4X games, so named because they allow you to eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate, are one of the most enjoyable genres in all of gaming. The best 4X games deliver slow but addictive gameplay and reward long-term planning – you’ll start as a small, puny faction in an unknown, scary world, and end up a conquering behemothic empire. If that sounds good to you, this guide offers up the very best games to try.
Naturally, there’s a lot of overlap here with the best turn-based games – so, if you don’t find a winner here, check that one out. And if you just love thinking with that big noggin of yours, be sure to check out our guides to the best strategy board games and RTS games. You might also want to save some cash with our guide to the best free strategy games. For now, though…
The best 4X games in 2024 are:
- Civilization 6 – best 4X game overall
- Endless Legend – best asymmetric 4X game
- Shadow Empire – the deepest multi-layer 4X imaginable
- Age of Wonders: Planetfall – best 4X game with tactical combat
- Stellaris – best space 4X game
- Humankind – best alt history 4X game
- Old World – best fast paced 4X game
- Warhammer 40k Gladius Relics of War – best Warhammer 4X
- Crusader Kings 3 – best RPG-like 4X game
1. Civilization 6
The best 4X game overall is the almighty Sid Meier’s Civilization 6.
There’s more variety to come, but there’s no question about which game wears the crown. 2016’s Civ 6 is still, by a wide margin, the most popular, most prestigious 4X game in the world. Dangerously compelling, to the point where it can be hard to step away from your PC, there’s something oddly hypnotic about guiding a real life nation from mud huts to skyscrapers.
Some fans of the series took a while to learn to love Civilization VI’s cartoonish graphics and gameplay tweaks, but now its player base regularly puts it in the top 20 most played games on Steam. It’s Civilization but with more cities and more mechanics – especially with all the DLC, which adds everything from loyalty to global warming.
For the full run down of Civ 6’s triumphs and tribulations, read PCGamesN’s original Civilization 6 review.
2. Endless Legend
The best asymmetric 4X game is Endless Legend.
A turn-based fantasy 4X game by Amplitude Studios, Endless Legend stands out as much for its interesting, asymmetrical factions as it does for its innovations in gameplay.
Each faction plays dramatically differently – from the eerie Cultists, converting minor factions from a central uber-city, to the Roving Clans who can move whole settlements in a nomadic playstyle, to the Necrophages, who just want to eat everyone up.
Each has its own story questline, and completing yours can win you the game. Colourful and surprising, no game does the explore part of 4X quite like Endless Legend.
The new mechanics are interesting too, from the periodic ravages of winter, to the influence system, Endless Legend brings plenty of new features to the table. Its combat system is a bit marmite-y: some love the tactical battle system, while others find it slow and ponderous, especially in multiplayer.
For the full, unabridged tale, read the Endless Legend review on our sister site, PCGamesN.
3. Shadow Empire
Matrix Games’ Shadow Empire is the deepest multi-layered 4X game imaginable.
In our review, we called 2020’s Shadow Empire “the best 4X wargame you’re (probably) not playing” – and that’s just as much the case in 2024 as it was four years ago.
Perhaps the very epitome of a ‘hidden gem’ in the genre, Shadow Empire is a preposterously detailed, luxurious, epic strategy game, packing in elements from half a dozen genres, from hardcore computer wargames, to grand strategy games, to CRPGs.
Every game starts by procedurally generating an entire planet for you to conquer, randomizing conditions from a massive array of possibilities to produce a radically different game world every time.
Your first playthrough might be a tiny, featureless, waterless rock; your second an irradiated hellscape; your third a teeming jungle paradise. It all matters to gameplay, too – adapting to the randomised riches and pitfalls of your environment will shape your whole playthrough, from science and economy to warfare.
From there, things only get more complex and interconnected. To properly achieve the four ‘X’es, you’ll have to manage the different ‘bureaus’ of your imperial government – which means maintaining good personal relations with your ministers, RPG style, in the manner of Crusader Kings. Let things slide, and they’ll plot, embezzle, or even rise up against you.
At peace, Shadow Empire plays similarly to a Paradox grand strategy title, balancing government, populations, technology, and economy to generate progress. When war finally breaks out, however, a whole other game unfurls from the, er, ‘shadows’ – powered by the meticulous interlocking systems of the full-bodied, hex-and-counter wargames Matrix is famous for.
Winning wars isn’t just a matter of smashing stacks of units together – if you want to successfully expand and exterminate in SE, you’ll need to set up and manage everything from communications, logistics, and weapons development to keeping every last division supplied with food and ammo.
If you’re into really crunchy strategy games, this is by far the best 4X for you; maybe the best game for you. We’ve only scratched the surface here – for a more detailed analysis, read our full Shadow Empire review.
4. Age of Wonders: Planetfall
The best 4X game with tactical combat is Age of Wonders: Planetfall.
It’s hard to decide whether Age of Wonders 3 or Planetfall should make this list, but since we just did a fantasy game, let’s switch gears to sci-fi. Age of Wonders: Planetfall is an experimental departure from the tried and true formula of this series, and it shores up a lot of its shortcomings.
Though the brilliant magic system, and some of the personality is lost in this newer title, it’s a more well-rounded game overall, not purely focused on combat – you can play an economic or diplomatic game in Planetfall.
It’s no slouch on the combat front either, though. Particularly worth a shout out is the mod slot system, which lets you equip your units in all sorts of ways, drastically changing their role on the battlefield.
To ensure a safe landing, you’d be well advised to read the full Age of Wonders Planetfall review on PCGamesN.
5. Stellaris
In a pick that’ll shock no-one, the best space 4X game is Stellaris.
Straddling the line between a 4X game and grand strategy, and the only ‘turnless’ title on this list, Paradox’s 2016 mega-hit Stellaris does an amazing job of taking a galaxy-full of content and making it relatively accessible.
It might not have the sheer depth of something like Distant Worlds 2 or Terra Invicta, but it definitely doesn’t lack for varied and interesting gameplay, particularly with all the mods and DLC available. It’s a great strategy game to while away some relaxing hours, a map painter where you can gaze at the stars – bliss!
If you’re somehow not sold on becoming an interstellar emperor, PCGamesN’s Stellaris review can offer a little more depth.
6. Humankind
The best alternate history 4X game is Amplitude Studios’ Humankind.
Released to some fanfare in 2021, Humankind is a quite compelling riff on the classic Sid Meier’s Civilization 4X formula, which – though it doesn’t quite impress in all areas – deserves a place on this list for its innovations, undeniably addictive gameplay, and gorgeous graphics and animations.
You’ll still be shepherding an empire from the dawn of humanity through to the space age – but, instead of picking from a pre-set list of real-world civs to lead, you’ll get to mix and match elements from different cultures, traditions, aesthetics, and gameplay styles as you progress through the game’s six historical eras.
You might enter the Ancient era as Egypt, enjoying bonuses to your industry, building pyramids and whatnot; transition to Romans in the Classical age (unlocking the badass Praetorian Guards unique unit); go all Aztec during the Medieval era; become the Venetians in the Early Modern; cosplay as Austro-Hungary in the Industrial Era, and close out the game’s Contemporary Era as the Soviet Union.
As gameplay gimmicks go, it might not be as awesome as we all thought it would be during the spectacular pre-release hype period for this game – but it’s still brilliant fun, and delivers lots of replayability. A relatively shallow, but reliably enjoyable turn-based battle system sees you zoom in to control individual battlefield units on a grid (as opposed to classic Civ’s simple dice-driven ‘stack versus stack’ combat) – and this, too, adds spice.
Basically, if you love Civilization, and want something that delivers much the same experience, with some enjoyable tweaks – try Humankind.
7. Old World
The best fast paced 4X game is 2022’s Old World.
Everyone knows that the early stages of Civilization, before troublemakers invent confusing, new-fangled technology like the compass, is the best part of the game. So it was only a matter of time before someone (someone like Mohawk Games) made a historical 4X game with only one era.
Old World is a rarity in 4X games, in that it respects your time – with a 200 turn limit, and an orders system that means not all your units can move or attack each turn, you can breeze through a game in a mere 15-20 hours.
There’s a lot of tweaks to the 4X formula under the hood, but perhaps the most noticeable one is the characters. You don’t have some undying avatar representing your nation, instead controlling real people with personalities and stats, who raise heirs and then die, leaving the new blood in charge. To succeed in the Old World, you’ll need to manage, not just an empire, but also a family.
For more parental (and empire-building) guidance, check out PCGamesN’s full Old World review.
8. Warhammer 40k Gladius – Relics of War
The best Warhammer 4X game is Warhammer 40k Gladius – Relics of War.
Warhammer 40k games can be somewhat hit and miss, so it’s pleasing to get a fine example of the 4X genre in Gladius – Relics of War. As you’d expect for a game in this universe, warfare is the order of the day, diplomacy is not an option. In fact three out of four of 4X’s Xs are somewhat vestigial in Gladius.
However, if you’re a Warhammer fan, and you want to slug it out in a tactical combat game with some 4X decision-making thrown in, we can definitely recommend picking this up. If it doesn’t ‘load your boltgun’, however, you might find something else you like in our guide to the best RTS games on PC – or perhaps among the best turn based games.
9. Crusader Kings 3
The best 4X game with RPG elements is 2020’s Crusader Kings 3.
Combining the best elements of a 4X strategy game and an RPG, Paradox’s Crusader Kings 3 is an immersive medieval ruler simulator that gives you an enormous amount of freedom. True, you’ll often approach the game with the typical map-painting mindset, looking to rise in status and power till you (or more likely, your great-great-great-great-grandson) becomes emperor of the world.
But you can also have fun just larking about in the province of your choice, going on hunts, making pals at a banquet, seducing your vassal’s husband, perhaps idly assassinating a foe or two. It’s easy to get lost in Crusader Kings 3 and discover, when you’re pulled out of its world of fighting and fratricide, that hours have gone by.
There’s also a slowly growing pile of extra content to expand your medieval doings – check out our Crusader Kings 3 Royal Court DLC review for more info.
Source: Wargamer
