutscene portrays Darth Vader leading a ground assault on what is believed to be the main Rebel base. The Rebel defenders are swiftly defeated as Vader orders his troops to advance. If the player uses the Death Star in the final battle, a different cutscene is shown, where Moff Tarkin uses the superlaser to destroy the last Rebel world. Subsequently, a shuttle, escorted by six TIE Fighters, is seen approaching the Death Star. In a scene reminiscent of the Emperor's arrival in Episode VI, a contingent of Imperial troops awaits the shuttle's arrival in one of the battlestation's hangars. As the shuttle disembarks its Royal Guard escort, the Emperor emerges, greeted by a kneeling Lord Vader. Palpatine congratulates Vader, declaring that the last Jedi and the Rebellion have been defeated, fulfilling his vision.

Two additional non-canon endings are possible in Galactic Conquest mode. If the Rebels defeat the Empire without destroying the Death Star, or if the player loses as the Empire, the ending cutscene depicts a fierce space battle over an ecumenopolis, presumably Coruscant. A Rebel fleet approaches an Imperial Star Destroyer carrying Darth Vader. As the Imperial defenses collapse, Vader chokes the Star Destroyer's captain for his perceived incompetence and escapes in his TIE Advanced x1 just before the ship is destroyed. Following this, the same award ceremony cutscene from the campaign ending is shown. Conversely, if the Empire destroys the last Rebel planet, particularly one with Mon Mothma, the battle is replaced by a scene of the Death Star destroying a planet, followed by the Death Star cutscene.