While the basic gameplay in Zeus is similar to those titles, the interface has been rearranged somewhat. Zeus was developed by Impressions Games, the same team that created other city-building games such as Pharaoh and the successful Caesar series. Leaders of more advanced cities can even create buildings to appease an angry god or summon a great hero, like Perseus or Hercules. As the city develops, different types of workers become available offering more services to the community. Some will trade, some will farm, some will patrol the streets, and (depending upon the kind of neighborhood they live in) some might even lounge around all day, just soaking up the culture. These townsfolk are put to work to keep the village running and to aid in its expansion and improvement.

By marking certain areas for housing, citizens will begin to move in and populate the budding village. Players start with an empty tract of land, full of possibility. Zeus: Master of Olympus is a city-building game set in the legendary Greece of ancient mythology.