GAMERS DECIDE - 4X

Is Civilization 6 Good?

Cherenko — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:30:22 +0000

In Sid Meier's Civilization 6, a turn-based strategy game created by Firaxis, the player assumes the role of a great leader who will lead their own civilization throughout the ages. With its strategic gameplay, stunning visuals, and rich content, Civilization 6 offers a deep and fun experience, letting you explore the intricacies of leading a nation, dealing with diplomacy, and managing the nation's resources. Let's take a deep dive into its various aspects to explore its strengths, weaknesses, and overall fun factor.

Gameplay

Civilization 6 is a 4X strategy game, a genre that explores 4 core gameplay mechanics: explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. As the leader of a small empire, you will embark on a journey of exploration in search of other lands, expansion of your domain, exploitation of resources, and the extermination of threats against your empire. With these premises, this game is a favorite among history buffs.

The gameplay offers a highly engaging and strategic experience. From establishing and expanding your cities to managing resources, diplomacy, warfare, and cultural development, the game provides a vast array of choices and strategies, each with their advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you to make these choices. The turn-based nature allows for thoughtful decision-making without pressure, making each move feel significant and impactful.

Managing an empire is no simple task. Civilization is one of those games that is grand in scale but simple in its delivery. As the leader of your empire, you will be in charge of city building, technological focus, military command, and resource management. This might overwhelm you at first, but Civilization 6 presents its gameplay as simple and easily understood for newcomers to the genre.

Graphics and Visuals

The graphics and visuals in Civilization 6 are visually stunning. The game's art style, with its vibrant colors and attention to detail, brings civilizations and landscapes to life. The city animations, unit designs, and dynamic world map contribute to the overall immersive experience.

Although a change from its “realistic” vibes from its previous installments, the game was a breath of fresh air in its graphics, and although it was met with mixed reactions during launch, it was later on welcomed by Civ fans after Firaxis released more content in the following years. The attention to detail in units, buildings, resources, and terrain is intricate, and zooming in-game makes you appreciate the bustling empire you are building.

The UI and Art style of the game also add to its charm; a simple and easy-to-navigate UI is a standard among gamers, and Civilization 6 doesn't miss it. The UI is compact enough that almost every button has a purpose and information to be conveyed to the player, and the Art style also adds to the immersion of the game.

This is also the first Civilization game to introduce the ‘Day & Night Cycle’ visual improvement, where you can visibly see the effects of day and night lighting in a duration of minutes, which adds a sense of realism. Also a graphical improvement are the cutscenes that play whenever you discover Natural Wonders and when you finish building Great Wonders, making you appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the things you build across the map.

Another graphical improvement is that the buildings you build on the map will affect the visuals of the terrain, and some buildings also terraform the environment. As you shape your empire, it will also shape the world around you.

Sound Design

The sound design in Civilization 6 enhances the atmosphere and immersion of the game. From the sweeping orchestral score to the ambient sounds of nature and bustling cities, the audio elements create a sense of grandeur and glory, complementing the gameplay and visuals.

With each civilization, new music is presented that historically belongs to that civilization. Western civilizations for example, have a theme of piano, violin, and orchestral music that is a pretty good listen, while African civilizations feature more Kalimba, percussion drums, and tribal music that is beautifully rendered. My favorite one is the Shaka theme during the industrial period; that music was a banger!

Every moment in this game has well-composed background music that can sometimes be really relaxing to listen to while playing. Not to mention, the composer of Baba Yetu (the beloved main theme of Civilization 4) Christopher Tin comes back to Civ 6 to compose its main theme, titled Sogno di Volare (The Dream of Flight), a fantastic composition that celebrates the achievement of mankind and is a fitting theme for a grand game.

Depth and Complexity

Civilization 6 challenges players to balance various aspects of their civilization, such as science, culture, military, and diplomacy, creating a satisfying and intellectually stimulating experience. It may be difficult to understand the complexity of the game, but among 4X and turn-based fans, this game offers an entry-level concept for the 4X genre, as there are more difficult and steeper learning curve games out there, and Civilization is a fine game to start in the 4X genre; it's compact and direct to the point.

The game offers remarkable depth and complexity in its gameplay. The introduction of tile placement districts and wonders was a welcome addition that improved the city building and management aspects of the game, and the revamped Technology and Civic tree provides a multitude of strategic options as the culture has its own progression tree, making it definitely a different game from its previous title.

Although Civilization games are known for their initial complexity, you’ll be surprised that this is one of the best games to play if you want to try the 4X genre. It is not complicated, and you can learn on the go while playing the game. Civilization games are known for having advisers that really help the player early on to understand some of the more complex mechanics of the game.

Balance and AI

Civilization games are known for their not-so-competent AI, but still good enough to give a fight; however, in Civilization 6, surprisingly, the AI can compete and perform resource management; they can even bum-rush you early game with early game aggression; and they can maneuver their units well, but even with this improvement, it is still prone to bugs and exploits.

To make up for this, there are various game difficulty levels the player can access, ranging from settler (Very very easy) to Deity (Hardcore Difficulty), giving the AI handicaps or bonuses that’ll give them an edge against the player. So if you want to simulate an underdog civilization fighting against all odds against bigger civilizations, I’ll recommend playing on the ‘Emperor’ difficulty.

Maintaining balance in a strategy game is crucial, and Civilization 6 succeeds in this aspect. The game provides a fair and challenging experience with AI opponents that adapt and react intelligently to your actions. The AI's improved decision-making and behavior add depth and unpredictability, keeping players engaged and on their toes.

Multiplayer Experience

Civilization VI offers a robust multiplayer experience that allows players to compete or cooperate with friends or online opponents. The game provides various multiplayer modes, including both simultaneous and hot-seat (players take turns in one console) options, ensuring that players can enjoy strategic battles, empire management, and diplomacy in a fun multiplayer setting.

Firaxis has added multiplayer modes throughout the years; there are multiple game modes that provide challenge and fun among players; there are currently 7 enjoyable Multiplayer scenarios ranging from traditional to spin-off gameplay; and they introduce new mechanics that keep the game refreshing and engaging to play.

The most popular among these game scenarios are Pirates and Red Death. Pirates is the latest release; it features a randomly generated Caribbean map, where almost 80% of the map is covered in water. You’ll take command of a fleet of ships and plunder your way to being the pirate king, compete against other players, pillage the high seas, and obtain riches to be hailed as the "King of the Pirates".

While Red Death features a Battle Royale type of gameplay where you will fight against others in a randomly generated post-apocalyptic earth, take lead of peculiar and interesting factions each with its own different play styles, and fight your way against a deadly red mist that will slowly devour the map, the last player to survive is the ‘King of the Hill’. With this different and interesting gameplay, Civilization 6 is not short on fun factor.

Expansions and DLCs

Firaxis has released 2 Expansions, 6 DLCs, and 2 Game Passes over the past few years since its original launch in 2016, offering new gameplay scenarios, new civilizations, and additional gameplay improvements and mechanics.

There are 2 released expansions. The first of the two is Rise & Fall, which comes with a huge amount of content, new gameplay mechanics, civilizations, and a set of Natural wonders. It introduces new gameplay mechanics like City Loyalty, Great Ages, Governors, Expanded Alliances, and Global Emergencies.

While the second expansion, titled Gathering Storm, features a primary focus on the natural world, its dangers, and the influence that human civilizations have upon it, It introduces new mechanics like environmental effects and weather, Climate Change, Engineering Projects, the World Congress, the 21st Century era, and more. With environmental effects added to the game, players are forced to adapt to a dynamically changing world.

The rest of the DLC is the New Frontier Pass’ and Leader Pass. These DLCs add new civilizations and alternate leaders to already-existing civilizations. With as many DLCs as this, it can be a little overwhelming that you have to purchase tons of DLCs to truly experience the game, but don’t worry, if the budget is tight, I’ll recommend that you buy the Platinum Edition as it provides the two expansions and multiple new leaders and Civilizations.

Modding

One of the things that makes Civilization 6 replayable is its passionate community and modding support. The game's modding tools and Steam Workshop integration allow players to create and share their own mods, further extending the game's content and customization options. The modding community adds to the game's replayability and customizability.

Civilizations 6 has tons of mods that the player can access via the Steam Workshop; almost every few weeks new mods are released, and the community really banded together to bring a lot to this game. If you ever plan on picking up the game, I would recommend that you try out a few quality of life improvement mods by Sukritact, a well-known Civ modder that is quite popular among the community.

If you want to add more custom content and features without going through a lot of hassle of "file management" or "Installation", don’t worry, as Firaxis has a built-in in-game mod manager that players can easily navigate and access, turning on and off any modifications easily.

Replayability

Ever heard of the popular connotation among gamers, "just one more turn?" Sid Meier's Civilization is the title that spawned that connotation; it points out that players tend to get addicted to playing Civilization, implying that with "just one more turn," they’ll call it a day.

Throughout the years that I’ve played Civilization 6, it is the very same feeling I get whenever I get hooked up in one of my Civ sessions: you’ll have a sense of urgency in clicking the "next" turn button to finish up that wonder you've been building for the last 20 turns... even though it is already midnight and you still have school tomorrow. So I’ll be cautious when playing this game.

But all throughout, Civilization 6 is a game with a high replayability factor due to the randomness of each session: randomly generated worlds, randomly spawned opponents, different victory conditions, etc. You’ll never really know what will happen in every run; each game you play is more unique than the previous ones you've played, therefore one would never really be bored immediately once they fully grasp the game.

Overall fun Factor 89/100

Overall, Civilization 6 is a good game; it has tons of content, tons of DLCs, and is a good strategy game. Although fun as it seems, the game has some downsides too, notably the hours required for you to dedicate and spend to complete one run; the price of the game can be overwhelming, especially the DLC micro-transactions; but I’ll recommend that you buy the game on sale; and of course, some bugs and exploits that some players pointed out as game-breaking and ruined their immersion in the game.

But despite that, you can’t ignore the dedication of Firaxis to bring out a game like this and still make it on top of the 4X genre; there have already been six civilization games produced ever since Sid Meier created the game back in 1991, and each release always brings something new and refreshing. No wonder this game series is still mentioned as one of the best strategy games of all time.

So, if you want to give the 4X a try and want an entry-level entry to the genre, I’ll recommend you pick up this game on sale and sink some hours into it, manage your empire, and build a legacy that will stand the test of time.

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In Civilization 6 you get to shape your empire throughout the ages.

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[Top 20] Best Turn Based Strategy Games For PC

AnthonyL — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 02:18:10 +0000

In this article, we will take a look at the best turn-based strategy games on PC.

Turn-based strategy games allow you to take your time and decide the best course of action. This is the most relaxing type of strategy game, although they offer a decent intellectual challenge, depending on the title.

Here we will take a look at the best old and new turn-based strategy games for PC and other platforms.

20. Field of Glory II - 2017 ( PC )

Field of Glory II is the best turn-based historical strategy game you can find right now.

Field of Glory II - Trailer

Field of Glory II is a tile-based table-top-like strategy game based on several historical battles and campaigns. Here you take control of several units on the battlefield, from cavalry to archers and infantry, and play out numerous battles based on real historical events.

Historical table-top experience

In this game, you will have little to no base-building, but instead, focus entirely on the battlefield tactics and maneuvers. Field of Glory really feels like a tabletop experience made into a video game, as its turn-based combat with movement points and different levels of unit experience could remind us of tabletop games like Warhammer.

If you are into historical strategy games and always wanted to replay real historical battles and change history - this game is for you!

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

The first phase of every ancient battle is a staring contest. Actually, it's the hardest part of any battle.

Field of Glory II - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 / 8 / 10
Processor: 2.0GHz i5/A8 or better
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: 1GB DirectX 9 Compatible Graphics Card
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX-compatible sound card

19. Unity of Command 2 - 2019 ( PC, MacOS )

Unity of Command II will have you rage quit every now and then, but always come back to this complex but addicitive game.

Unity of Command 2 - Announcement Trailer

Unity of Command 2 is a simple yet complex turn-based game based on WW2. In this hex-based game, you take control of an allied or axis army during some of the most important battles of WW2. Here you have to remember to expand supply lines, watch the suppression levels, and many other interesting systems that make the gameplay so challenging and addictive.

A hardcore WW2 strategy game

Unity of Command 2 is a very hard game, as you will struggle with even the first battles of the main campaign. Here you will need to take your time to analyze the enemy lines and where to breach them. Sometimes concentrating your troops or bombing certain positions could do the trick, although each mission requires a different approach to them.

Overall, this is one of the most unique WW2 strategy games on the market. Highly recommended.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

This game is so hard I am pretty sure it was much easier to win the actual ww2 battles it is based on

Unity of Command 2 - Gameplay

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 or newer (64-bit)
Processor: Dual-core processor
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: OpenGL 3.3+ supporting GPU with 1GB VRAM
Storage: 5 GB available space
Additional Notes: Optimized for Low settings / 30FPS @ 720p. Legacy AMD Radeon graphics cards, older than and including the Radeon Rx 200 series, may work but are not officially supported.

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 64-bit
Processor: 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 Processor or AMD equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 970 or AMD equivalent
Storage: 5 GB available space
Additional Notes: Optimized for High settings / 60FPS @ 1080p

18. Battle Brothers - 2017 ( PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S & X )

Battle Brothers is a surprise hit from a small indie studio which were able to blend Fire Emblem and XCom gameplay with high-fantasy setting and open-world gameplay with great success.

Battle Brothers - Launch Trailer

Battle Brothers is an indie hex-based medieval strategy game where you take control of a mercenary company in a low-fantasy world. The world is procedurally generated, creating different biomes full of bandits, orcs, goblins, and undead to fight and loot.

The most addictive and interesting part of Battle Brothers is its tactical hex-based combat, where the position and the ability of each member will decide the fate of the whole group.

Having bellowed veterans risking their lives alongside some recruits makes this game so exciting, as this game comes with a hardcore perma-death system, similar to games like Fire Emblem.

Open-world tactical fantasy

Battle Brothers is a great successor to hex-based tactical games like X-com, fire emblem, and Heroes of Might and Magic, adding some interesting features and ideas.

Some features can remind us of other open-world games like the simulated free market economy, where you can influence the prices of many items by trading and selling your loot.

This game is getting constant updates and new content, which means it's still growing and attracting more fans each day.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

Here we have orcs and humans playing medieval rugby.

Battle Brothers - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
Processor: 1.2 GHz
Memory: 1024 MB RAM
Graphics: OpenGL 3.3 compatible video card with 512 MB
Storage: 1500 MB available space
Additional Notes: Make sure your video drivers are up-to-date!

17. HUMANKIND - 2020 ( PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One )

HUMANKIND will have you travel through time and see the evolution of the society you created.

HUMANKIND - Official Launch Trailer

HUMANKIND is a 4X turn-based strategy game where you control a nation throughout the history, as it evolves from the stone age to the modern day. This game is very similar to Civilization and even was called “ Civilization Killer” by some fans, as it takes the old Sid Meiers formula and expands on it.

Create your own nation

One of the most unique features of HUMANKIND is its customized culture system. In a game like Civilization, you choose one of several nations to play as, but here you can choose and mix several cultural ideas into one, creating your own culture and identity.

This shakes the old Civilization formula a little bit, introducing interesting blends of cultures and ideologies. But this also applies to city-building and expansion. In HUMANKIND you can build outposts that can turn into cities and even merge two cities into one mega-city.

These and many other new features make this game a solid rival to the old but battle-proven CIvilization series.

Fun Factor Score: 70/100

After building every wonder in my capital, trying to build the best city in the world, I ended up with Las Vegas 2

HUMANKIND - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7, 64-bit
Processor: Intel i5 4th generation / AMD FX-8300
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 770 / AMD R9 290
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 25 GB available space

16. Heroes of Might and Magic V - 2006 ( PC, MacOS )

Heroes of Might and Magic V is a mythology extravaganza, as here you will find almost any mythological creatures out there.

Heroes of Might and Magic V - Trailer

Heroes of Might and Magic V is the fifth game in the acclaimed Might and Magic series. In this game, you can choose from several fantasy factions and heroes and fight the turn-based battles on a grid-based map and explore the open world full of monsters based on different mythologies around the world. This is an interesting mix of RPG and strategy games, as leveling your heroes and monsters is an essential part of the game loop.

This fifth installment offers full-rendered 3D graphics with quite decent battle animations and cinematic cameras during the attack. This game is the first one in the series to go full 3D, which works pretty well due to the art style, which can remind you of Warhammer or Warcraft games.

A descendant of a long dynasty of games

Heroes of Might and Magic V was a polemic title when it first came out, but with time many fans started to appreciate it more and more, as it finally became a classic must-have for any Heroes of Might and Magic series fans.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

Mythological monsters are also like humans, as they solved their differences in a cultural fight to the death.

Heroes of Might and Magic V - Gameplay

System Requirements:

OS: Windows® 2000/XP (only)
Processor: Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon™ 1.5 GHz (Pentium® 4 2.4 GHz recommended)
Memory: 512 MB (1 GB recommended)
Graphics: DirectX® 9 compliant w/ 64MB RAM (128 MB recommended) (see supported list*)
DirectX Version: DirectX® 9 or higher
Sound: DirectX® 9 compliant
Hard Drive: 2+ GB
Multiplay: Broadband Internet connection
*Supported Video Cards at Time of Release: NVIDIA GeForce 4 / FX / 6 / 7 families (GeForce 4 MX NOT supported), ATI Radeon 8500 / 9000 / X families, Matrox Parhelia

15. Darkest Dungeon - 2016 ( PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, MacOS )

Darkest Dungeon is a dark Lovecraftian dungeon crawler with a lot of promising features.

Darkest Dungeon - Release Trailer

Darkest Dungeon is a hardcore turn-based strategy that will challenge your patience and your sanity. This is one of the most difficult and unforgiving games you can play nowadays. But it's also one of the most rewarding strategy games on the market. It takes time to learn its mechanics, but when you do, you will be hooked for a long time.

In Darkest Dungeon you control a small party of heroes that must explore several ruins and dungeons and survive doing it. You start at your central castle, which serves as a central hub for your operations. From here you can send parties to different missions that will get more challenging every time.

A true Lovecraftian experience

In Darkest Dungeon you will not only manage the health of your heroes but also their sanity. Yes, in this indie title, mental sanity is a proper stat that can be boosted or neglected, creating paranoic knights or kleptomaniac mages, all depending on your hero's traits and personality.

This game has a lot of Lovecraft inspiration, from the overall dark tone to several direct references to the occult eldritch creatures. But this game is not only dark and Lovecraftian in its hand-drawn art style, but also in its core gameplay and themes.

In Darkest Dungeon you will need to fight against ancient monsters and the undead, with each battle being an almost impossible and titanic task to complete against all odds, making it thematically close to the idea of the unstoppable cosmic creature we call Chtullu.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

This game is still the main topic of every talk with my therapist.

Darkest Dungeon - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows XP
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: Open GL 3.2+ Compliant
Storage: 2 GB available space
Additional Notes: 1080p, 16:9 recommended

14. Endless Legend - 2014 ( PC, MacOS )

Endless Legend is a unique mix of Civilization games with fantasy titles like Warcraft.

Endless Legend - Launch Trailer

Endless Legend is a turn-based sci-fi fantasy game with a similar gameplay style to Civilization games series. This game differs by creating an interesting fantasy/sci-fi world more similar to games like Starcraft and Warcraft.

Each faction has its own unique abilities, quests, and gameplay features, which makes them much more distinct compared to real-world nations from Civilization games.

A unique and vibrant world to explore

Endless Legend is flawless in its execution. With beautiful music, unique heroes, and stylized cutscenes, this title offers a unique spin on the typical 4X strategy formula, giving us one more Civilization-like game but with something really special this time.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

When you play as undead, corruption for once means something somehow positive for your nation.

Endless Legend - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Processor: 2.5Ghz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 or equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 1GB nVidia Geforce GT460 or equivalent, 500 MB ATI HD4850 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible Audio
Additional Notes: Minimum Resolution: 1280 x 720

OS: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Processor: 3.5Ghz Intel Core i5 or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: 1GB nVidia Geforce GTX660 or equivalent, 1GB ATI HD7850 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible Audio
Additional Notes: Minimum Resolution: 1280 x 720

13. South Park: The Stick of Truth - 2014 ( PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch )

South Park: the Stick of Truth is one of the funniest RPG games currently on the market.

South Park: The Stick of Truth - Release Trailer

South Park: The Stick of Truth is a hand-drawn turn-based RPG game based in South Park episode. The first thing that catches the eye of this game is that it looks like a real episode of the South Park series, including the signature art style, animation, and voice actors.

This game uses a well-known Final Fantasy type of battle system, where you take turns using your characters and their unique abilities/spells. But this game is far from being another Final Fantasy clone.

A true South Park video game experience

South Park: The Stick of Truth is not just a South Park game visually, but also thematically. This title has a lot of typical South Park humor all over the place, including some easter eggs for dedicated fans of the series. This is a hilarious game through and through, with many jokes with references from other episodes of South Park.

This game is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of South Park, as it really feels like a full-on new episode made by Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

You see the unique mount in the stable. Level 25 Catmare

South Park: The Stick of Truth - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: WindowsXP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 (both 32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2180 @ 2.0 GHz or AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+ @ 2.0 GHz
Memory: 2 GB GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 8800GT or AMD Radeon HD2600XT (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0 or higher)
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers

OS: WindowsXP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 (both 32/64bit versions)
Processor: Intel Core2Duo E4400 @ 2.0 GHz or AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+ @ 2.3 GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 9800GT or AMD Radeon HD4870 (512MB VRAM with Shader Model 4.0) or better
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Storage: 6 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with the latest drivers

12. Total War: Warhammer II - 2017 ( PC, MacOS )

Total War: Warhammer II is a huge game with numerous factions and sub-factions to play as.

Total War: Warhammer II - Announcement Cinematic Trailer

Total War: Warhammer II is a new edition to Total War series but this time based on the famous Warhammer universe. This mix is one of the best decisions that Creative Assembly, creators of the Total War series could do, as it worked like a charm here.

Similar to other Total War games, here you control one of the several factions and their leader. You build and move armies on a turn-based world map and fight the battles in a full-3D real-time strategy mode. So far very similar to most Total War games.

A new evolution for the Total War series

What Total War: Warhammer brings to the table is actually a lot. From unique heroes and very different factions to a huge variety of units and abilities. This is a huge game, with almost every faction and sub-faction from the Warhammer universe and a fully realized world map, this title is a wet dream of every Warhammer fan.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

Boys being boys, sieging another city, and killing all civilians (don't worry, they are orcs).

Total War: Warhammer II - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 64Bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 3.0Ghz
Memory: 5 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 460 1GB | AMD Radeon HD 5770 1GB | Intel HD4000 @720p
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 60 GB available space

11. BattleTech - 2018 ( PC, MacOS )

BattleTech is a perfect game for realistic sci-fi lovers, as each mech here has its own unique complex system that could be damaged or destroyed.

BattleTech - Release Trailer

BattleTech is a turn-based mech battle similar to the BattleTech universe, famous for its tabletop, card, and video games about futuristic robots. The original table-top BattleTech was famous for its hardcore nature and realism, as even one lucky shot could destroy your mech completely.

This game is a virtual adaptation of the original tabletop game, making it the most realistic video game in this series. BattleTech offers you numerous missions and a huge variety of mech to fight with an emphasis on the pilot's experience and abilities.

Tactical Mech fighting simulator

BattleTech has a unique blend of X-Com-like gameplay with typical BattleTech-like realism when it comes to different parts and systems inside each mech. Many weapons can overheat, damaging some of the nearby components, or maybe a even lucky shot to your ammo cache could change the tide of battle here.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

In the future humanity learned to solve their disputes in a civilized manner, by destroying half the planet as they fight in their mechs.

BattleTech - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-2105 or AMD® Phenom™ II X3 720
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 560 Ti or AMD® ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 (1 GB VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 35 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 sound device
Additional Notes: Multiplayer is compatible between Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 or Higher
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4460 or AMD® FX-4300
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 670 or AMD® Radeon™ R9 285 (2 GB VRAM)
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 35 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 sound device
Additional Notes: Multiplayer is compatible between Windows, Mac, and Linux versions.

10. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - 2017 ( PC, PlayStation 4 Xbox One, Nintendo Switch )

Divinity II: Original Sin is a great return to classic-style RPG games like Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Trailer

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a sequel to the highly acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin, a game that was a part of the revival of the old-style RPG games like Baldurs Gate and Icewind Dale.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an isometric RPG with highly customizable characters and a vast world to explore. This title has a very interactive story, where each decision or conversation will actually influence the final outcome. And in a typical old-school RPG fashion, this title has a very interesting and epic main storyline.

A return to the glory days of RPG games

One of the best things about this game is its complexity. Here you have thousands of different spells, abilities, and items that work more similar to the complexity of Japanese RPGs, where several systems coexist with each other, creating one complex but the connected world.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

I saved the villager from the monster but also saved him from the burden of having a house, as it was burned down during combat. You are welcome!

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i5 or equivalent
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 550 or ATI™ Radeon™ HD 6XXX or higher
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 60 GB available space
Additional Notes: Minimum requirements may change during development.

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core i7 or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 or AMD R9 280
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 60 GB available space
Additional Notes: Recommended requirements may change during development.

9. Democracy 4 - 2020 ( PC )

Democracy 4 is one of the most complex games when it comes to politics, as you can manage almost any social-economic aspect of your country.

Democracy 4 - Release Trailer

Democracy 4 is a turn-based political simulator, that sometimes feels more like work than a game, but in a good way, somehow. This is a sandbox experience, where you can change almost anything about the country your rule, from taxes applied to particular industries to healthcare or military budget.

This title has very minimalistic and simple graphics, but the design is clean enough to not distract from the most important here: the complex systems at work.

Hardcore Politics simulator

The pure number of possibilities here is astounding, as Democracy 4 takes it almost too far when it comes to possible actions to take. The title is very complex and hard to get into, as sometimes it looks and feels like you are interacting with a spreadsheet, but if learn the basics, you will find a complex world of simulated political intrigue.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

When you feel like you haven't done much at work, you can always go home and play this gem

Democracy 4 - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7,8,10
Processor: intel i5 1.6GHZ
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: intel HD3000
Storage: 800 MB available space
Sound Card: any

8. Endless Space 2 - 2017 ( PC, MacOS )

Endless Space 2 expands on every small detail that made the first game one so special.

Endless Space 2 - Launch Trailer

Endless Space 2 is a turn-based 4X strategy game and a sequel to the highly acclaimed Endless Space. This game expands on its predecessor in almost every level, from better graphics to expanded interactive menus and battles.

This title gives you control of one of the several factions. Each one has its own distinctive gameplay and objectives, making this game highly replayable and more similar to RTS games like Starcraft, where each race had absolutely different gameplay, music, and story.

An epic 4X space opera

Endless Space II uses a turn-based system for its campaign but a unique card system for the battle, where you choose between different tactics and then watch them play out in an epic movie-like battle scene. This and the unique heroes that have their own quests and objective makes this strategy game one of the most unique 4X games out to date.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

After conquering the galaxy, space doesn't feel so endless after all.

Endless Space 2 - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows (64bits only) 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Processor: i3 4th generation / i5 2nd generation / A6 series
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: Intel HD 4000 / AMD Radeon 5800 series / NVidia 550Ti
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 8 GB available space
Sound Card: DX11 compatible
Additional Notes: Minimum Resolution: 1280 x 720

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows (64bits only) 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10
Processor: i3 5th generation (or newer) / i5 3rd generation (or newer) / FX4170 (or newer)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD Radeon 8000 series or newer / NVidia GTX 660 or newer
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 8 GB available space
Sound Card: DX11 compatible
Additional Notes: Recommended Resolution: 1920 x 1080

7. The Banner Saga - 2014 ( PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, MacOS )

Banner Saga is one of the most beautiful hand-drawn indie games on the market.

The Banner Saga - Trailer

Banner Saga is a turn-based medieval game inspired by Scandinavian mythology. Banner Saga follows a group of heroes in charge of a Warband made of human and Varl warriors, the latter being a strange race of giants with horns.

This game has a very beautiful and interesting hand-drawn art style, that sometimes looks like an animated movie. The music and sound design are also top-notch, giving this game a very folky Viking-like feel.

Hand-drawn Viking adventure

The gameplay here is somehow similar to X-Com games, but with some changes like the armor system, where you need to destroy the armor point first to get to the enemy's health.

Overall, Banner Saga is a very challenging but addictive game that uses the classic tactical turn-based formula but adds a lot of personal styles and visual artistry.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

Once again, somebody has to die because Chris spilled his drink on some baddies.

The Banner Saga - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows 7 SP1
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Storage: 4 GB available space

6) Total War: Medieval II - 2006 ( PC, MacOS )

Total War Medieval II is one of the best fully 3D strategy games out there.

Total War: Medieval II - Official Release Trailer

Total War: Medieval II is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in medieval Europe and parts of the middle east and Asia. In a similar style to other Total war games, you play as a king of one of several historical nations, from France to Russia, to Ottoman Empire and Egypt. In this title a big emphasis is made on the dynasty tree and your line of succession, giving assassination intrigue more importance.

A Total War Classic

Total War: Medieval II is a best-seller game for the Total War series, being eclipsed probably only by Total War: Rome. This game is a culmination of years of experience developing strategy games with 3D graphics that started with Rome. Even compared to later games from the series, like Napoleon or Empire, Total War: Medieval II still holds up to this day as one of the most influential strategy games of the last 15 years.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

Crusader knights on their way to baptize infidels one swing at a time

Total War: Medieval II - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP
Celeron 1.5GHz Pentium 4® (1500MHz) or equivalent AMD® processor
512MB RAM
11GB of uncompressed free hard disk space
100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers
100% Windows® 2000/XP compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers
DirectX® 9.0c
128MB Hardware Accelerated video card with Shader 1 support and the latest drivers. Must be 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible
1024 x 768 minimum display resolution
Internet (TCP / IP) play supported; Internet play requires broadband connection and latest drivers; LAN play requires a Network card.

5. Panzer Corps 2 - 2020 ( PC )

Panzer Corps 2 is one of the most important WWII turn-based games in the world, as this game inspired numerous indie titles with same premise.

Panzer Corps 2 - Cinematic Trailer

Panzer Corps 2 is a hex-based and turn-based WW2 strategy game that takes you to play a decisive part in many of the most important battle and campaign of the world war 2.

This game has little to no base-building, as it mostly centers on the main battles and campaigns of that time period.

Hardcore but fun WW2 strategy game

This strategy takes many things into account, such as terrain, as here your tanks will not just roll over any other unit in its way, being mostly trapped and destroyed in forests and urban terrains. This makes this game a little hard to learn but very rewarding and challenging when you learn the basics.

This title is a visually simple, but really complex strategy game that has a huge number of fans all over the world due to its simple but effective design and gameplay.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

Two nations fighting for the oil in some random desert country, sounds familiar huh?

Panzer Corps 2 - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: 64-bit Windows 8/10 (the game runs on Windows 7 but no support will be provided)
Processor: Intel or AMD, Dual Core or better (Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia or AMD, 2GB VRAM
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 12 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound device

OS: 64-bit Windows 8/10 (the game runs on Windows 7 but no support will be provided)
Processor: Intel or AMD, Dual Core or better (Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia or AMD, 4GB of VRAM
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 12 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound device

4. Age of Wonders III - 2014 ( PC, MacOS )

Age of Wonders III is a third installment in a long series of games that blends tactical gameplay with high-fantasy setting.

Age of Wonders III - Announcement Trailer

Age of Wonders III is a hex-based and turn-based strategy game with a gameplay that feels like a blend of Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic games. This is a fantasy game with a lot of emphasis on magic, monsters, and heroes, which can be used in tactical battles in a similar vein to Civilization games.

Authentic Fantasy 4X game

Age of Wonders series is famous for its importance for the fantasy 4X genre, as only games like Heroes of Might and Magic could compete with this series. Age of Wonders III is the first fully-3D game in the series, which might bring a new revival for the Age of Wonders series as a whole.

Fun Factor Score: 80/100

Yet another battle between two nations for the oil in the desert

Age of Wonders III - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ @2.6 Ghz
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia 8800 / ATi Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB or Laptop integrated Intel HD 3000 with 3GB system ram
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 10 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
Additional Notes:
Requires a 1024x768 screen resolution.
Requires an open IPv4 connection for online multiplayer.
A Triumph Account is required to use the game's online services. The game's single-player and Hot Seat modes are fully playable using the guest account.

OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.4 GHz or AMD Phenom X4 9900 @ 2.6 Ghz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia Geforce 460 1GB or AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 10 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
Additional Notes: A 1920x1080 screen resolution.

3. Into the Breach - 2018 ( PC, MacOS, Nintendo Switch )

Into the Breach is an indie strategy masterpiece that was created by a small team of two. Same team developed the fan-favorite FTL game before this one.

Into The Breach - Official Launch Trailer

Into The Breach is a simple game on the surface but very complex when you start to get deeper. This is a new type of chess, sort of speaking, where each movement has its counter-movement, with thousand possibilities in between.

In this game, you control a group of 3 pilots that must survive a series of battles against huge monsters and save the city and its population. The pilots have several types of mechs to choose from, each one with its own unique abilities and special attacks.

An indie strategy masterpiece

The most interesting and unique feature is the positioning of the units and how you can influence them. Sometimes you will notice that simply pushing the enemy away from the building will do the trick, which this game actually incentivizes.

Into the Breach is a simple indie game with 8-bit graphics that don't seem much at first look, but under the surface, you will find one of the best strategy games of the last 15 years.

Fun Factor Score: 95/100

Gonna tell my kids this was chess.

Into The Breach - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows Vista/7/8/10
Processor: 1.7+ GHz or I better
Memory : 1 GB RAM
Graphics: Must support OpenGL 2.1 or higher. Intel HD 3000 or better.
Storage: 400 MB available space

2. XCOM 2 - 2016 ( PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, MacOS )

XCOM 2 is the sequel to the highly-acclaimed first XCOM, which at the same time was a remake of the original X-Com: Ufo Defense, a classic strategy game from the 1994.

XCOM 2 - Launch Trailer

X-Com series had a huge revival with a new remake title simply called XCOM in 2013. With that game, the interest in the series was renewed, which offered the possibility of expanding the game with the sequel. Here is where the stars aligned and Firaxis Studios were able to create one of the best and most addictive strategy games of the last century.

XCOM 2 will take you to the future earth, where combined human and alien forces will need to work together to stop another alien invasion of the earth.

High-stake tactical action

XCOM 2 takes what made the original XCOM so good and expanded on it in every way. Better graphics, more variety when it comes to weapons, enemies, and characters, and most importantly, a smarter AI system that will challenge you on almost every level.

XCOM 2 has this high-octave tension and crazy action that makes it so cinematic and addictive. Each decision and near-miss will challenge your patience but will give you a just challenge to overcome. XCOM 2 is a must-have game for any tactical strategy game lover.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

We should defund the Men in Black, cause they obviously didn’t prevent this alien from migrating here illegally.

XCOM 2 - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

OS: Windows® 7, 64-bit
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6 GHz or AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core 2.6 GHz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770, 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or better
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 45 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
Additional Notes: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft Visual C++2012 and 2013 Runtime Libraries and Microsoft DirectX.

1. Civilization VI - 2016 ( PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, MacOS )

Civilization VI lets you choose from 20 different nations, each one with their own unique building, units and policies.

Civilization VI - Launch Trailer

Civilization series is the grandfather of almost every 4X strategy game. This masterpiece helped create a whole genre of games and continued evolving into something different.

Here we have the last edition of the series with Civilization VI. Compared to Civilization V, for example, this title actually polished and enhances almost every small thing that Civilization V did wrong, giving a very professional and smooth experience through and through.

The big daddy of strategy games

Civilization VI has a lot of new features and additions to the well-proven Civilization formula. One of the most noticeable is the world congress, where you can use political points to vote in favor or against numerous bills and propositions, from embargoes, and wars to economic policies and events. This edition really expands on diplomacy, giving more room for political intrigue and pressure.

Civilization VI is currently being updated and expanded upon, with the last update adding natural disasters and world climate change, adding new life to the already almost endless game.

Fun Factor Score: 90/100

The one thing I learned from Civ games, is that never trust Gandhi with nuclear weapons

Civilization VI - Gameplay

System Requirements:

Minimum:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7x64 / Windows 8.1x64 / Windows 10x64
Processor: Intel Core i3 2.5 GHz or AMD Phenom II 2.6 Ghz or greater
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 1 GB & AMD 5570 or nVidia 450 or Intel Integrated Graphics 530
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 12 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Device
Additional Notes: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 and 2015 Runtime Libraries, and Microsoft DirectX. Internet connection and acceptance of the Steam™ Subscriber Agreement are required for activation. See www.steampowered.com/agreement for details.

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7x64 / Windows 8.1x64 / Windows 10x64
Processor: Fourth Generation Intel Core i5 2.5 GHz or AMD FX8350 4.0 Ghz or greater
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: 2GB & AMD 7970 or nVidia 770 or greater
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 12 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Device

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[Top 15] Best 4x Games for PC That Are Fun

hgomes — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 19:24:53 +0000

Do you like 4X games? Are you interested in long-term strategy? Do you like games that keep you on your toes, where every turn matters? Do you just have to play one more turn?

If you’re like me, you probably started one of these games thinking you’re just going to have 20 minutes of fun, only to see the sun on your window and realize you’ve played through the night. I might be guilty of flunking a couple of math exams during high school due to this. Just don’t tell my old teachers, okay?

What’s 4X? It stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate. It’s a subset of strategy games that originates from board games. During the ’90s, the original Sid Meier’s Civilization pushed the genre to fame. While strategy gaming is no longer as prevalent on PC as it once was, the genre is still alive and well, and has since been my favorite video game genre.

The codifiers of this genre are the aforementioned Sid Meier’s Civilization, Master of Magic, and Master of Orion. All 90’s titles that aren’t going on the list simply because their age really shows, and younger players might be turned off by the clunkiness of ‘90s games.

I’ve been playing 4x games ever since I was a little kid. In fact, by now I’m pretty confident I must have played most 4X titles released in the last 20 years. The hardest aspect of this list is ranking these titles, I just love this genre too much.

It feels wrong to have to choose between them. But I do have to choose, and so here is my top 15 list of 4X games that you can play today and have tons of fun!

15 - Humankind

Humankind might just have some more tricks up its sleeve.

Released just last year, Humankind marketed itself heavily as a “civ-killer,” a History-focused 4X title that wanted to snatch the crown of the Civilization series. Civ has long held the heavyweight champion belt for 4X, so throughout the years a lot of enterprising designers have dreamed of being the next Sid Meier. Is Humankind that game? Well… No. But it’s still a whole lot of fun.

Now, to be honest, this game had a bit of a rocky launch, it’s sometimes been compared to a 4X version of No Man’s Sky. This game was plagued by bugs and balance issues when it was launched. If you picked the Huns in the Classical Era, you could pretty much win right then and there, because they could both grow fast and severely disrupt other civilizations with relative ease.

But I also had a lot of fun with it. The Civ titles are well and good, but their dated design is really starting to show. The last installments of the series just aren’t doing it for me. With Humankind, I saw a nice breath of fresh air into the genre, it gave me a glimpse of what historical 4X games could be.

Humankind is definitely a rough gem, but a gem nonetheless. I think the devs have already corrected most of the egregious issues with the launch version. I also think a lot of the outcry comes from people getting this title and expecting Civ.

Humankind is not Civ. It plays differently, it does a lot of things differently. And I think it has some great potential. Don’t believe the negative hype. Try this game with an open mind and for what it is, and you’ll probably see why I’m excited about it. Amplitude has some fantastically talented people, and I’m sure they’ll be able to turn this around.

14 - Northgard

Medieval Mythological Colony Survival

Northgard is an interesting title. It merges aspects of RTS, City-Builders, and 4X. And it does so in a simple format that’s still very entertaining. Released back in 2018, Northgard never rose to be one of the most famous titles of the genre, but it has had a healthy community and consistently good reviews on Steam. Even its DLCs have generally positive ratings, which is uncommon in the strategy genre.

To start off, I really like the visual aspect of Northgard. It reminds me of the Warcraft series before it became an MMO. There’s just something so enjoyable about watching the little structures getting built. The sound design of this game is also really solid. It’s generally a pleasant experience for the senses.

Northgard is smaller in scope than most games on this list. It’s also weighted towards multiplayer, which can be a pro, or a con, depending on what you like. You can be done with a match of this game in one or two hours, so it’s good for people who can’t stand the longer durations of most games in the genre.

Northgard, like most 4X games, has different victory conditions that don’t necessarily imply having to destroy all other players. It has different clans, all of which are geared towards specific aspects of gameplay. Its seasonal mechanics add an interesting twist since you need to rush resource production during summer so you have a stockpile for the winter

I still think this game deserves to be called 4X because it’s not entirely geared towards combat. In more classic RTS titles, most of the gameplay is geared towards military competition. In the Age of Empires series, most players only play conquest mode. Northgard, however, has two military-type victory conditions (Fame and Conquest) and two non-military victory conditions (Lore and Trade). All are highly viable, too. 4X games usually have these elements where the final push for domination isn’t solely dictated by military power alone, you can lose a battle but win the war.

Another aspect of 4X in this game is that your villagers aren’t mere pawns. They have food upkeep and happiness demands. In most pure RTS games your units are just a reflection of your resources. They only gather or fight and nothing more. 4X games usually have a happiness mechanic built into them, as to reward players who build optimally.

One bad aspect of this game is balance. People complain endlessly that the different clans are unbalanced, and that the AI difficulties are overly punishing to the player. The AIs seem to rarely care about one another and focus solely on attacking the player. On the other hand, more skilled players complain that the game gets repetitive once you really know what you’re doing.

I still think, however, that Northgard is a solid addition to the genre that tries to marry 4X and RTS in its unique gameplay. It can offer a lot of enjoyment while you learn the ropes and try it out, and it’s still enjoyable to play every now and then. I like how its matches are closer to the duration of RTS matches than the gigantic matches of more 4X-focused games. This might not be a game for everyone, but it deserves to be on the list.

13 - Thea 2: The Shattering

Thea 2: The Shattering Beginner's Guide

Released in 2019, Thea 2: The Shattering is the second installment in the Thea series. Thea is another interesting example since the game is a mix between card games, RPGs, and 4X. You control a group of settlers in a fantasy world inspired by Slavic mythology. That’s pretty out there, right?

The game boasts an interesting magic and crafting system and provides innovative and challenging gameplay. While people complain that the UI is clunky and the game is hard to learn, there are games with much steeper difficulty curves out there, trust me. While some people may dislike the card-focused approach, I think the card minigame for combat is very cool and challenging, and it’s one of the most innovative implementations of tactical combat that I’ve seen in recent strategy games.

Thea 2 even has Roguelike aspects in which every new playthrough will earn you god points which you can spend to improve your starting loadout. This, together with the many different Slavic-inspired deities that you can pick to guide your settlers really add to the replayability of the game.

The meat and potatoes of the game is resource management. While your characters progress through skill trees that significantly alter their power, the defining element in gameplay is gear. The starting area only has the worst resources, so you are pushed to build a ship and navigate to far-off islands, where you can gather magical resources that really give you an edge in beating the mythological issues your settlers face.

This is a wholly different spin on the “expand and exploit” aspects of 4X. Since the group of settlers you control is small, any split in the group may prove deadly. Putting all your people on a ship and sailing away to areas with tougher monsters is always a dangerous prospect, but if you don’t expand and explore in this manner, you will fall behind relatively fast.

If you like atmospheric gameplay, this title might be a good choice, too. The music is very good, and the world has its own lore that’s deep and interesting. What’s unique about Thea is that its focus on a single group of settlers rather than an entire civilization provides an experience lighter on micromanaging. It’s also a lot more personal, I come to care a lot more about my people when they all have individual names and pictures, rather than just being “Settler #231.” Their almost inevitable deaths at the hand of eldritch horrors also add an element of drama.

So, if you’re interested in dark fantasy, Slavic mythology, or a blend of RPG and 4X, Thea 2 might just be the game you’re looking for.

12 - Remnants of the Precursors

A modern take on a classic experience.

Do you remember how I talked about Master of Orion being one of the codifiers for the 4X genre? Well, what if I told you the community of fans produced a fully modernized remake, and it’s entirely free? That game is Remnants of the Precursors.

Remnants of the Precursors is a project that aims to bring back the excellent design of Master of Orion. But with modern 2D graphics and UI. It’s frankly amazing, I followed the news about this game for a long time, and I was pretty happy when it was fully released.

If you’ve EVER played a space-based 4X game, then you’ve probably played Master of Orion to some degree. Its influence on the genre is so massive that it might feel generic if you fire it up today, but that’s similar to the so-called “Seinfeld Effect”: it feels generic because it’s been copied so much that we now associate its elements with the genre itself.

Master of Orion was absolutely groundbreaking when it came out, and the second installment of the series is still considered a solid 4X title that’s played by many to this very day. Master of Orion 2 in particular seems to have heavily inspired pretty much all major space-based 4X titles ever since.

The scope of this game is absurd, too. The maximum size galaxy can have over 68 THOUSAND star systems. If you’re used to more modern approaches to 4X, the streamlined look of the resource allocation system might confuse you at first, but just like in the original Master of Orion, it makes it so the game never becomes micro-heavy, and it’s a versatile system that you’ll learn in no time.

Just imagine having multiple planets and having to individually build on each one, like in Master of Orion 2, but with literally thousands of systems? The potential scope of this game is aided by its streamlined design, not hampered by it. I know not everybody agrees, but I still prefer the original Master of Orion system with the sliders, and this is one of the main reasons why I recommend this game.

Remnants of the Precursors has most of what we’ve come to expect from space 4X. There’s exploration, colonization, research, ship design, and more. The new layer of paint and optimization that the remake gave to the original game was really everything that’s needed to remind us how awesome the original Master of Orion was. I cannot overstate how much I recommend this game.

11 - Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Rock and Stone forever, bratki!

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a 2019 title by Triumph Studios that explores a futuristic post-apocalyptic scenario. It’s a rare setting for 4X, although the success of this game has meant more titles of this type have been announced recently.

The absolute innovativeness of this setting is very refreshing. Triumph has produced solid 4X titles before, but all of them in a fantasy setting. The interesting interplay between the different elements of this game makes it stand out from other titles. Some of its influences are definitely inspired by fantasy, like the Dvar faction, which can best be described as futuristic Russian space dwarves. That’s a nice choice for all you Rock and Stone people out there.

The tactical combat element of the game is probably its strongest area. The battles are short and straight to the point, so they don’t become boring even during the late game. The UI is very polished and really seems inspired by the modern X-COM titles. Age of Wonders: Planetfall also allows you a lot of customization options both in your settlements and military units. This means that combat can often be pretty intriguing and interesting even after many playthroughs.

The wealth of different items for your commanders and modifications that you can apply to your units is really mind-boggling. It reminds me of Endless Legend’s inventory system. The unique thing is that there is a whole system of status effects in tactical battles that really change the way they play. The tactical element is really king in this game, and while you can skip battles, you’d be losing on one of the most interesting aspects of the game.

Another aspect where this game really shines is sound design. The music and voice-overs are great, and when you’re in the thick of combat, it feels heavy. I can really appreciate well-made sound effect design, especially because titles with bad sound often become grating after a few hours of play.

The visuals are also pretty interesting. The game is more stylized than realistic, but there is a real exaggerated sci-fi look here that makes me think of WH40K. I’ll recommend Age of Wonders: Planetfall to people interested in more outlandish futuristic scenarios who really enjoy tactical battles.

10 - Galactic Civilizations IV

What's new in GalCiv 4?

Galactic Civilizations has been a major player in the space-based 4X genre ever since its first installment. While most well known for Galactic Civilizations II, the fourth installment of the series came out of early access not long ago.

When Galactic Civilizations II was released, it was lauded as a revolutionary title, the following games have built upon this base. I think the later installments have gotten an undue negative rep because people expect all of them to be as innovative as II was.

The basics of the Galactic Civilizations series are still here in this title. A top-down galaxy view with no borders between star systems, a tile-based planetary screen, modular ship design, capable AI, and immense customization options. All of it is here. The AI is still one of the best in the genre. When Master of Orion 3 came out, it was panned for changing too much, but when Stardock delivers solid title after solid title, they’re somehow not innovative enough.

As someone who played the last titles of the series, I don’t think GalCiv IV is just more of the same. The races feel more different to play than they ever did, with their unique modifiers impacting the playstyle more heavily. There are a lot more default races than in previous titles, all of which explore different aspects of gameplay. Citizens on planets too now have specific needs and bonuses depending on their race, they’re given an icon and a name, too, which I like.

The new system of movement within sectors also changes the flow of the management aspect of the game, and the core world system allows for a lot less micro-heavy experiences. The excessive micromanagement that was necessary on larger maps was perhaps the part of this game that made me quit the most playthroughs. It wasn’t necessarily defeat that got me, but late-game slog. This is a common complaint with fans of the series, and Stardock has tried new systems as a way to meaningfully improve on this, and I like the way they did it.

The new prestige points can also tie progress to completing what are essentially quests. This allows you to engage the game world in fundamentally different ways than in previous installments. This is similar to what games such as Endless Legend and Old World have done, adding a more cohesive narrative element to the game for those who feel it’s too much of a sandbox.

Since the game is still freshly released, it still has bugs and technical issues. But the updates have been coming, and I trust Stardock can solve this issue given time. In my opinion, Galactic Civilizations IV is a very solid addition to the series, and I like the direction that Stardock is taking it.

9 - Shadow Empire

How to create your own Mad Max world?

Shadow Empire is… weird. But to me, it’s the good kind of weird. I have to admit I’ve played this game a lot ever since it came out in 2020. Shadow Empire can best be described as a Wargame-meets-4X game. It’s set in a sci-fi far future, but most of the game feels more like Mad Max than anything.

The game is set hundreds of years after the collapse of a galaxy-spanning government. A terrible civil war destroyed civilization and isolated the many worlds that used to comprise this society. Technology is long regressed, and even in the late game, you’ll never reach a level that’s even close to what the late Galactic Republic could yield.

So the setting can be described as a sort of diesel punk, post-apocalyptic, science fiction on an alien planet. An alien planet that you can customize with random rolls almost as if you’re making a character sheet in an RPG. Like I said, this game is weird. But I just can’t put it down.

The first thing you’ll notice in this game is that it doesn’t look too good. Its UI seems like it was lifted directly from the ‘90s. It’s not visually appealing at all. But if you’re willing to look past its ugly face, you’ll quickly find that the book is much better than the cover.

Shadow Empire has an interesting economic and social system running in the background. It’s nothing too complex, but it’s interesting playing this game and realizing all of your far-off towns are bleeding population because your capital has significantly superior opportunities for things like healthcare and entertainment.

It’s little things like these that give this game its charm. It’s trying to be a lot of things at once. It boasts a relatively complex logistics system, an economic simulation, card-based government actions, character management for your cabinet, etc… On top of it, the experience that this game’s sole dev has with WW2 wargames really shows, because Shadow Empire has one of the most detailed strategic combat systems I’ve ever seen outside a dedicated wargame.

I love this game because there really is nothing like it. And despite all the jank that comes with trying to conduct so many different systems, it really does work. I’ve found its world to be incredibly immersive and engaging, and the feeling of progressing your little faction of Mad Max lunatics to the point of developing your first military airplane or railway system gives a sense of progression that’s lacking in a lot of strategy games.

The game doesn’t run well at times, though. The strong simulation means turn times can become really untenable in the largest map types. But the updates since release have mitigated this to a good extent. The game still has a lot of planned upgrades too, so there’s more to come.

The lack of automation options and the very unintuitive UI mean that this game can quickly become overwhelming when you need to organize tens of different combat units across the massive maps. So if you do pick it up, do yourself a favor and play on a smaller map type. It’s where the game really hits a balance between depth and playability.

Many fans of 4X and wargames have tried this game and it’s becoming more and more popular. Although the clunkiness of the game means it’s likely never going to be the most popular, to me Shadow Empire does so many things no other game does in such a compelling way that I’m certain to say there really is no game quite like it in the market.

8 - Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith

Fire and brimstone is good enough for me!

Dominions 5 is the fifth installment of Illwinter Game Design’s Dominions series and is also one of my favorite games ever. Released in 2017, it remains a sort of cult classic within the strategy game community. See, Dominions 5 is a fantasy game, but it’s not “fantasy” as you’d expect. Instead of the usual run-of-the-mill medieval world with humans versus orcs, Dominions 5 draws its inspiration directly from the mythologies of different real-world cultures.

It’s unusual for fantasy games to deal with the Ancient World, but Dominions 5 is heavily inspired by Antiquity, it has factions inspired in Sumerian and Canaanite Mythology, it has Amazons, and also has a fantasy version of the Greeks and Romans, and so, so much more.

Part of me feels the people who came up with this game must have played HeroQuest or some similar Glorantha setting RPG back in the day. The attention to authenticity in this game almost makes it feel as if it was written by an anthropologist. The setting is by far my favorite thing about this game.

Dominions 5 places you as an upstart god, the previous all-powerful deity of this world disappeared, and now all the other spiritual beings and powerful wizards are competing for their place. Your deity can take all sorts of physical forms, from a standard fantasy dragon to a giant pillar of stone. Like the legend of the fisher king, the type of deity you are has physical effects on the part of the world that you rule.

This game doesn’t hold back on cosmic horror, either. I think no other game allows you to be a reality-rending cosmic evil to the scale this game lets you. You can be the sort of evil power that literally feeds on blood sacrifice to the point you depopulate most of the map. You can even, paradoxically, suck out the magic of the world to the point where powerful wizards have issues casting even the most basic spells.

Dominions 5 is a very creative little title. I could go on and on about its gameplay. But it really is something that you’ll have to experience for yourself. This is another example of a game that isn’t necessarily pretty. Although I like the 2D sprite look of the game, a lot of people are turned off by it, expecting a more modern look. I can’t blame them.

This game is also complicated. The downside of having the freedom to choose weird, creative, and non-obvious play styles is that this game comes with a lot of hidden info and things that are never outright stated anywhere. It’s quite confusing to play until you crack its mystery, at which point you’ll start using all the weirdness of this game to your benefit. But trust me, it takes a lot of trial and error to get there.

If you’re not up to a confusing experience that slowly grows on you, or aren’t interested in a mythological setting, Dominions 5 is not the game for you. However, if you’re tired of punching Cthulhu in games and want to try your hand at being an eldritch horror yourself, this is the game for you.

7 - Sword of the Stars

One of the Best, Old-School 4x Titles!

Sword of the Stars was released waaaay back in 2008. So what is it doing on this list? Well, in the 4X world, newer is definitely not always better. The sequel of this game was such a disaster that Kerberos Productions almost went completely bankrupt from it. This is not to say that Sword of the Stars isn’t one of the best 4X titles ever released.

This is one of those games that takes its inspiration straight out of Master of Orion. It features a very similar slider system that allows you to control a vast empire without ever feeling like the game has fallen into micro hell.

This game shines bright in so many areas, though. It has strong elements of asymmetrical play, with each race having a completely different way to traverse the galaxy. You’ll spot a Hiver fleet a long, long time before it reaches you, but if they win, they’ll open a portal that allows instant travel. The Morrigi travel faster when they’re in large numbers. The Humans can only travel within predetermined star lanes. It’s the sort of thing Stellaris tried to do and failed badly at.

Adding to that, this game has perhaps THE best tactical space combat of any space-based 4X game. I’m not kidding. Every ship is unique, you design them based on three modular chunks that dictate the role the ship will have in combat. Add to that the myriad modules you can install on each hard point and you can have wildly varying playstyles every single game.

In fact, the game forces you to do so. Because research is almost completely random in this game. For every new game, roughly 2/3rds of the tech tree is completely re-rolled, and you won’t know what changed until you progress into the game. This means that some of the most powerful weapons aren’t always going to be available to you. You’ll just have to live with the reality of a suboptimal fleet sometimes, and the game is the better for it.

The fact that it’s so well balanced really helps, too. Even when you’re stuck with some of the guns you like the least, it never feels so punishing as to make victory impossible. You just have to play it smart. If a ship is half as effective, it just means you’ll have to build twice as many.

Despite the graphics being quite dated by now, they still look good to me. The sound design of this game is also amazing. Every time I play it I get reminded of how good the sound effects, the music, and the fleet battles sound.

Sword of the Stars is very much an “exterminate” focused game. It’s very combat-oriented, so don’t go into it expecting a peaceful time. But if you understand this, you’ll be setting yourself to experience some of the best that 4X has to offer.

6 - Endless Legend

Dust for the Dust Lords!

Endless Legend is the title that really threw Amplitude Studios to prominence. Released in 2014, it’s still surprisingly divisive amongst the 4X community. Some love it, some hate it. I think it was an important title to revitalize the genre.

Amplitude is known for going all out on asymmetrical play. And no 4X game embodies this better than Endless Legend. To this day, I don’t think I’ve played a game where each faction plays so differently. And it’s impactful, too.

The Broken Lords literally eat money. The Roving Clans can move their cities around the map. The Cultists can’t even build a second city at all. The Necrophages are a mix between army ants and parasitoid wasps. I could go on and on. The striking thing is that Endless Legend, despite its lackluster UI, actually boasts major factions that really feel like entirely different societies when played.

Endless Legend is simply a titan of design. Its systems are all well integrated in a way not many other strategy games are. Its world is beautiful and vibrant. Its music is just insanely good. The lore and tone of the world are also incredibly fitting.

All of those elements come together to create a really unique 4X game with strong mechanics that feel fresh and new even eight years after release. Amplitude is known for making 4X games differently than most of the big players of the genre, and the Endless series is the result of a design process that’s both knowledgeable and creative. I would like for the 4X genre to move more in this direction altogether.

If you like asymmetrical gameplay and well-designed game systems, maybe this game is for you. Endless Legend stands the test of time as a game with little to no feature bloat and a design that manages to be streamlined and deep at the same time.

5 - Old World

Starting your empire

So, remember how at the beginning of the list I talked about how many have tried to make a “civ-killer” to challenge Firaxis and Sid Meier? I believe Old World is the title best positioned to actually reach that goal one day. Released from early access less than a month ago to stellar reviews, Old World seems to have escaped the shaky launch that every other game seems to get these days.

Old World brings two significant innovations to the 4X genre. The first, perhaps drawing the Paradox Interactive’s Crusader Kings series, is the large focus on characters, on personal stories interwoven with the history of the civilizations behind them. The second one is the orders system, which aims to solve some long-standing design issues with historical 4X titles.

When Civ IV came out, Firaxis seemed to take issue with the immense crowding of military units that the game could devolve to. This generated the “One unit per tile” debate. In previous iterations of Civ, you could stack endless hordes of units in a single map tile, and wars were a slugfest between those monolithic armies. Later installments of Civ have tried to solve this issue by only allowing a single unit per tile, but haven’t changed the game around it to make this decision play well.

The orders system and the way Old World deals with its army units really, and I mean REALLY deals with this issue. First, “Orders” are a new resource type in this game. A unit can only move and attack when you spend this resource. So spamming a thousand units is useless, because the army becomes too big for your nation to control. This forces the game to revolve around smaller, more impactful armies. The exact thing needed for the new “one unit per tile” era, this is perhaps the best mechanical addition to the genre in years.

The character-driven system is a refreshing thing. Large-scale strategy games can feel impersonal at times. Like I said before, I just care about the game more when things have a name and a face, rather than being a generic unit. Having a member of your family die in a battle hits a lot harder than simply losing your 500th unit of “Warrior.” And since this game has a focus on smaller armies, the chances this will happen are significant.

What aids this system is the mechanics behind unit veterancy and experience. In Civ, I rarely, if ever have the money to upgrade units from one era to the next. But not doing this in Old World is a terrible idea. Units can level up, and it massively changes their effectiveness. The small armies mean you can replace your warriors relatively easily, but a fresh warrior unit will always lose an even match to a more experienced one.

Playing this game, I found myself using the order system to replicate an Ancient warfare tactic of constantly swapping out my frontlines to spare my veteran soldiers. Like the Romans did. The fact that units can move a lot further if you have the orders for it means that a well-disciplined force, when nested in a defensible position, can cycle its warriors and defeat a larger force. As someone who loves History, being able to pull this off in a game is a dream.

In fact, the whole way that Old World deals with resources is a huge breath of fresh air to the genre. Many of the limitations of the usual “food-production-research” system are completely done away with in this title, replaced by very different mechanics. Resources are used to build and maintain both buildings and units, and inside the cities, three new resources dictate military, civilian, and specialist production. It’s structured completely differently, and I don’t think I can go back to Civ VI after this game.

Old World is still very new, but it’s probably the most promising 4X title of 2022. This game is incredibly impressive to me. I can bet it’s going to become huge in the 4X world. If you like this genre at all, it’s a good recommendation.

4 - Endless Space 2

Horatio is love

Endless Space 2 was released in 2017 and remains one of the most popular space-based 4X games to this day. It’s another of Amplitude’s landmark titles that shows their potential to create very unique and entertaining 4X games.

Endless Space 2, like the other titles of the Endless series, goes all out with asymmetrical play. The many factions feel different to play in meaningful ways. Despite there not being as many major factions as other 4X titles, the differences are meaningful enough for it not to matter much. Besides, we all know the only correct choice is to always pick Horatio.

The great thing about Endless Space 2 is that there’s always something going on, always something to be done. Each game can vary so wildly due to the interplay of the galaxy and its randomly generated star systems that it’s hard to pick one winning strategy every time. You have to adapt to survive. And “survival” means a very different thing for each faction.

Nested within Endless Space 2 is a very deep system of politics and diplomacy, both of which heavily affect the game. In fact, both things require the Influence resource, a part of the long-standing FIDSI system that all the Endless games share. The versatility of the FIDSI system is immense, and it’s impressive how much Amplitude has managed to weave it into the core of their gameplay.

In fact, every system in Endless Space 2 seems to affect all others in some way, it’s a masterpiece of systemic design. Every time you pick a research option, all others become more expensive. Every time you colonize a system or build an improvement, there is a definite effect on your game that might not be immediately visible. This is why some people struggle with this game. It’s overwhelming and difficult to learn at first, but that’s the price you pay for such a mechanically rich title.

The tone of Endless Space 2 is given by this interplay of opportunity costs and snowball effects. At all times you’ll have to be careful about which choice to go with, there is a constant weighing of potential benefit against potential risk. This game demands you pay attention to what you’re doing. I believe it’s this rich play between strategic choice and mechanical depth that makes Endless Space 2 so consistently popular.

3 - Stellaris

Death Cults in space!

Placing Stellaris so high up the list is sure to upset some people. And I really understand why. But Stellaris, besides the Civilization series, is currently the most popular title in the 4X genre. In fact, out of all the titles in this list, it’s the one I must have played the most. I don’t think its enduring popularity is an accident, either.

Stellaris was released in 2016 by Paradox Interactive. It was an attempt to bridge their famous style of Grand Strategy with a more 4X experience. As such, Stellaris is different from most 4X games. It's got the marks of Paradox’s Clausewitz system all over it, and as such, a lot of its systems are repurposed towards 4X rather than originally designed for the genre.

Stellaris attracts a bad reputation amongst some. In 2018, the release of the Le Guin patch completely changed the functioning of the game. It was almost as if it was entirely re-designed. Most people, including me, appreciated most of the changes, but a lot of people felt like they had bought a game, only to be delivered an entirely different one. And I don’t blame them for it, in many aspects, like the FTL rework, the update was a step back.

The DLC policy that Paradox pushes on its games also garners a lot of criticism. The full game of Stellaris has become incredibly expensive in the years since release, which is reminiscent of the state of the Sims series. Many new updates also break aspects of the game, and it takes a couple updates until they are fixed, but these constant disruptions have caused some people to abandon the game.

However, Stellaris is in itself a completely unique 4X, exactly because of its origin as Grand Strategy. I have played it for hundreds of hours and it never really gets old to me. There’s this running joke in the community that you start every Stellaris game wanting to be the Federation from Star Trek, but you end up becoming the Imperium of Man from WH40K somewhere around mid to late game.

It’s this sort of thing that really brings up the fun with Stellaris. There are no default races, no default storylines, Stellaris is as much of a sandbox as 4X gets. The starting races are more examples of possible builds than factions the game is designed around. It’s a remarkably different approach than the Amplitude titles, but it also lends itself to immense roleplaying opportunities.

If you have seen a sci-fi film, read a sci-fi book, or even played a sci-fi game, you can probably decently recreate an alien race present in them within Stellaris. Its system is open-ended enough to offer different opportunities, whilst still being sufficiently mechanically tied to the game to make a meaningful difference.

There’s a sense of immersion that I just don’t get with other games of the genre. Whilst the core gameplay loops of Stellaris are very repetitive, they’re also very enjoyable. There very much is a “meta” way to play, but you really don’t have to do it, especially if you don’t play on higher difficulties or in multiplayer.

Their last expansion, I think, capitalizes exactly on this sci-fi recreation feel. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Overlord DLC came a couple months after Dune was re-discovered by the mainstream. In fact, most of the loose lore in Stellaris seems based on some work of science fiction or the other.

This ends up making Stellaris almost feel like a space-opera simulator. The only thing lacking is perhaps better character interaction and a more lively system of internal politics within your empire. Stellaris could probably learn from other titles to make things more impactful than simple numeric modifiers. It’s this insistence on making different play styles somewhat uniform that killed Paradox’s Imperator: Rome. Stellaris would benefit from more mechanical variety, but it also benefits from being generic enough to let players roleplay what they want.

I think Stellaris offers a nice blend of approachability and complexity. That, together with its roleplay potential, are probably the reasons why it’s so popular. Whenever I play Stellaris I begin by thinking up some different type of empire and seeing what the universe throws at it. And I’ve kept doing that throughout all these years, and that’s why it’s so high up on the list.

2 - Sid Meier’s Civilization IV

Probaly my favorite Civ game, too.

Did you find it weird to come all the way up in the list and not see a single Civilization title? It’s because I saved it for the right moment. The Civilization series is the big measuring stick everyone uses to talk about the 4X genre. Civ VI is still the most popular 4X game on Steam right now. Civilization has been on the market for over 30 years by this point. Their experience is unmatched.

So why am I not recommending Civ VI, then? Well, go on some 4X gaming community online and ask them what the best Civ title is. And many of them will likely say it was Civilization IV. People are still actively playing it to this day, there are still people making mods for it too. It’s remained popular throughout the years.

There are a lot of reasons for that, but it mostly boils down to the game design choices made in this title. The visuals may be dated, but the design of the game is great. The tiles look good and distinguishable, the voiceovers of the many units in their native languages add a very interesting touch, and the soundtrack is just amazing. The song “Baba Yetu,” a Swahili version of the Lord’s Prayer, is perhaps the best intro song in all 4X history.

The game really lends itself to a grander feeling that you’re building a civilization. It feels different from Civ VI, which essentially feels like an advanced board game and plays as such. I still remember my favorite moment in Civ IV was reaching the Modern Era because as soon as you progressed, all this wonderful Baroque and Classical music would start playing. I’d get a real sense that my civilization was progressing, that modernity was arriving.

However, mechanically speaking, the game also feels incredibly solid. There are a wealth of different play styles, scenarios and strategic considerations to be made in every game. Each game I played felt different, not in small part because the AI itself changes slightly in each match because of the different leaders having different AI weights. Playing against Ashoka’s India and against Gandhi’s India is qualitatively different.

Many people praise Civ IV for being easy to pick up. But that’s not because the game is simplistic, but it’s part of the design language making information clear to the player. There is a real sense that Civilization IV is a complete game unto itself. I remember pouring hours just looking at the ingame Civilopedia and reading the historical basis of the different buildings and units. That this taught me how to play the game was almost incidental.

I also remember spending countless hours online looking up strategies for Civ IV. Somehow, it grasped me much more than the later installments ever did. I picked Civ VI up for a while and it just feels… okay? It doesn’t feel amazing and inspiring like Civ IV still feels to me. Perhaps this is just nostalgia speaking, but perhaps my gut feelings are pointing towards some fundamental design difference.

That is not to say the game is without its flaws. The slog of two massive stacks fighting against one another is a bad aspect of this game, as well as its probabilistic combat causing those XCOM moments where you lose even with a 99.9% chance of winning. There is a reason why no successful 4X game has repeated this system ever since: it’s boring.

This slog, however, is somewhat tied to the feeling that the AI was better in Civ IV, as these doom stack battles were easier for the computer to understand and play around with. But the AI wasn’t really any more advanced than in modern Civ titles, and not even close to games like Galactic Civilizations 2. However, as the developers of Halo can extensively tell you, the perception of a good AI and its impact on player experience are important aspects in themselves. Why do people still think Civ IV had better AI than it actually had? Because there is a well-designed system around it.

All in all, this is still my preferred Civ title, even after all these years. I still have it installed, and I still like to stand around just taking in the world map in all its beauty. It’s a flawed game, but to me, it occupies such an important place in the 4X world that it must be high on the list.

1 - Distant Worlds: Universe

The Caslon must flow

Here we are, at the top of the list. So why did I pick this title instead of a more famous one? Well, I’m sure if you ask some experienced 4X players whether Distant Worlds deserves to be the top 1 amongst 4X games, they’ll at least think it’s a reasonable option.

This game came out of nowhere in 2014. Its 2D graphics weren’t anything to write home about and its UI was clunky. But somehow, it exploded in popularity amongst the 4X community, where it’s still beloved by many to this day.

What Distant Worlds has going on for it is being a simulation you can actively interact with. The galaxy feels alive in a way no other game manages to deliver. Your empire has a private economy entirely independent from you, but on which you depend for your economic expansion. As a result of this, Distant Worlds had pacing entirely different from most games in the genre. You’re still building fleets and colonizing planets, but the huge fleet of independent automated traders is still moving each and every resource around the universe.

Distant World has a feature that I’ve since come to desire in every strategy game, which is localized resource pools. Every bit of material has to be collected and physically transported around the map before it can be used, and moving them is exactly the job of your private economy.

This means for example that in Distant Worlds it’s entirely possible to wage war by privateering the enemy’s freight lines with fast and agile ships. If you manage to cut off the supplies to their spaceports, they won’t be able to replenish the ships you shoot down in battle. If you destroy their mining stations, they won’t be able to build anything at all. This also means that pirates are a major threat to your economy. That is, at least until you’re powerful enough to send them packing.

Another aspect that’s unmatched to this day is that Distant Worlds can be fully automated. You choose to play only as much as you want to get involved. And while a skilled human player will always make better decisions than an AI, the AI of this game is surprisingly competent and can manage your empire well.

You can still run every aspect of your empire if you so choose. From designing ships to researching tech, to ordering colony ships around. You just don’t have to, the AI can handle it. People often say you could just load a game and control a single ship in a larger AI-controlled empire and it would be an entirely valid playstyle.

Leaving some automation on was a great way to feel as if you were really running a somewhat independent empire. All of this compounds a feeling of complexity and life that very few games can match. AI is a huge issue in most strategy games, and a lot of developers keep making games that their AIs simply cannot play. Distant Worlds not only turns this around but makes AI a focal point of its design.

This is why despite the immense galaxies that this game can support, it very rarely feels overwhelming or micro-intensive. It’s also hard to really snowball in this game to the point you become unbeatable, which is a huge issue in most games. On higher difficulties, the AI can keep up with you until the late game.

People loved and still love Distant Worlds for what it brought to the genre. They loved the immense sense of freedom and scale that you got from seeing all the little moving parts coming together by the midgame. I’d often lose time in Distant Worlds just following my freighters around on their commerce trips. Just checking the alien ships that landed at my spaceports make their little trips around the universe.

I am a very simulationist gamer. To me, satisfaction comes from the interplay of these robust systems that don’t depend on my input to function. When I played Distant Worlds, I found out what I really wanted from games in the future. This game has somewhat broken me because it’s still unmatched, and yet I want a bit of it in every 4X title I play.

Distant Worlds 2 was released not too long ago. But it’s still not quite up to par. The release has been rocky, with bugs and missing features that are yet to come. I hope one day I’ll be able to reliably say it’s better than its predecessor, but for now, Distant Worlds remains my favorite 4X game.

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[Top 15] Best 4X Games That Are Excellent

Michaello — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 18:58:15 +0000

What does 4X stand for? It stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. I didn’t even know what that stood for before I even started writing this article - so pretty much, games like Stellaris, Age of Wonders III, Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville, etc.

So yeah. We’re gonna talk about games in which you can expand your territory, steal or gather resources and kill everything you see(or not). These sort of games are usually sandbox-y and fun to play - let’s get started!

15. Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI

I’ve seen this game before, it’s that silly game where you’ll go through many stages in history and admire the size of your empire as you progress. The game also allows you to discover new tech which will boost the strength and development of your kingdom. Diplomacy, micromanaging units is key in this awesome game - try it out!

14. Stellaris

You’re gonna have a blast in this space-based game where you’ll discover new alien races, civilizations, and their tech. Encounter dangerous situations and challenges as you visit new planets, craft/purchase new ships, gather resources and engage in combat. The game is surprisingly fun and challenging - try it out!

13. HUMANKIND™

This game lets you change the course of the history of civilizations that you’re playing as or playing against. You’ll have to master the art of combat on land, in air, water, and on land. Develop your civilization and survive throughout the ages and become a raging superpower that not even Morgan Freeman will be able to soothe with his voice!

12. Total War: ROME REMASTERED

Since it’s a remaster, it obviously has better graphics and gameplay in general. As the name suggests, the action of the game will be taking place in ROME. Be a part of one of the most advanced civilizations(for those times…) in the history of the world.

Create your legions of highly-skilled warriors, play 38 factions of your choosing and enjoy the epic battles with vastly improved visuals!

11. Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion

A fun, futuristic, 4X RTS that has to offer epic space battles with incredible visuals. This game offers large replayability as it offers limitless progress of your little space kingdom. Engage in battles or attempt diplomacy - whether which one is more fun, is totally up to you. Act fair, perhaps like a jerk, genocidal maniac, or whoever - this game lets you draw your own conclusions as to how you should rule your empire!

10. Age of Wonders III

Unique and fun to play, if you’re not that much of a fan of multiplayer games, no worries, this game has to offer you a lengthy campaign with awesome strategic gameplay. You can also create your own maps, thus creating completely new scenarios. Unlock new abilities and grow your empire!

9. ENDLESS™ Space 2

Another Sci-Fi based game where you’ll explore the deep parts of space, visit new planets, and enslave, befriend or eliminate alien races of that certain planet. This game lets you be a prick or a good, fair leader. Discover new mind-blowing tech that will improve the state of your empire, use trading routes and engage in lengthy wars - epic game!

8. ENDLESS™ Legend

Fantasy-based strategy game where you can pick 1 out of 8 factions that will greatly depend on your ruling capabilities. This game is so awesome that you will even freeze to death if not careful enough.

The game’s replayability is off the charts thanks to the game’s constantly randomly-generating world. You can also create your own world!

7. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War

1 planet, 4 factions, limited resources. That can’t be good news - pick your favorite faction and participate in an epic, gruesome war, where you’ll build cities, discover new tech that will help you with the extermination of the opposite factions. Expand your territory and eventually become a dreadful power that will strike horror into others!

6. Galactic Civilizations III

Another goddamn 4X that takes place in the middle of literally nowhere, aka in space. In this lovely game, you’ll have to create and take care of your civilization, conquer alien lands and be a complete poo-poo head to everyone that you encounter.

The game also lets you customize your ship, gather resources, and find new tech that improves the state of your cute empire. The game is currently on sale on Steam - worth the price!

5. Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville

A certain city got completely obliterated into oblivion. Shortage of food, infrastructure, and citizens will be the challenges that you’ll have to face. Try to befriend other factions or combat them, make alliances with useful citizens to rebuild your city - each citizen has their own stats and they’re useful in their own way. Pave the way for progress and create a brighter future for the citizens of your utopian city!

4. Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith

Apparently, this game lets you know that you’re a god. But you’re a very crappy god if you can’t take care of your opponents in less than a second, but then, the game wouldn’t be as fun! It’s up to you whether you want to be a good God or a bad Good. The game’s end goal is to obliterate other “pretender” Gods and become a powerhouse of a civilization. Plenty of strategies, plenty of fun!

3. Warlock - Master of the Arcane

This one is a bit different from the previously mentioned 4X games, in this game you’ll take the role of a powerful mage, a warlock to be precise, where you’ll be able to win by completely crushing your opponent, perhaps via diplomacy or your magical abilities.

The game offers large-scale battles on open fields, so put your faith into whatever you believe in and become a magical superpower!

2. AI War 2

One of the most unique RTS’s out there - you’re purposefully put in a losing situation and your job is to expand your empire by covert means, in such a way that the AI doesn’t detect and eliminate you. With many factions to pick, tech to discover and acquire, countless maps to choose from, you can be sure that you won’t run out of things to do in this game. The AI in this game will make you feel like a hunted rat!

1. Star Ruler

Hands-down, one of the best Sci-Fi X4’s out there. The game will take you out to the deep space where you’ll fight for survival all the time. Discover futuristic tech such as new weapons, defensive shields that will protect your ship, and other parts that will benefit your spaceship.

Create your own race, get familiar with the interface, and spend countless hours on this difficult game. For a game from 2010, it has a pretty challenging AI - due to the game’s steep learning curve, you don’t have to worry about getting bored. Try this OG game out!

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11 Best 4x Games To Play in 2019/2020

WalterKroics — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 15:56:23 +0000

What Are The Best 4X Games?

4x strategy games allow you to build incredible empires you could otherwise only dream of.

From managing your economy to conquering new territories, these games have some of the most immersive gameplay mechanics out there, but it might be hard to decide exactly what to play with so many options available.

To help you out, here are 11 fantastic 4x strategy games for you to try today!

11. Stellaris

Stellaris - Base Game Trailer

Stellaris takes your conquests to the edges of space as you build a galactic empire for your people. Research new technologies, conquer new realms and expand your domain. But act with care - you are not alone in the universe, and everyone else wants a share of it for themselves.

Exciting things to do in Stellaris:

Design your own civilization with a unique race, ethics, beliefs, technology and more.
Encounter alien species and choose to act diplomatically, go to war, enslave them and more.
Build your star fleet to conquer new realms for your empire.
Colonize distant planets, build up structures and grow your population.
Face against the very end of the world at the hands of disasters, alien monsters and ancient empires!

Stellaris on the Paradox store.

Command your fleets on your conquest of the galaxy.

Build up your colonies, space stations and more to face the alien threat.

10. Dominions 5: Warriors of the Faith

Dominions 5 trailer

Dominions 5 may seem like a very simplistic and minimalistic game, given its appearance, but do not be fooled - there is more to this game than meets the eye. In Dominions 5, you play as a god - or, rather, a pretender aiming to take god’s throne. Build up your armies and lead your people to victory against the other pretenders with the aid of monsters, magic, artifacts and holy powers.

Exciting things to do in Dominions 5:

Design your own god - grant them a physical form, magical abilities and effects on their dominion.
Customize the strengths of your holy warriors, granting them protection of the elements, magical weapons and more.
Build up huge armies and enjoy massive battles as your forces collide with the enemy.
Utilize over 500 combat spells and even more ritual spells to give you the edge outside the field of battle.
Claim the thrones of ascension and become the one true god of the world - the Pantokrator!

Dominions 5 on Illwinter.

Build huge armies with over 3000 different troop types.

Utilize battlefield spells to decimate your enemy and reign supreme.

9. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion®

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - Beta 2 Preview

In Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, you must lead your space empire to glory in order to end all war in the universe. Diplomacy has failed, and with the great factions of the galaxy splintering further, it is up to you unify it again. Build up your forces and take on arms to unite the universe under your banner!

Exciting things to do in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion:

Choose from one of four factions and play as either that faction’s rebels or loyalists.
Build up your fleets from the smallest of corvettes to the massive and incredibly powerful Titan-class warships.
Discover and utilize new technologies, each faction bearing different techs and aesthetics.
Take part in intense space battles involving a huge number of different space ships.
Claim victory over your foes through conquest and battle - whether by destroying them completely, having your capital be the last one standing, having the last capital ship and more.

Official Sins of a Solar Empire website

Wreak havoc upon your enemies through the use of super weapons.

Discover and build incredible pieces of alien technology.

8. Sid Meier's Civilization® V

Civilization V Gameplay Trailer

Civilization 5 is a game of conquest, diplomacy and devastation. Choose one of over 40 different nations and leaders and stake your claim on the world. Based on the real world or randomly generated, this world will have you adapt to your surroundings, build new cities, fight your opponents and exploit the resources if you want to become the greatest civilization on Earth.

Exciting things to do in Civ 5:

Take charge of one of over 40 different nations, each with their special traits and mechanics.
Build world wonders from the ancient era to the space age.
Advance through the ages by researching new technologies, from understanding animal husbandry to discovering the internet.
Build up armies to fight against the barbarian hordes as well as your opponents on the game map.
Win through exploiting resources, developing your culture, conquering your foes and more!

Official Civilization website.

Build up improvements, wonders and more to grow your empire.

Create your armies to wage war against your enemies and conquer their lands.

7. AI War 2

AI War 2 - Early Access Launch Trailer

In this RTS/Grand Strategy 4x hybrid, you’ll be your peoples’ last hope at defeating the machine menace which has overtaken the galaxy. Build up your forces, forge alliances and hire mercenaries to fight off the AI hordes. It is up to you whether your people can prosper once more - so take control and take back what should be yours!

Exciting things to do in AI War 2:

Create an impressive space fleet to take on the AI menace.
Research new technologies and even create a variety of planetary-scale superweapons!
Use diplomacy to forge alliances with the other sentient species across space.
Use your space and ground forces to defend against the invading machine hordes.
Reclaim the galaxy from the grasp of the machines and reign supreme!

Official AI War 2 website.

Build fantastical ships and space stations in your war against the AI.

Build huge space fleets and battle it out against the machine tyrants.

6. Endless Legend™

Endless Legend - Symbiosis Gameplay Trailer

In Endless Legend, your goal is to rebuild. The world has been destroyed eons ago, an apocalypse your people can not explain - but the time has come to rise from the ashes and reclaim the lands. You are not alone in this, however - you’ll have to fight the other factions and races scattered around the world if you want to truly restore balance in the world - and the only true means of doing so remains conquest.

Exciting things to do in Endless Legend:

Emerge from your hideouts and reclaim the lands taken from you, building great cities.
Lead one of eight different civilizations on your quest to repopulate the world.
Build new towns and conquer those of your foes to expand your territory.
Discover new technologies to beat back the other, clearly more savage civilizations.
Conduct intricate strategies through the use of equipment, leaders, terrain and more.

Endless Legend official website.

Exploit the terrain and its resources to grow your empire.

Construct incredible marvels of technology and magic.

5. Endless Space® 2

Endless Space 2 - Vaulters - Gameplay Trailer

In the mysterious universe of Endless Space 2, you must colonize a universe long abandoned by its previous inhabitants. Explore ancient ruins and discover secret artifacts scattered across space as you expand your empire. Be sure to build up your military and research new technology, too - you are not alone in the universe after all.

Exciting things to do in Endless Space 2:

Create new colonies to expand your galactic empire across space.
Invest in new technologies to get the edge over your foes.
Build up impressive fleets and armies to face off against the other sentient species.
Exploit the resources of your planets and set up trade between your colonies.
Explore the galaxy to uncover ancient ruins, artifacts and more left behind by your predecessors.

Official Endless Space website

Fight in intense space battles as your fleets clash.

Design custom spaceships complete with weapon modules and more.

4. Eador. Imperium

Eador. Imperium - Trailer

In Eador. Imperium you’ll be taken to a world where kingdoms must always fall, in time. But perhaps not yours. Build up your armies, hire heroes and fight your foes for dominance - the destiny of the imperium remains at stake. Will your kingdom prevail?

Exciting things to do in Eador. Imperium:

Play through a hand-crafted story campaign, featuring 4 main characters you get to play as.
Utilize heroes - special units which lead your troops into battle.
Expand your kingdom by creating now buildings, but make sure you protect them, too!
Balance your resource budget in order to keep your forces well maintained.
Enjoy a fantastic combination of grand strategy, RTS and turn-based tactical gameplay.

Eador Imperium on Snowbird Games.

Build fantasy armies and battle it out against your foes.

Construct expansive cities and town to grow your kingdom.

3.Galactic Civilizations III

Galactic Civilizations III - Gameplay Trailer

In this massive and immersive grand strategy game, you’ll be leading your empire through space in randomly generated worlds, each different from the last. With nearly limitless options for customization, you’re not going to get bored. Advance your empire and conquer the entire universe!

Exciting things to do in Galactic Civilizations III:

Create fantastic new worlds to play in each time you start a game.
Design your own spaceships, commanders and more for a truly immersive experience.
Utilize unique resources as well as trade to grow your empire’s economy.
Customize your empire to the tiniest detail, hand-crafting their history to feet your personality and playstyle.
Build huge armies and conquer your foes or choose one of the many other paths of victory, such as diplomacy or technological supremacy.

Official Galactic Civilizations III website.

Encounter and wage war against a myriad of alien races.

Hire alien mercenaries in your effort to claim the entire galaxy.

2. Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Age of Wonders: Planetfall - Gameplay Trailer

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a game which skillfully combines grand strategy 4x gameplay with XCOM-like field battles. Build your forces and command your troops in the conquest of this strange new land. In a world where zombies, giant monsters and dinosaurs with lasers roam, only the most skilled of commanders will be able to claim victory.

Exciting things to do in Age of Wonders: Planetfall:

Rebuild your fallen galactic empire by claiming the planet for yourself before your opponents do.
Play as one of six different factions, including the dinosaur-riding Amazons and zombie cyborgs of the Assembly.
Experience polished tactical battle gameplay the likes of the XCOM series.
Develop your empire both technologically and socially to reclaim all that you have lost.
Try out both the deep single-player campaign and the exciting turn-based multiplayer.

Official AoW: Planetfall website

Fight in exciting tactical battles against the alien menace.

Customize your commander and tweak your empire to your liking.

1. Hades' Star

Hades' Star Trailer

Hades’ Star combines the 4x strategy genre with the MMO genre to bring an entirely new experience. Explore new stars, build your fleet and battle other players for dominance. With 4 different star types, each offering a different type of gameplay, you will be able to spend hours devising new strategies and competing with other players.

Exciting things to do in Hades’ Star:

Build your own unique empire in a yellow star system and conduct trade with other empires.
Cooperate with other players in red star systems to beat back the AI and acquire relics.
Fight massive battles between corporations in white star systems.
Combat 4 other players with a single ship each in blue star systems to truly prove your tactical skill.
Rise through the ranks as you grow more powerful and become the leader of the game!

Hades' Star website

Fight intense battles against other players across limitless star systems.

Grow your own economy and conduct trade with your allies - and your opponents.

Top 12 Games Like Civilization 5 (Games Better Than Civ 5 In Their Own Way)

Dispersive_Wave — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:28:08 +0000

12. Imperator: Rome

Imperator: Rome Gameplay

Hannibal, the great general of Carthage famously said: “I will either find a way or make one.” In Imperator: Rome, you’ll be given the opportunity to do just that, while strategizing your way through Classical antiquity. This grand strategy game from Paradox will feature diverse populations, each with unique religions and cultures, battle tactics specific to each military, infrastructure and trade, and all-around empire building fun. Maps are beautifully detailed, and the UI provides exceptional depth. Your chance to conquer the Mediterranean, by either finding your way or making one, is set to arrive sometime in 2019.

Mediterranean Oyster: The world of Classical antiquity is your oyster in Imperator: Rome.

LOD: A zoomed-in perspective reveals highly detailed maps and character models.

11. Europa Universalis 4

EU4 Gameplay

Released in 2013, this grand strategy game by Paradox focuses on the Renaissance period. The goal here is to survive. To do so, you’ll have to master its deep strategic systems, and you’ll need to expect the unexpected, as random events can change the scope of your projected goals. Europa Universalis 4 takes advantage of the period by placing several historical figures in the game, and it allows for the ultimate what-if scenarios to be played out. Much in-line with the ideals of the time, you’ll be rewarded for your ability to think freely, and simply surviving until the end of your play-through is a satisfying experience indeed.

All the World’s a Stage: Your theatre encompasses the entire globe in EU4.

Dynamic Topography: EU4 features terrain that changes with the seasons.

10. Crusader Kings II

Crusader Kings II Gameplay

If you’ve ever desired to play grand strategy in Medieval times, then Crusader Kings 2 is the perfect game for you. You start the game in 1066 as a Christian noble, expand your lands, engage in diplomacy, war when necessary, and ultimately work toward becoming the ruler of all Europe. Crusader Kings 2 makes use of a multitude of strategy systems, and at times they can become overwhelming. However, when you master those systems and achieve the high score in 1453, you will know you are King; King of the Medieval world.

King of Kings: Several historical figures vie for these lands in CK2.

An Intolerable Yoke: England begins the game at the start of the Norman conquest. Will you change the course of history?

9. Age of Wonders III

Age of Wonders III Gameplay

Like Civ 5, Age of Wonders 3 is a 4X turn-based game using a hex style grid system for its map. The key difference being that, AoW3 is set in a fantasy world with the races of draconians, dwarves, elves, goblins, humans, and orcs as its inhabitants. You choose a leader from those races and then select a game-mode to suit your play-style. There are also RPG aspects which allow you to customize your leader. Age of Wonders 3 will feel very familiar to a Civ 5 player, and it’s an excellent game if you desire a Civilization approach with a fantasy twist.

RPG Style: AoW3 allows for the customization of your leader.

To War: Tactical strategy is excellent, and it is very welcoming to experienced Civ 5 players.

8. Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Gameplay

This TBS/RTS game is set in 878 Britannia; a pivotal time in history when control of the British Isles was up for grabs. You will have the option to choose between 1 of 10 factions, and change the course of history through either defending your lands, or conquering what’s left of the fledgling isles. Maps are exquisitely detailed, and new features such as soldier recruitment and estate management are crucial to your success. Thrones of Britannia scratches an itch for strategy fans interested in this period, and the possibility to change the past provides an enticing experience for buffs of history.

Pick Your Poison: You can play as 5 cultures in Thrones of Britannia; The Viking Sea Captains, The Welsh, The English, The Great Viking Army, and The Gaels.

Massive Scale: Command huge armies in real-time, manage resources, and research tech to gain the advantage.

7. Aggressors: Ancient Rome

Aggressors: Ancient Rome Gameplay

Aggressors: Ancient Rome is a turn-based 4X game similar to Civ 4. Set in the era of Classical antiquity, you’ll have the option to chose between cultures such as the Romans, Greeks, and Carthaginians. Your map covers the Mediterranean region, and a simplified graphics engine allows for fluid and quick decision making. The game contains deep strategic systems, and a lot of attention is given to historical accuracy. If you’ve ever wanted to mix-it-up with Civs during the time of the Punic Wars, then Aggressors: Ancient Rome is an excellent choice for you.

I Went to the Woods: The graphics are simple, yet the map is rich with detail.

Familiar Mechanics: The hex-based grid is welcoming to Civ 5 players, and the game has a look and feel akin to Civ 4.

6. Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith

Dominions 5 - Warriors of the Faith

The much beloved Dominions franchise returned in 2017 with Dominions 5. In what is arguably the deepest strategy game to ever grace the 4X turn-based genre, you’ll be playing as one of 86 factions, and your goal is nothing short of supreme divinity. The amount of magic you can use is determined by the era you start in; high for early periods, and low for later periods. Victory is achieved by meeting 3 conditions: capturing your opponent’s lands, eliminating them from the game, or claiming the Thrones of Ascension. The game is so deep that after 500 hours you will have only scratched the surface, and it’s an excellent choice if you’re seeking the be-all-end-all experience in strategic gaming.

Strategic Overview: The simplified map is a godsend when strategy is this complex.

Sodom and Gomorrah: The mages here unleash a maelstrom of flame upon the battlefield.

5. Hearts of Iron IV

Hearts of Iron 4 Gameplay

This RTS game from Paradox focuses on the WW2 era, and its strategy is grand. With an extremely deep system, you’ll be managing everything from troop formations to trade routes, and your objective is to reach the end of the war with the highest score. The tremendous freedom of the game allows for alternate histories, or you can play scenarios that closely mirror the events of the time. Historical figures abound, and all weapons, vehicles, etc. are accurate to the period. Not for the weak or faint of heart, but rather Hearts of Iron, this game requires a heavy investment of time, and your return is worth its weight in gold.

World War: Wage war across the surface of the Earth in HoI4.

Operation Overlord: Laying plans for the largest amphibious assault in history.

4. NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION: Sphere of Influence

Sphere of Influence Gameplay

This grand strategy game from Koei Tecmo is set in feudal Japan during the 1500’s. It incorporates RPG aspects such as clan creation and officer creation, as well as several story lines related to the period. You can also choose to play as an individual officer, yet the key objective is domination of the region through the power of your clan. Similar to Total War, battles can be played in real-time, and they’ll encompass everything from siege battles to naval warfare. With a slick UI and an excellent tutorial, Sphere of Influence is easy to recommend to anyone interested in the history of feudal Japan.

Impressive: Sphere of Influence showcases an impressive lighting model.

Large Scale: The real-time battles take on a grand scale in this grand strategy game.

3. Egypt: Old Kingdom

Egypt: Old Kingdom Gameplay

Egypt: Old Kingdom is a turn-based strategy game that begins in Memphis during the time of the old Kingdoms. You start before the Archaic Period, then progress your way through the six dynasties and on up to the year 2140 B.C. Your primary goal is to unite the people of Egypt, through your superior management of resources, and by constructing the Pyramids of Giza. Civilization players will find many aspects of the game welcoming, yet there is a unique art style that works well with ancient Egyptian culture. Egypt: Old Kingdom is an educational strategy game with a history lesson to learn in every turn.

Fog of War: A fog mechanic keeps undiscovered areas hidden, yet cloudbusting methods differ from Civilization games.

Tears of Isis: The floodplains of the Nile yield a healthy bounty.

2. Age of Civilizations II

Age of Civilizations II Gameplay

This turn-based franchise takes a scaled-down and simplified approach to the grand strategy genre. With a philosophy similar to the Civ games, you start from the beginning of history and build a civilization to stand the test of time. The basic political maps are less taxing on your hardware, and the clear and concise UI makes keeping track of your progress a breeze. It also offers the ability to create your own civ, and it incorporates a neat feature that has modern day political leaders in charge of their nations. Age of Civilizations II has plenty of depth, and the simplified approach keeps its price low, which makes this an excellent offering for players who are new to the genre.

Mobile Strategy: Age of Civilizations II has a clear and easy to read political map, which translates well to mobile devices.

Streamlined UI: The simplified UI provides all the necessary demographics for tracking your progress.

1. Age of Wonders: Planetfall

Age of Wonders: Planetfall Gameplay

In contrast to other games published by Paradox, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, is a 4X turn-based game that takes place in a sci-fi universe. New worlds, replete with science fiction lore will be at your fingertips. In addition, you can develop colonies on alien planets and even construct your own house. Through establishment of multiple colonies, you can build an empire, and victory will be achieved through conquest, diplomacy, or the discovery of new technologies. The chance to strategize your way through this wonderous world, is coming sometime 2019.

Sci-Fi Strategy: Familiar map mechanics, in a not so familiar space

Strangers in a Strange Land: It appears that the political negotiations have failed.

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Top 10 Games Like Stellaris (Games Better Than Stellaris In Their Own Way)

Melkor — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 18:23:13 +0000

Need a game likeStellaris for your space conqueror fix? We got you covered.

Stellaris injected new life into the space strategy genre, but it is hardly the only spacefaring war game out there.

People have been establishing despotic machine states and peaceful federations for years thanks to a wide variety of space 4x games each offering a different way to colonize the stars.

Here are some games similar to Stellaris that have given the player control of a species to groom, a home planet to turn into a fortress, and a warp drive to discover the stars.

10. Star Ruler 2

Star Ruler 2 Gameplay

Colonize the stars with one of seven races in this 4X-RTS, or make your own species using a creative and detailed species builder. Rule over hundreds of star systems with a space armada that you build from the ground up.

Star Ruler 2’s shipbuilding system allows you to craft every ship in your armada down to the smallest details, including the size and shape of certain subsystems.

Incredibly, this game is completely open sourced, meaning members of the community are constantly improving the game.

Ship Design: Star Ruler 2 has an in-depth ship builder with the ability to control every detail of your subsystems, engines, and weapons to provide maximum efficiency.

Test Drive: Send your ships on important missions and put their systems to use in battle.

9. Starsector

Starsector Gameplay

More of an RPG and star fighter game than a 4x strategy game, this open world space adventure game builds a narrative as your captain and crew interact with the chaotic cosmos.

The characters on your ship encounter dilemmas and stunning narratives build as each encounter strengthens or weakens your crew. Although the game is not exactly a 4x title, there are some grand strategy elements such as diplomacy and trade.

Ships can be manually controlled in an exciting top-down battle stage where the player’s split second decisions can be the difference between life and death for your pilots. If you love Stellaris and want to see it close up, Starsector will not disappoint.

Open World Space RPG: Your ship’s crew is incredibly important, and you can level them up to be the best crew in space.

Space Battles: Combat plays out in a 2D phase with lots of quick maneuvers and phaser fire.

8. Endless Space

Endless Space Gameplay

Endless Space is a turn-based 4x game that allows you control over every aspect of your growing space empire. No 4x game offers as in-depth of a leader system, whose traits and bonuses give your empire personality.

For a 4x game with lots of details, the empire management is actually streamlined extremely well. But managing the resources and infrastructure of your empire will mean nothing if you cannot defend it: in Endless Space you can outwit your opponent using unique battle tactics.

The battle sequences, shown in this let’s play, dazzle the senses with exploding weapons, fantastic environments, and massive starships and plays out according to your chosen strategy.

Battle Decisions: Space battles are the real deal in Endless Space, with the ability to plan your attack in different phases and watch the action in a stunning cinematic short.

Colonize the Stars: Carefully choose the planets you wish to call home, for not all will have a welcoming environment.

7. Endless Space 2

Endless Space 2 Gameplay

Endless Space 2 is a continuation of the themes and strategies employed in the turn-based 4x gameplay of Endless Space. The graphics in the battles have improved ten fold – the particle effects and clarity makes it seem like the battles are actually real. Management mechanics, already streamlined in Endless Space, are perfected, adding new content while managing to remain smooth and fun to play. Slide into Amplified Reality view to see all of the important information about a star system at a glance, while new traits and heroes bolster your star empire’s bureaucracy.

Unique Factions: Endless Space 2 galaxies develop organic rivals and conflicts between an array of unique factions in the Endless universe.

Sharpening the Stars The galaxy view in Endless Space 2 is clearer and easier to read, making your grand strategy easier to plan.

6. Galactic Civilizations III

Galactic Civilizations III Gameplay

Galactice Civilizations III is one of the largest space strategy games, and offers a diverse cast of factions to choose from with which to conquer the galaxy. With a galaxy based on our very own, the scenarios spin a believable future where humans are just another alien species, and every playthrough will be different thanks to randomized events that provide flavor and surprise. Galactic Civilizations III has reached its zenith with its third and final expansion: Intrigue. The tile-based planets have been retooled to focus on city growth, making for less laborious planet development. Incredible cut scenes play at the discovery of each anomaly, heightening the sense of exploration and wonder.

Scout the Stars: Galactic Civilization III places a premium on knowing your surroundings, harvesting the right resources, and keeping enemy powers in check.

Unique Universe: Interact with dozens of unique factions all trying to carve out their own little corner of the galaxy.

5. Distant Worlds: Universe

Distant Worlds: Universe Gameplay

One of the most dense and complex space strategy games ever created, Distant Worlds: Universe offers the grittiest details and strategies of managing a star empire. The galaxy and everything in it can be built to exact specifications, with over 20 races and different time periods to choose from. The game speaks a scientific language, with mountains of data and even an organic economy with both a public and private sector. This is more than just a great 4x game, it is a space empire simulator.

Space Sim: Distant Worlds lets you manage every aspect of life in space, including fine-tuning your relations with your neighbors.

Paint the Stars: Rule over many star systems, but don't be too rude to your neighbors or they may gang up on you.

4. Star Ruler

Star Ruler Gameplay

Star Ruler is a 4x space strategy game that built the core mechanics that make Star Ruler II so great, including the engrossing ship builder. Star Ruler has a particularly inventive technology tree that generates multifaceted and unexpected effects. The balance between management and action is well executed, and although it is one of the larger 4x game, there are not too many panels cluttering the screen. The game has great support and over 30 patches have turned the game into a strategic goldmine.

A Busy Galactic Neighborhood: Star Ruler contains hundreds of procedurally generated star systems that each make up part of a fragile and war-prone galactic ecosystem.

Manage the Details: Scroll in to see the minutia of your space empire and its every day routines.

3. Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth

Beyond Earth Gameplay

Beyond Earth is a hex-based colony sim and strategy game that takes the core gameplay of Civilization 5 and puts it on an alien planet. The player controls the growth of a space colony and competes with other colonies on the planet for resources and space. Barbarians from Civ 5 are alien war bands and sea monsters; enemy empires are rival colonies from different parts of Earth. Carve out your identity on the map and establish yourself as the dominant culture on this brave new world.

Space Civilizations: Beyond Earth gives you the opportunity to spread human culture in an exotic world and bring the cities of humankind into the galaxy.

Cleanse the Planet: Your new home might have a few alien infestations. Root them out to make way for your colony.

2. Eons of War

Eons of War Gameplay Preview

Coming in May 2019, Eons of War will be a brand new take on the turn-based space strategy genre. The game moves fast compared to the other entries in this list and your empire stretches quickly through the galaxy. The galaxy in Eons of War evolves quickly over time, with shifting asteroid fields, exploding stars, and hyperlane tunnels bursting from enemy star systems. This game could shoot a breath of fresh air into the space strategy genre and offer a new vision for the genre.

Star Defense: Star systems become absorbed into empires quickly as you hurtle towards an inevitable conflict with an unseen enemy.

Galactic Chess: Blaze through star systems to quickly gain a strategic advantage in the galaxy.

1. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion®

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion Gameplay

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is the final incarnation of one of the best 4x space strategy games in which the goal is to rule the stars with an Empire of your own creation. The first Sins of a Solar Empire introduced real time elements into the traditionally dense and difficult to learn space 4x games. The ships move in real time and the sense of scale as a player zooms through star systems gives a godlike feeling. Rebellion, the final evolution of Sins of a Solar Empire, adds new capital ships for each race, including monolithic “titans” that can swing entire wars in your favor. Much of Stellaris’ design and approach to portraying space empires comes directly from this game.

Impregnable Space Fortress: Titans are the cornerstone of a good fleet in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, and it can take entire fleets to destroy one.

Interstellar Politics: Carefully groom your friends and set others against your enemies as you vy for the most influence.

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Conquer the galaxy from the comfort of your armchair

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The 17 Best 4X Games To Play on PC

khrone — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:14:47 +0000

Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate

We all need a break once in a while from the gray everydays. Sitting in your comfy chair, sipping the beverage of your choice, what better way to spend your free time than deciding the fate of entire civilizations.Yes, that's exactly what you do in a 4X game, be it in space as a warmongering alien race, or as a king protecting his vast kingdom. Your goal is to bring your nation to prosperity, often at the cost of others.

Let's look at the 17 best 4X games that you can play today.

17) Star Ruler 2

Star Ruler 2 Official trailer

As far as space 4X games go, this one is special, recommended especially if you are a veteran of the genre. You start out simple enough, like any other space 4X, with a single planet, a custom race, floating in the vast nothingness of space. However, you soon discover that this is unlike any other 4x game. First of all, It's possible to explore multiple galaxies, a dream of many sci-fi fans.

Also unlike other games where each planet is a self-contained world, here planets can only grow if they get resources from other planets in a complex web of imports/exports.Similar to the economics, the diplomacy is as unique if not more. Where in other games races interact through a simple system of menus like some weird socially awkward shut-ins; here each race gets a seat in a galactic parliament and vote on issues, like in Mass effect or Star Wars.

Battles can get out of hand.

16) Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion HD trailer

If you are tired of the slow paced scheming of a traditional 4X, this one is up you alley. Sins of a Solar Empire combines the best parts of a RTS and a 4x game into a fast, straightforward, action packed game.The player can choose between six well balanced factions each with a different tech tree and ships. Visually, it's one of the best on the market, watching a wing of bombers flying through the battle as a gargantuan capital ship casts it's shadow on them is glorious. The replay value is huge as the modding scene is big with a list of amazing mods for the game. A must have for multiplayer matches as the fast paced nature of the game complements it nicely.

Sometimes you just have to fly to you inescapeable doom for cool pictures.

15) Master of Orion 2: Battle at Antares

Master of Orion 2 Gameplay video

Master of Orion 2 is the World of Warcraft of the 4X games. After it came out, it defined the whole genre and spawned a ton of copy cats. Has all the classic marks of a 4x game, customization, interesting races, tactical battles and fun events.The 2d art provides a visual style that still maintains it's charm after many years. The mechanics of the game are as creative as the art with interesting playable races like trans-dimensional underwater mini-cthulhus, or the repulsive rock like lifeforms.The endgame provides an interesting challenge in the form of the Antares, a hyper-advanced race from another dimension that occasionally invades real space.

Spoiler alert: purple wins

14) Civilization 5

Civilization 5 Gameplay trailer

When somebody hears 4X, the most likely thing that is going to appear in their mind is Civilization, the flagship franchise of the genre. The gateway drug to 4x games, Civ is easy to learn but provides enough depth that even the veteran players are learning new things.The player can take the role of real historical civilizations and lead their people through the ages. This sense of realizing history helps new players and keeps old time fans. The nature of the game makes for amusing scenarios; if you ever wanted to send thousands of knights against German panzers, this is the game for you.

Yes, the famous Great Wall of Ethiopia.

13) Civilization 4

Civilization 4 gameplay trailer

We cannot talk about Civ 4 without comparing it to Civ 5. The comparison between the two games are like the comparison between vanilla and chocolate ice cream - it depends entirely on the person.

What Civ 4 may lack on the visual and (also subjective) combat side of things, it makes up for in endgame content and the modding community. If you are a Civ 5 veteran playing Civ 4 for the first time, nuking away happily you quickly discover that it is possible to trigger climate change and turn the planet into a dusty wasteland, changing the game into a post-apocaliptic nightmare.

Thanks to the many mods the fans offer, it is also possible to turn the game into a high fantasy world, or play as stone age caveman and enchanced future humans, the limit is only how many turns you have the time for.

When there are more roads than trees and cities combined.

12) Age of Wonders 3

Age of Wonders 3 trailer

An interesting mix of Heroes Of Might And Magic and Civilization, Aow 3 offers a unique combination of RPG and 4X. You take on the role of a custom hero who leads a race of fantasy creatures on a journey to conquest. The different classes and races offer a different playstyle for each playthrough, increasing the replay value. Unlike many other 4x, Aow 3 has multiple fully fleshed singleplayer campaigns.

As you make your way through the randomly generated(or hand crafted campaign) maps, you terraform the surrounding lands to fit the demograpfics of the different races that inhabit your empire; be it faires, or dragons. So if advanced and fun tactical combat, an abundance of playstyles and races interests you; you might want to pick this one up.

Just your reagular fantasy city.

11) Endless Legend

Endless Legend Dust to Dust trailer

As far as art style is concerned, this game wins by a landslide. But it wouldn't be on the list if it was only the visuals. The different factions each offer a wildly different playstyle, and this asymmetry is what makes the game.You can play as the industry focused, rock worshipping humans who came with a spaceship, or a crazy cult-like faction of ancient robots and slaves who are not allowed to have more than one city; and we haven't even talked about the dragon like reptilians whose role is a peacekeeping faction who are able to force diplomatic actions on other races. This is just three of the many interesting races.

With each passing turn, the air gets colder around your subjects, trees loose their leaves and the chilling winds bite into your skin as winter arrives, as the game boasts an interesting season mechanic where summer and winter changes the landscape and as the game progresses each summer is shorter while the winters become more severe and the planet turns inhospitable.

A game too pretty not to like.

10) A.I War: Fleet Command

AI War: Fleet Command 8.0 Trailer

If you are looking for a smart, unique, and strategic game, this one is for you. If you can look past the jarring visuals and steep learning curve, you'll find an extremely interesting game.

Unlike most other games, you start this game where a typical 4x game has ended, and you lost. Humanity made an artificial intelligence which revolted and wiped out most life from the galaxy, not just humans, but other races as well. The few pockets of resistance that survived are too insignificant for the A.I who has turned it's gaze onto other galaxies.

You play as the last remnants of the human race. From the beginning the game makes it clear that you have no chance against the A.I. The only way to survive is to stay under the radar. Your task is simple, kill the A.I and retake the galaxy by playing mind games with the A.I so that you can stand against it's might, easy right?

Yes, Those are all ships.

9) Imperium Galactica 2

Official Imperium Galactica 2 Launch Trailer

One of the most ambitious 4x games of the of the 90s, Imperium Galactica 2 offers you an experience that is unique even today.Unlike most 4x games, you can actually visit the surface of the planets and build cities or invade rival colonies and destroy them in fully fleshed 3D ground combat.The combat/galaxy map is also in full 3D, and even though the game is old, the combat visuals still hold up to this day, that combined with the amazing Bafta awarded soundtrack it is worth a try.

Base building, ground combat, a rare treat.

8) Galactic Civilizations 2

Galactic Civilizations 2 gameplay

Galciv 2 is considered a classic 4x game with exceptional A.I and loads of content. Did you ever want to build a ship that looks like a pyramid or a floating temple? Thanks to the detailed ship customization, you can make truly unique ships.

Unlike other turn-based 4x games here, everything is on one huge map, no instanced solar system/planets. This gives the player the feeling of an open galaxy even though it's 2D.

The combat itself is automatic and the ships will make choices based on how you built them, but they are fully 3D. You can customize a race or pick one of the premade ones with traditional roles like the industry focused race, or the science aliens.

The awkward moment when you realize, you don't know which star is yours.

7) Endless Space

Endless Space trailer

So you want a 4X game with great visuals, fun gameplay and interesting sci-fi concepts but also something that's simple and clean? Endless Space is the game for you then.

The game offers highly unique and different races, like the Horatio who are a faction of clones, or the Harmony, a primordial flock of sentient crystals.

The combat, while not as interactive as some other 4X games, is a treat to the eyes, huge intricate alien ships floating through space, firing volleys at each other. Each battling side has a set of cards that they can use to alter the battle.

If you want to get into the space 4x genre, be sure to pick this one up.

You don't need funcionality if you look badass.

6) Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension

Dominions 4 gameplay trailer

Giant monolithic gods, underwater cannibal races, armies of mages and monsters clashing, a fantasy fan's wet dream.

If you ever wanted to play as a god, you are in the right place, while the game has a really steep learning curve and basic U.I, if you get past the rough rockhard cover, you find a soft delicious stuffing.

The game allows you to customize a unique god and choose a fantasy race to lead. Each race has a different theme and associated mechanics, but far the most interesting part of the game is the level at which you can manage your empire/armies. The battle is played out real-time, but you have to plan out the movements of your soldiers(or weird monsters) in advance.

If you are the type of person that can put up with rough games to find the rare gems, take a look at this one.

Better start conquering soon.

5) Sword of the Stars 1

Sword of the Stars Complete Collection Release Trailer

One of the most all around solid space 4X game on the market right now. The game to pick up if you want to have a good, simple space 4x experience where every aspect of the game is good.

Each race has a different FTL travel method, making them feel unique. The ship customization allows for sneaky tactics like bio-ships with the ability to virus bomb a planet, or destroyers disguised as trade ships.

Playing this game is a lot like eating a really good sandwich, you always find something new in it to enjoy.

One of the many interesting random events.

4) Space Empires 4

Space Empires 4 Let's play video

An old classic, only play it if you can tolerate clunky U.I. A great bridge between the more hardcore titles and a classic 4x game. Some features are surprisingly complex, like the different resources or customization, while others are more of the same ordinary 4x, like the tactical combat, or diplomacy.

While the combat is top-down view and looks basic with arcade-like sounds, thanks to the amazingly detailed ship building, has a surprising amount of depth with different sub systems and weapons.

Lots of buttons to press and get confused by.

3) Europa Universalis 4

Europa Universalis IV - Video Developer Diary: Exploration

The creme of the crop when it comes to realistic 4x games. If you ever wanted to play as a historical country in the context of actual history, play this. Just pick any nation on the face of the earth, make some goals and try to survive the coming centuries.

You begin the game at the start of the renaissance and play until the early 1800s as you wage wars, plot schemes and colonize and exploit the new world. There is nothing more fun than making some small change in the political landscape of the world and seeing what kind of alternate history will happen.

Uniting the North American native tribes and repelling the European nations, rebuilding Rome and disbanding the Papacy, you can do all of this and more in this history simulator.

Seems legit.

2) Distant Worlds:Universe

Distant Worlds trailer

While it may look like this is another low-budget 4x game, riding the high waves of the genre, this is far from the truth. Distant Worlds offer, in many cases the ultimate space 4x experience right now.

At the start of the game, you pick a starting galaxy, where you can even change the age of the races there which can affect a great many things gameplay wise. An old galaxy with many small races starting out, scavenging the carcass of precursor empires, or a young, lively place full of powerful nations, your choice.

The most interesting part of the game is the economics wich will leave you wanting for similar mechanics once you got back to other games. Every celestial body has a chance of producing a resource (out of the many present in the game, like a LOT), each does something different.

Every ship has an inventory which they use to haul goods across the galaxy working for different trading companies, making the universe a place that feels alive, and where even small choices change the game in ways you cannot foresee. Highly recommended.

It is a big universe out there.

1) Stellaris

Stellaris gameplay trailer

If Distant Worlds is the game to play when it comes to economics, Stellaris is the same, for the lovers of diplomacy.

Randomized races where two playthroughs are never the same. Huge amounts of interesting events, from extra-dimensional invasion, to A.i rebellion, the replay value of the game is big.

In many ways, the game has standard space 4x features, the different interactions between the races are unique. For the lovers of Star Trek and Mass Effect, it is possible to form federations, change the domestic policy of your empire. If you wanted to a xenophobic slaver race, go ahead just change a few laws. The options are truly amazing.

Ringworlds should be a selling pont in sci-fi games.

Through the ages, up in space, or in some mithical land, you can lead many types of civilization, just pick one from the list and go. The limits are the stars.

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GAMERS DECIDE - 4X

Is Civilization 6 Good?

Gameplay

Graphics and Visuals

Sound Design

Depth and Complexity

Balance and AI

Multiplayer Experience

Expansions and DLCs

Modding

Replayability

Overall fun Factor 89/100

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