Even if you don't know what “4X” means, you are probably familiar with some of the games in the genre. The term "4X", coined by game developer Alan Emrich, means "EXplore, EXpand, EXploit and EXterminate", describing the different phases of the gameplay. 4X games are well known for their complex game systems, extensive tech trees, detailed empire management, and strategic combat.
Most 4X games feature turn-based or real-time gameplay and are usually set in historical settings in the real world or in space. There are also a handful of great fantasy-themed titles. We've made sure to include our favorite below. If you're looking for something new to get your one more spin fix, check out this list of our favorite 4X games!
Civilization IV: The Complete Edition
At a glance
- Genre: Turn-based strategy
- Developer: Firaxis Games
- Platforms: PC, Mac
- Original Release Date: October 25, 2005
- Price: $ 29.99
- Where to buy: Steam, GOG
No list of the best 4X games would be complete without an entry from the incredibly popular Sid Meier Civilization series. While newer Civilization titles, including Civilization V and Civilization VI, are certainly great, we still find ourselves in Civ IV as the definitive Civilization experience. The Civilization series sets the gold standard for the PC-based turn-based strategy genre.
We recommend that you go for the Full Edition, as it includes the entire collection of great DLC, including the great Beyond the Sword expansion. You'll get a plethora of leaders, civilizations, units, and more, providing the most dynamic and diverse experience possible. You'll even get the chance to fight zombies, which is way more than the real Otto von Bismarck can tell. If you're entirely new to the 4X genre and decide to pick just one title from this list, do it Civilization IV.
Stellaris
At a glance
- Genre: “grand strategy” of space exploration.
- Developer: Paradox Interactive
- Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4 (coming soon), Xbox One (coming soon)
- Original Release Date: May 9, 2016
- Price: 39,99 $
- Where to buy: Steam, Paradox
Like Firaxis, Paradox Interactive is no stranger to the 4x genre, as their primary development focus is "great strategy games", wargames focusing on real world maps and historical accuracy. Their credits include other great 4x titles, of which the Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis Stellaris series is a slight departure from their historical titles, taking the experience of exploration into the expanse of space.
In Stellaris, the faster-than-light travel has just been developed, and empires compete to be the first to succeed among the stars. As with most 4X games, you'll start things off by choosing a predefined empire, or you can choose to be assigned a random species. You can also use the existing species and options to create a custom species or even create a new species from scratch with the game's extensive modding capabilities. Speaking of mods, Stellaris supports Steam Workshop, and you'll find mods there. tons of mods to modify and enrich your experience. If space exploration and conquering empires is your problem, Stellaris is the game for you.
Galactic Civilizations III
At a glance
- Genre: Space strategy
- Developer: Stardock Entertainment
- Platforms: PC
- Original Release Date: May 14, 2015
- Price: 39,99 $
- Where to buy: Steam, Stardock, GOG
Stardock's latest entry into the Galactic Civilizations series offers a rich and diverse experience for fans of the sci-fi genre. Galactic Civilizations III focuses on space exploration and the development of your empire within, with many species to meet and new Outer to colonize. Galactic Civilizations III has a wide array of choices that promise a different experience every time. You can even design your ship.
Galactic Civilization III features a story-driven campaign as well as multiplayer against real players or an incredibly difficult AI. Galactic Civilizations III The Crusade expansion, included in the Steam and $ 39,99 Stardock versions of the game, adds unique new features, allowing you to craft your faction down to its citizens. You can even train citizens to serve as spies and soldiers to aid you in your galactic conquest efforts.
Endless legend
At a glance
- Genre: Fantasy Strategy
- Developer: Amplitude Studios
- Platforms: PC, Mac
- Original Release Date: September 18, 2014
- Price: $ 29.99
- Where to buy: Steam
Endless Legend is easily the best of its kind when it comes to fantastic 4X games. It takes place on the planet Auriga, land of an exotic assortment of races, each with their own history, technology, and skills. Endless Legend features a unique combat system that allows you to assign individual units to armies and then control them in battle by issuing commands and moving individual units along the in-game hex map. This extra layer of depth makes the Endless Legend combat significantly more engaging than in other 4X titles.
As the name suggests, Endless Legend features endless replayability. World maps and quests are randomly generated with each new game. Endless Legend features excellent storytelling and RPG-like features, including the ability to equip units with materials to aid in combat. Additionally, the game's latest expansion, Inferno, adds an all-new race, Kapaku, who are able to traverse newly added volcanic terrain. They can even create volcanoes.
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares
At a glance
- Genre: Space colonization
- Developer: SimTex
- Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux
- Original Release Date: November 22, 1996
- Price: 5,99 $
- Where to buy: Steam, GOG
Master of Orion II may be positively ancient, but she is also positively impressive. In this excellent classic 4X title, you'll navigate the galaxy and colonize the planets while being subjected to the grief of the Antarean race. The game is complex enough, but not absurdly difficult, providing an accessible and balanced experience once you are able to move past the dated (albeit intuitive) interface.
As with any game focused on space travel and colonization, you will need a powerful spaceship. Master of Orion II offers an extensive ship design system, allowing you to build and customize powerful warships with a variety of weapons and utilities complementing different combat tactics. You can even work to create a Cursed Star, necessarily your Death Star, capable of destroying almost anything in its path.
The sins of a solar empire: the rebellion
At a glance
- Genre: Space strategy
- Developer: Ironclad Games, Stardock Entertainment
- Platforms: PC
- Original Release Date: June 12, 2012
- Price: 39,99 $
- Where to buy: Steam, Stardock
While not a traditional 4X game, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion combines real-time strategy with the 4X genre, blending an interesting and unique experience. We felt it was worth including on this list, as its 4X features are implemented perfectly, although the emphasis is on the 'exterminate' part. If you prefer a little more of the other three (explore, develop, mine), you can download the excellent Improved 4X Mod, which adds substantial additional content familiar to 4X players.
In Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, you'll choose one of three races with which to explore the galaxy, conquer planets, and gather resources.
