What is a 4X game? Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate are the pillars of this genre, in which you’re tasked with steering a nation or faction across multiple generations.
© 2020 Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries. GameSpot; Forums; PC/Mac/Linux Society. In my opinion, it is the most technically successful real-time implementation of a 4X space strategy game I've ever played - it's not just a RTS with 4X. There are plenty of real-time and turn-based strategy games, but few transpire in far-off galaxies and star systems. Of the best space strategy games, the most exceptional titles boast solid gameplay, deep customization options, robust micromanagement, a long tech tree and excellent graphics (for the game's time).
4X was a term originally coined by guide writer Alan Emrich as far back as 1993, but the concept of guiding a nation, space fleet, or strange fantasy species across generations through diplomacy, war, and technological progress has already proven to have endless appeal from board games to PC games.
4X games owe much to Sid Meier’s Civilization series, but we thought we would show a bit of love to the other 4X games that have helped elevate the genre to achieve the prestige it enjoys today. We have also done our best to include a range of settings and strategy focuses in our best 4X games list, so if you are not all that interested in guiding an empire through history then you can also expect 4X games about medieval conquest, space empires and even religious domination.
The best 4X games are:
Age of Wonders: Planetfall
If you love in-depth empire building and have the patience to watch a great game unfurl, Age of Wonders: Planetfall ought to catch your eye. Triumph Studios’ 4X game comes with all the tactical turn-based combat and empire expanding tools you may recognise from its predecessors. This time, though, an all-new sci-fi setting is thrown into the mix to give the game some galactic pop, not to mention a few new tools for players to wrangle with.
There are a lot of systems at play here, and Age of Wonders: Planetfall can be challenging to get to grips with, even for hardened fans of 4X games – nevermind newer players. As Phil explains in his Age of Wonders: Planetfall review, however, if you stick with it you’ll reap the rewards. “Initially unwieldy but eventually engrossing, Age of Wonders’ latest entry translates its Civ-meets-XCOM formula brilliantly to a new sci-fi setting,” he says. “Even if the elements of that sci-fi are a bit rote.”
Galactic Civilizations III
Probably the most popular frontier for 4X games to explore is deep space. It is a natural fit: the fantasy of meeting new races and discovering new worlds across an entire galaxy is filled with tantalising possibilities.
Galactic Civilizations III came out nine years after its cult classic predecessor, and takes place in a huge, randomly generated sandbox universe. There is a loose story that follows on from the last game, but really the joy is in populating star systems, conquering planets, and interacting with the nine colourful space races that populate the universe. You play as one of these yourself, with each race encouraging a distinctive playing style based on their unique abilities. Or based on Bernie Sanders’ political policies, as we tried once.
Much like in other 4X games, there are multiple paths to victory, including conquest, technology, cultural domination, and political alliances. This makes for a great balance of deep diplomacy, careful development of your empire and, of course, intergalactic warfare. It’s also grown over the years through various expansions, including the near-perfect Galactic Civilizations III: Crusade.
Civilization VI
Kind of a given, but it would be rude not to include it as when most people think of 4X games this series springs to mind. Look at the most-played charts for Steam and you’ll see that Civilization, in all of its various incarnations, remains one of the most consistently popular games on our fair platform.
Civ VI took the bold step of expanding cities across more tiles, introducing the districts mechanic, and re-stacking combat units to an extent. They sound like minor tweaks but they go a long way and, frankly, the foundations Civ V left behind were rock-solid in the first place. It is very close to being the best Civilization game of them all according to our deeply scientific rankings.
Really, the only reason to stop playing Civ VI will be when Civ VII comes out, but even then the successor has a tough task in topping a game that learned so much from Civ V’s shaky launch, and subsequently arrived in decidedly complete form. Check out the Steam workshop to see what the community has been doing with Civ 6 mods.
Europa Universalis IV
Shoving aside the inevitable debate about the differences between 4X games and grand strategy games, the fact is that much of Europa Universalis IV’s gameplay revolves around those four big Xs, all contained within a stunningly comprehensive, historically meticulous simulation of Europe circa the 15th and 19th centuries…
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… look, it’s a deep game, and it scratches that Civ itch, so shush.
Even for a seasoned Civ player, EU IV is daunting, in part because it feels so unrestricted by mechanics and forces you to deal with just about everything you can imagine a nation of the period having to deal with. Arrange marriages, declare war after spending a year fabricating a just cause for it, be among the first to head to Africa and establish the infamous slave triangle (or elect not to be an absolute monster and instead abolish it). One political misstep and your precious empire can quickly crumble around you. The scope is truly breathtaking. Even more so after installing Europa Universalis IV’s Mare Nostrum expansion, which focuses on the oceans and all the bounties floating underneath.
Granted, you won’t be settling cities as per the 4X games norm, and much of the world is laid out before you from the get-go, but no other game will teach you so much about the realities of managing an empire as this.
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
Older by the day but still very playable, Alpha Centauri was created by Civ legends Sid Meier and Brian Reynolds after they left MicroProse. You could superficially call it ‘Civilization in Space’, but that would be ignoring the fantastic narrative running through the game. You are working both with and against several futuristic factions from Earth, each of which has a different idea about how to colonise the mysterious planet Chiron.
As you go about the usual Civ responsibilities of building up and maintaining your faction (albeit with completely new units, resources, and bizarre alien technologies), you uncover through monoliths and alien technologies that humans were not the first advanced species to visit the planet. The plot thickens deliciously in the Alien Crossfire expansion, where you can play as the mysterious alien Progenitor race.
With intelligent writing and innovative gameplay features that you can see in much later 4X games, Alpha Centauri is an important landmark for the genre, and still worth replaying for its excellent story that muses boldly on humanity’s competitive nature versus its need to survive.
Endless Legend
Ignore the spiel that Civilization: Beyond Earth is the spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri. Where Beyond Earth felt like Civ V with a reskin, Alpha Centauri was a rich story-driven experience as well as an accomplished 4X game – traits it shares with Endless Legend, one of the best games of 2014.
Like Alpha Centauri, Endless Legend is about several factions that crash-land on a mysterious planet, and seek to dominate it through various means – military conquest, science, expansion, and diplomacy. The game is an artful blend of high fantasy and sci-fi elements, as magic and steampunk technologies collide.
Each faction has its own story that you uncover as you play, as well as unique attributes that make for one-off playthroughs. Several of the game’s features, such as the fog of war depicting a hand-drawn cartography map and de-stacked cities, can even be seen in Civilization VI.
From the combat (which takes place on a dedicated battle screen) to the tech tree, to the lovely presentation of both sound and visuals, Endless Legend is a masterclass in 4X games, set in one of the most imaginative worlds in recent gaming memory – it is nothing if not true to its name.
Stellaris
Stellaris is a space-faring empire builder that blends the best of Paradox’s grand strategy games with the victory paths of 4X games. You pick one of a number of intergalactic races – or create your own – and start off with a single solar system to your empire’s name (that is not a lot on the galactic scale). The robust ‘ethos’ scale lets you pick with precision the kind of empire you want to be – will you be a collectivist, militarist hivemind whose denizens crush all who oppose them? Or maybe an entrepreneurial empire that gains fame and dominance through business?
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Unlike other Paradox games, one mistake is not likely to destroy you, and you always have the chance to adapt to the ever-changing political structure of the cosmos. It is not only accessible, but has echoes of Europa Universalis within its rich diplomacy system, as well as confronting you with monumental galactic events that can turn a game upside-down. It is a fresh new take on space-based 4X games with all the depth and wackiness that its sci-fi setting entails.
Like all the best 4X games, Stellaris has ballooned in size since launch, which is partly down to Stellaris mods, and partly down to expansions like Stellaris: Apocalypse and Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn. It all boils down to new playstyles, more replayability, and more of those juicy Xs.
Endless Space 2
Look, if Civ gets two entries in a 4X games list then so can the Endless series. Endless Space 2 builds on the steady foundations of both Endless Legend and the first Endless Space, delivering arguably the most stylish, sleek, and downright pleasant experience available in the 4X genre. Neat touches like its faction-specific soundtrack combine with beautiful art, a crystalline UI, and rich cutscenes to lavish charm and character over Endless Space 2’s sturdy strategic foundations. It’s not just among the best 4X games, it’s one of the best space games, too.
Expanded features like a deep and impactful political system and a bonkers cast of sci-fi races whose history and even their biology determine how each path to victory plays out ensure a level of depth that belies the game’s accomplished aesthetics. Fortunately, too, Endless Space 2 never locks you into any of its victory paths – discover later into your game that you enjoy growing your economy more than waging war and you will not be punished for changing tack. The flipside to that is Endless Space 2 also requires you to perform a delicate balancing act even if you just want to be a murderous space warlord – thankfully, a thorough tutorial and some wonderfully helpful UI tools like a searchable tech tree make doing so easy for those new to 4X games.
If you fall head over heels in love with Endless Space 2, then you’ll be pleased to know that developer Amplitude Studios has announced a new 4X title called Humankind, which looks like a worthy Civ competitor.
Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension
The Dominions series has been quietly doing its thing in the background of the 4X games scene. It has built a niche but devoted audience who have come to worship it over the years.
That worship culture is fitting, because actual worship plays a big role in the game. You are a godlike being in charge of a nation, with dreams of ascending to godliness by controlling all the titular thrones in the land. These, however, are being contested by a whole bunch of pretenders, so war is inevitably a big focal point in Dominions.
The setting is fantasy, but instead of elves and orcs the world is populated by creatures and peoples of diverse mythical and historical settings such as ancient Egypt, alongside Norse and Greek mythology. The game is much deeper than its simple visuals would suggest, and does admittedly take a while to gain a foothold in. But once you do, it quickly becomes apparent why Dominions 4: Thrones of Ascension is one of the best 4X games out there.
That’s it. The best 4X games. A little bit of trivia to conclude with: the term 4X came from an XXXX review score given to the original Master of Orion, which was a pun on the well-known pornography rating. Of course, if that was the sort of content you were looking for then perhaps this list of the best XXX games will help. For the time being however, we’re more than happy with the exploring, expanding, exploiting, and exterminating four X’s. Anyway, kettle on, slippers at the ready – it’s time to start a nuclear war as Gandhi.
Space. The final frontier. Mankind's inspiration from the antediluvian age, and similarly so with computer games. Some of the strategy medium's heaviest hitters are set in hard vacuum, which is why we're listing off some of gaming's greatest contemporary space games.
Allow us to present out best-in-class guide to space strategy games. We stretch as far back as 2005 in this list, but for the most part, these are modern titles that'll scratch that space itch in spectacular fashion.
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What are the best Space Strategy Games?
- Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock
- Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
- Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
- Homeworld Remastered Collection
- X3: Terran Conflict
- FTL: Faster Than Light
- Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
- Out There
Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock
Developer/Publisher: Black Lab Games/Slitherine
Purchase:Direct, Steam, PS4
We cannot say enough good things about Black Lab Games' Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock. Outside of being just a darn good use of the license -- sharing top billing alongside the boardgame -- one of Deadlock's biggest triumphs is sidestepping space itself. This is a game that can be incredibly intimate, with fleets manoeuvring in wolf packs, closing distance to chew out the sides of enemy vessels and hack or nuke their way to victory.
Unlike a lot of strategy game in hard vacuum, relative verticality and the y axis are key to successful engagement. Speed, heading and the height dovetail into a ship's firing vectors, making this no mere boring old circular broadside affair. Players need to minimize their damage intake as much as their damage output, which leads to a highly engaging ballet of ranging and ordnance. Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, whether it be the sprawling campaign, skirmish or online multiplayer, is not just a game for Battlestar fans, but any turn-based aficionado.
Deadlock has kicked off its second 'Season' of DLC content starting with the excellentResurrection expansion. The first season involved the equally excellent DLCs The Broken Alliance,Anabasisand Sin & Sacrifice.
4x Space Strategy Games Pc
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2
Publisher/Developer: Focus Home Interactive/Tindalos
Purchase: Steam
Even though our own review was a bit luke-warm in places, overall BFG Armada 2 seems to been a modest success as far as continuing the legacy of Tindalos' original 40K space strategy epic. A slightly clunky UI and some sub-par mission design don't detract from the visually stunning, action-packed experience that Armada 2 represents. It's got all of the factions from the original table-top game, it's got plenty of customisation options, and plenty of game-modes to sink your teeth into (literally, if you fancy trying out the Tyranids).
Featuring fully-developed Imperium, Necron & Tyranid storylines, it's the main campaigns that are the start of the show. Skirmish is fun, as is multiplayer, but the way Armada 2 takes the recent 8th Edition lore changes and fully immerses you in the battles for the Eye of Terror is second-to-none. The real thing that will allow this game to cement its place amongst the great space-strategy games is the amount of post-launch support it'll get, which we hope is 'lots'. Since launch, it's received a massive update and DLC that adds in a new campaign for the Chaos faction - well worth checking out!
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Publisher/Developer: Stardock/Ironclad Games
Buy From: Direct
One of the older titles on this list, Sins of a Solar Empire actually launched in 2008. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the standalone expansion, was released in 2012. But these games have had such a profound impact on the strategy space that it’s unthinkable not to address them here. Sins of a Solar Empire possess an endurance that parallels the continued popularity of franchises like Supreme Commander, or Command & Conquer Generals, and is a title where perennial requests for a new version have reached a fevered pitch.
Sins is perhaps the definitive title which perfectly captures the blend of 4X and RTS: empire management, tactical fleet battles, research, diplomacy, and did I mention the fleet battles? It’s an intoxicating formula that manages to turn what could have been viewed as a stripped-down experience (technically there’s no campaign, only skirmish matches) into a cult phenomenon. A bevy of high-class game mods have also cropped up around it: from Star Wars and Star Trek, to Battlestar Galactica and even Halo (The Sins of the Prophet mod is amazing–ED), SOASE is the very definition of a modern and enduring classic.
If you're in need of more proof, Stardock recently released a brand new piece of DLC for the game - Minor Factions. The fact that they're willing to support this game six years after its initial release shows that there's something very special here.
Homeworld Remastered Collection
Publisher/Developer: Gearbox Publishing w/ Aspyr
Purchase: Steam
Prodigal pretences aside, it was a grand day when Gearbox saw to the remastering of two giants of the real-time strategy genre. Relic Entertainment's original masterpiece might have been released nearly twenty years ago, but Homeworld hasn't aged a day. Gearbox tightened the screws, applied a tasteful array of textures and let the awe-inspiring tale of a galactic voyage home tell its story once more. Even now, Homeworld remains effortless to play. Its ruminative pace and wistful production values convey a sense of space and time that hasn't been matched since, and narrative presentation that does so very much with relatively little.
Homeworld 2's inclusion is the cherry on top, and while I still think the original title's story is the stronger of the two, the sequel ramps up the nitty-gritty of fleet production and composition. Gearbox again treated this 2003 game with care, providing the necessary technical updates while letting its classic gameplay speak for itself. Gameplay aside, Homeworld Remastered is a tasteful, powerful example of the strategy genre firing on all artistic cylinders. Time-tested gameplay, timeless art.
X3: Terran Conflict
Publisher/Developer: Egosoft
Purchase: Steam
X3?!, you cray, but that's more like a Space RPG! Indeed, we're stretching the definition a bit here on this one, but as the grizzled deep-space entrepreneurs of Egosoft's long-running series know, there's a deliciously satisfying business sim nestled deep within the network of sensor arrays, software modules and ship systems. X3, and in particular, the Terran Conflict expansion, is ostensibly Eve Offline. A rags-to-riches sandbox of buying low, selling high, building and marketing, controlling and dominating. It can be a daunting experience for a first-timer, but X3 is a game that rewards patience and offers a suitably relaxing pace that lets a player acclimatize at their leisure.
What Is 4x Strategy Game
If you approach X3 as a proxy for TIE Fighter or Descent Freespace, you'll more than likely be disappointed. But if the idea of running a mercantile empire in space, building networks of manufacturing hubs in a dynamic market appeals, there's really no other option. A little unconventional in its digital bonsai approach of cramming spreadsheets into sensor tickers and station reports, X3 simulates a living, breathing world in the same way STALKER did for the FPS genre. The world will unfold around you, and care little for your presence unless waves are made. A unique and invigorating strategy game hidden within a cockpit.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Publisher/Developer: Subset Games
Purchase: Steam, iPad
The game that needs no introduction. Bigger than Ben Hur, an indie darling success story and perennial after-action report generator, Faster Than Light is the tactical, turn-on-a-dime ship management sim that made roguelikes very fashionable when it released in 2012. Subset Games went on to craft the equally excellentInto the Breach, but their debut title remains a shining light in simple, effective design.
FTL's brilliance belongs to its minute-to-minute gameplay, with the flow-on effect of every choice -- however subtle or seemingly insignificant -- being the beat of a butterfly's wings. With an encroaching rebel threat adding to the heaped tension of a game with no do-overs, simple bifurcations weigh heavy. Answer that distress call? Hire this crew member? Upgrade that module in favour of this one? And when combat comes calling, the right person at the right place is often a very hard call to make. Thrilling and infuriating in just the right measurements.
FTL is deserving of its accolades, and if you've not already got it checked off in the inventory, get thee to wherever you can find it. A tactical roguelike RPG that asks the hardest question: What do we do now, Captain?
Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space
Publisher/Developer: Digital Eel
Purchase: Steam
You might not have heard of Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space. That's okay. I'd sure like to be in your position again, a cleansed palate ready to taste the weirdness for the first time. Weird Worlds might seem to have been bested by the aforementioned FTL at first glance, but for my money, they work wonderfully in concert. Weird Worlds doesn't start with its foot on a player's neck, and while the game lives up to its 'space opera in thirty minutes' claim via uninvited brutality, there's a quirky pulp levity to Digital Eel’s galactic roamer.
Players start on their flagship with the barest of directives, leap-frogging as far as their fuel reserves and initiative will take them. Inventories balloon, friendly crew met, foes found. From nodal traversal to the short and sweet combat, Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space has a whimsical air that frees the player from agonizing over the next mission. If it doesn't work out this time around, there's always the next. The original Strange Tales is available for free over on Shrapnel Games and the sequel dropped in 2015. However, 2005's Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space is the formula at its cleanest and most joyous. A game that lets players explore an odd galaxy before the coffee cools.
Out There
Publisher/Developer: Mi-Clos Studios
Purchase:Steam, iOS, Android
Mi-Clos Studios' Out There is the outlier in this list, given that it is largely driven by its rich writing. But calling this game merely interactive fiction would be a gross disservice to a tough, rewarding resource manager nested in a highly replayable space adventure. It bridges the celestial journey of Homeworld with the heavy choices of FTL and Weird World's adventuring, creating a unique experience you might have missed when it initially dropped.
Presented with pulp comic visuals and a dreamlike ambient score, players must navigate their way home while seeking out crucial supplies and items. Out There's innumerable random events, initially-indecipherable alien languages and galactic layout mean you'll only experience a fraction of the game's entire mission payload, spread between three endings. Systems have multiple planets to explore if the budget can stretch, aliens to interact with, resources to harvest and events to surmount.
This is also the only game on the list that doesn't feature any combat. In keeping with its golden age of science-fiction wistfulness, Out There is a roguelike strategy with higher aspirations. No hostiles in this hostile universe. Just a ship, finite cargo and you. Good luck, plan well, learn the language.
Other Top Space Strategy Game Reccomendations
Agree or disagree? We'd love to read your favourites and ideas below.