Key Takeaways
- Grand strategy games offer a unique sense of accomplishment and immersive gameplay, challenging players intellectually and strategically.
- Games like Stellaris and Crusader Kings 2 provide complex and unpredictable experiences, with a focus on empire-building and political intrigue.
- Endless Legend and Civilization 6 offer fantasy and historical settings respectively, with detailed designs, rich lore, and a wide range of civilizations to play as for replayability.
Grand strategy games that allow players to build their civilizations and empires from the ground up often provide a certain sense of accomplishment few other games can. The thorough thought-provoking gameplay needed to develop such a massive entity can frequently be both immersive and addictive.
Such games often involve a litany of intricate details concerning nation-building, including politics, economics, diplomacy, and war. They succeed in challenging players on a more intellectual level, as they must manage and grow a whole society from almost nothing. Along the way, their strategic thinking and skills are also tested, often through a large array of historical ages and scenarios. Better still, grand-scale strategy games typically provide gamers with plenty of freedom to shape an empire to their preferences and interests, making for a more personal and memorable gaming experience as a whole.
Updated September 20, 2024, by John Cunningham: This list has been updated to include five more acclaimed grand strategy games. These entries continue the trend of showcasing the best gamers can find in the world of empire development. Charting a wide range of interesting historical periods, all the games mentioned here provide players with a variety of interesting features and concepts to enhance their empire-building efforts. While strategy games of this ambitious magnitude can be challenging, they can also prove to be immensely rewarding for those ready to make enough of a commitment to them.
14 Crusader Kings 3
A Thrilling Look at the Pitfalls of Life in the Middle Ages
The third installment in the well-regarded Crusader Kings series thrusts players into life in the Middle Ages. Players have the choice of either an 867 or 1066 AD starting year, with a variety of major historical figures to encounter.
Gamers get the fun of growing and sustaining their own royal dynasty over multiple centuries, with the closing year of 1453 AD. Along the way, players control their initial character as well as their heirs through the generations. With well-realized 3D character models and plenty of exciting new features to flesh out dynastic life, Crusader Kings III is a rewarding effort for those interested in the Middle Ages.
13 Hearts of Iron 4
A World War II Epic With Room For Fictional Timelines
This World War II effort gives gamers the chance to play as any country of their choosing. From there, they get the exciting option to deviate from how history went down. Players can have either a historically on-point gaming experience, or forge their own path.
The player’s military forces come in the form of aerial, ground, and naval, ensuring a well-rounded strategic experience. On top of overseeing their country’s armed forces, gamers must also keep an eye on the urban side of their territories, including factories and building developments. With such an eclectic view of life at war, Hearts of Iron 4 is an impressively challenging piece of strategic gaming.
12 Imperator: Rome
A Rich, Detailed Dive Into Ancient Rome
For fans of Europa Universalis: Rome, this well-received game is the closest players can get to a follow-up in the same setting. Spanning just shy of 300 years of imperial Roman history, the game covers a variety of key historical moments.
Imperator: Rome offers an impressively fleshed out gaming experience for those interested in Ancient Rome. With a rich array of tactical options when at war, the game also highlights the dangers of rebellions, and shines a light on governmental life as well. Boasting remarkable attention to detail in all areas, the game provides players with a cerebral, historical gaming experience.
11 Total War: Rome 2
A Slick Update on its Classic Predecessor
- Release date: September 3, 2013
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
- Developer: Creative Assembly
Despite tons of technical difficulties at the time of its release, Total War: Rome 2’s reputation has swelled over the years. The game takes players back to the Antiquity Era for a 300-year campaign.
Unsurprisingly, the military action here is a strategy-lover’s dream, hitting both real-time and turn-based action to provide a well-rounded combat experience. Despite the title, the game provides more than just the battles. Players must contend with ruling over their civilians as well. Overall, Rome 2 polished off the perks of its predecessor, delivering a thorough, engaging look at Roman life and conquest in the process.
10 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
An Intriguing Look at the Migration Period
This action-packed strategy effort throws players into the bloodthirsty warfare of the Migration Period. Taking on the role of a soldier, players can decide much of their character’s military role through a straightforward set of class options.
Should the player’s initial character perish in battle, the game allows their legacy to live on, as their offspring take up the mantle and slot in as the new player character in the process. An interesting twist compared to its predecessor is Bannerlord’s approach to dialogue, offering players a surprisingly versatile, in-depth discussion option when dealing with non-player characters. This aspect of the game allows players to more fully realize their character’s personality and approach to life in the time period, making for a more immersive experience overall. With its all-action combat, Bannerlord is a wildly entertaining take on grand strategy gaming.
9 Victoria 2
Players Are Spoiled For Choice With Countries To Choose From
Starting in 1836, Victoria 2 charts 100 years of industrialization, as well as political development, across more than 200 countries. For players, having so many playable nations to choose from guarantees plenty of replay value.
What sets Victoria 2 apart is its impressively detailed emphasis on the economic side of running and developing as a country. The game has a variety of markets, trades, and industrial endeavors to discover and work on. On top of that, building a nation’s power requires addressing its many different societal groups, including the military, religious organizations, and more. Overall, the game’s empire-building fun lies in its remarkable attention to expansive detail across the board.
8 Stellaris
Gives Players The Chance To Create Their Own Life Forms
Paradox Interactive’s unexpected trip to the stars was first released back in May 2016. The intergalactic grand-strategy epic won considerable praise for its pacing, climactic narrative, and imaginative setting.
Stellaris players get to guide an interstellar civilization. Along the way, they also explore an impressive, procedurally generated galaxy. The procedural nature of the world-building ensures no two games are alike and also guarantees a certain air of unpredictability for every player, even those who are coming back for a full replay. Core tenets of strategy gaming such as diplomacy, technological advancement, and warfare are all on display here, with the war aspects in particular benefitting from a complex and challenging AI. On top of civilizational development, players can even create species here, ensuring the possibilities are endless in this rich storytelling and lore-filled sci-fi masterpiece.
7 Anno 1800
An Industrial Epic That Takes Gamers To The High Seas
The Anno franchise’s seventh effort zeroes in on the early days of the Industrial Age. As is to be expected with Anno games, Anno 1800 provides plenty of room for players to enjoy both warfare at sea and the addictive fun of building cities from the ground up.
It is primarily in the city-building aspects of the game that players can enjoy building their own empire. The focus on the Industrial Age allows players to expand their population and workforce through the presence of factories, which, while beneficial, can also hinder the overall appeal of the city. Coupled with the need to trade and find trading routes, 1800 is a complex and often rewarding look at the highs and lows of building a society in the face of a growing trend in industrialization.
6 Crusader Kings 2
Encourages Players To Form Their Own Dynasty
First lighting up the gaming medium back in 2012, Crusader Kings 2 thrusts players into the perils of medieval society and warfare. With a host of legendary, historical figures on offer, the game pushes players to form their own powerful dynasty.
Along with its compelling “make-your-own-narrative” and complex gameplay, Crusader Kings 2 also does an admirable job of providing players with an education in medieval history and dynastic struggles. What makes this acclaimed grand strategy game stand out the most is its refreshing focus on character development and management. With a heavy emphasis on interpersonal relationships, lineage, and political intrigue, the game offers a break from the military combat-focused norm while still maintaining plentiful action and suspense. The general unpredictability and political maneuvering make this a consistently captivating grand strategy experience.
5 Endless Legend
Perfect For Fans Of Fantasy Looking To Create A Unique Civilization
September 2014 saw the release of a fantastical take on the 4X strategy genre. Endless Legend broke away from more traditional historical settings to give players an imaginative cocktail of high fantasy and science fiction.
The result is the beautifully designed world of Auriga. Not only is the richly detailed design masterful, but the world on offer also has vast and complex lore for players to uncover. With a colorful range of factions, players have plenty of sides to choose from when building their fantasy civilizations. The gameplay works as a neat blend of hard-hitting tactical combat and immersive, turn-based world exploration. With a strongly developed narrative, each campaign provides a worthwhile gaming experience for strategy lovers to enjoy.
4 Total War: Three Kingdoms
An Empire-Building Experience That Revolves Around Unity
This turn-based strategy epic takes players into the titular Three Kingdoms period of China’s history. Once introduced to the era, players get to choose one of twelve different factions before beginning their path to conquest.
The game is full of the warfare and tactical gameplay fans have come to expect from Total War over the years. The gameplay often places a notable emphasis on siege battles and strategic set pieces that require the player to wipe out the opposition’s military officials and successfully take control of the city center of the conquered area. Beyond the warfare and land-grabbing, the empire-building here benefits greatly from the game’s focus on unifying the country. With each successful defeat of a rival faction, players get closer to reaching the status of national ruler, growing their own faction across the nation in the process.
3 Europa Universalis 4
Allows Players To Make Important Decisions Regarding An Entire Nation
-Cropped.jpg?q=70&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1)
This 2013 entry in the popular series from Paradox Development Studio saw considerable improvement from its predecessor. Boasting slicker gameplay mechanics and more detailed visuals, the fourth chapter in the franchise saw it reach a new peak.
Through the lens of grand strategy gaming, Europa Universalis 4 provides players with an engrossing, accurate representation of world history. It gives players the freedom to take control of an entire nation, making massively impactful decisions from the late portions of the Middle Ages through to the earlier days of more modern times. Sporting remarkably in-depth diplomatic, political, and financial systems, the game ensures players have a wide variety of strategies to move forward with. To top it off, the diverse selection of nations on offer provides replayability for this captivating game that is a must-play for history enthusiasts.
2 Civilization 6
Focuses On Maintaining, Defending, And Developing A Civilization
First released back in October 2016, Civilization 6 quickly set itself apart as one of the most detailed and grand-scale strategy games to ever hit the stands. Charting thousands of years, the game gives players the chance to develop an empire from scratch and carry it through several key historical eras and ages.
Sporting impressively intricate design and a deep emphasis on strategy, the game does a remarkable job of blending technology, history, and culture into its societal expansion gameplay. The unsurprisingly heavy challenge of developing, defending, and maintaining a whole civilization can be an immersive treat for players, as they must tirelessly cover all areas of society to get ahead. The game also provides a diverse array of civilizations to play through, ensuring plenty of replayability that will keep gamers hooked and coming back for more. Overall, with its plentiful updates, expansions, tutorials, and thrilling multiplayer mode, Civilization 6 continues to cement itself as an unparalleled strategy and empire-building game.
1 Age Of Empires 2: The Age Of Kings
A Detailed And Lengthy Empire-Building Experience
As the series title suggests, Age of Empires is all about building grand empires. This well-received real-time strategy extravaganza starts players off at a lower level, as they must first focus on town-building.
Once players have developed a successful town, moving into key areas of empire-building, such as developing an army, comes into view. At that point, war and conquest become inevitable, as players get the chance to move out and take on nearby groups, potentially conquering them in the process. Impressively, the game charts a 1000-year timeline, starting back in the Dark Ages. With this long stretch of history and different eras to move through, players get to enjoy developing their empires over multiple in-game generations, providing an immersive, long-term gaming experience.
