Best Of
10 Best 4X Games on PC
Choose your next PC 4X game with ten historical, fantasy, and space strategy picks, from Civilization and Old World to Stellaris and Age of Wonders.
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The best 4X games turn a growing map into a series of difficult choices: where to settle, whom to trust, what to research, and when expansion becomes overreach. These ten PC games range from historical empires to fantasy realms and sprawling galaxies. Some are turn-based and others run in real time with pause, so choose a pace as well as a setting.
10. Humankind
Humankind lets you combine cultures as your civilization progresses through eras. That creates an empire whose identity reflects a sequence of choices, rather than only the civilization selected at the start. Territory and development still matter, but the route through history becomes part of the design space.
Choose it if changing direction between eras sounds more interesting than committing to one national identity for an entire campaign. Its systems ask you to think about the cumulative result of those choices. Approach it on its own terms and learn how its territories, battles, and progression connect instead of expecting Civilization with different artwork.
Official game information: Humankind.
9. Endless Space 2
Endless Space 2 makes faction identity a strong reason to start another galactic campaign. Its civilizations approach the universe differently, giving exploration, politics, and expansion a narrative flavor alongside the numbers. A familiar map objective can mean something different when the society pursuing it changes.
Pick it when you want turn-based space strategy with a strong sense of setting. Fleet battles place emphasis on preparation and strategic choices rather than constant direct control of individual ships. That distinction matters if you are choosing between an empire-builder and a space RTS; the campaign is where most of the decisions accumulate.
Official game information: Endless Space 2.
8. Distant Worlds 2
Distant Worlds 2 gives you a large real-time galaxy and extensive automation options. That combination lets you decide how much of the empire to manage directly while other systems continue operating. It can feel closer to directing a complex state than moving every individual piece yourself.
Choose it if you enjoy deciding which responsibilities deserve your attention. Automation is part of the design, but it still pays to understand what a delegated system is doing. Use pause and learn one layer at a time. This is a recommendation for players interested in a detailed simulation, with a different pace from a traditional turn-based 4X.
Official game information: Distant Worlds 2.
7. Galactic Civilizations IV
Galactic Civilizations IV is a turn-based choice for players who want to build a spacefaring civilization over a large map. Research, colonization, diplomacy, and the kind of society you’re creating all contribute to the direction of the empire. It has room for both practical optimization and a little imaginative empire design.
Pick it if you prefer considering a move before advancing the turn rather than managing constant real-time developments. The appeal is the accumulation of decisions across a growing galactic state. Start by learning what your economy can support; a larger frontier is only useful if you can make the colonies behind it function.
Official game information: Galactic Civilizations IV.
6. Endless Legend 2
Endless Legend 2 brings a fantasy world and asymmetric factions to the 4X map. The setting gives strategic geography and an empire’s identity a stronger role than a collection of interchangeable starting bonuses. Learning what a faction wants to do is part of learning how to expand.
This is a released game, rather than an early-access recommendation based on its former status. Choose it when you want a fantasy strategy campaign where different factions encourage different priorities. Spend time understanding the world and its changing conditions before assuming the same opening plan will work for every new run.
Official game information: Endless Legend 2.
5. Civilization VII
Civilization VII organizes its historical journey around ages, making transitions part of how you think about an empire’s direction. Leaders and civilizations give you different combinations to consider, so a campaign isn’t only a straight extension of the previous game’s approach.
It belongs on a current shortlist, but choose it for its own systems rather than assuming every familiar Civilization VI rule carries over. Read the present store description and recent official updates if a particular feature matters to you. Its appeal is the chance to learn another interpretation of long-form historical empire-building, with decisions that develop across the journey.
Official game information: Civilization VII.
4. Old World
Old World anchors its strategy in the ancient world and gives rulers and families a direct role in the empire’s development. Character relationships and succession sit alongside the familiar questions of territory, cities, and armies. Your political situation can become personal without leaving the strategic map.
Choose it if you want a more focused historical period and decisions shaped by people as well as production. The orders system also makes prioritization a practical constraint: wanting to do everything isn’t the same as being able to do it immediately. It is a distinctive alternative to an all-of-history campaign rather than simply a smaller Civilization.
Official game information: Old World.
3. Stellaris
Stellaris takes empire-building into a galaxy where your society’s identity matters alongside expansion. Exploration, diplomatic relationships, and the character of neighboring powers help a campaign develop its own history. Its real-time pace with pause gives it a different rhythm from taking one discrete turn at a time.
Pick it if you want space strategy with room for role-playing an empire. The large expansion catalog makes package choice important; buy around the systems that interest you rather than treating every add-on as mandatory. Learn the core economy and exploration loop before assuming a more complicated empire will automatically be more enjoyable.
Official game information: Stellaris.
2. Civilization VI
Civilization VI remains a useful recommendation for players who enjoy planning a recognizable historical empire around the map itself. District placement makes the land surrounding a city part of its long-term strategy, while research, diplomacy, and different victory goals pull your attention in several directions.
Choose it if you want an established game with many ways to learn and refine a campaign. Be deliberate about editions: expansions change the available systems, and a base-game copy isn’t identical to a complete-content bundle. It is especially appealing when you enjoy making today’s settlement decision with a much later plan in mind.
Official game information: Civilization VI.
1. Age of Wonders 4
Age of Wonders 4 combines empire growth with tactical fantasy battles. Creating a faction and choosing magical tomes give you a way to shape both the civilization on the map and the army that represents it. An empire’s identity can develop as the campaign goes on.
It is a strong starting point if you want 4X decisions connected to fights you can resolve on a tactical battlefield. The fantasy setting also gives experimentation a different flavor from a historical technology race. Expansion content offers more options, but compare packages carefully rather than assuming every faction feature you see belongs to the base game.
Official game information: Age of Wonders 4.
Age of Wonders 4 is a strong fantasy starting point, Civilization VI offers an established historical option, and Old World narrows the period while deepening the role of its people. For space, choose turn-based planning in Galactic Civilizations IV or the real-time management of Stellaris and Distant Worlds 2.
For more options, explore 10 Best RTS Games on PC and 10 Best Deck-Building Games on PC.
