Best Empire Building
Rome: Total War is a strategy video game created by The Creative Assembly and initially released by Activision in 2004. Subsequent versions for Mac OS X, iPad, iPhone, and Android were developed by Feral Interactive and published by Sega. It represents the third installment within the Total War seri...
Rise of Nations is a 2003 real-time strategy video game created by Big Huge Games. It combines elements of turn-based strategy with real-time gameplay, spanning from ancient times to the modern era across eighteen civilizations. The game incorporates features like territory control and attrition inf...
Total War: Shogun 2 is a strategy game created by Creative Assembly and released by Sega in 2011. The title represents the seventh installment within the Total War franchise, revisiting the historical period of Japan following previous entries focused on European conflicts. It returns to the setting...
Dune II is a classic real-time strategy video game developed by Westwood Studios in 1992. Players manage spice production and expand their influence across the desert planet Arrakis, mirroring the events of Frank Herbert’s *Dune* novel. The game's strategic depth and empire-building mechanics are no...
The Hunnic Empire was a powerful nomadic group originating on the Eurasian steppe during the 5th century. They rose to prominence through military expansion, posing a significant threat to settled civilizations like the Roman Empires. Attila’s leadership solidified their control over a vast territor...
Tasha Suri's masterpiece is a lush, atmospheric epic that reimagines traditional mythology. It follows two womena princess and a slavewhose paths collide in a land where the gods are fading. The novel is celebrated for its gorgeous prose, deep cultural exploration, and the way it subverts common tro...
Total War: Rome II is a strategy game created by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. Released in 2013, it serves as the eighth installment in the Total War franchise and follows on from Rome: Total War. The game focuses on strategic command of armies during the late Roman Republic and early Rom...
Seth Dickinsons The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a complex and intellectually stimulating dark fantasy novel exploring themes of colonialism, economics, and personal sacrifice. The story follows Baru Cormorant, a brilliant young woman who chooses to collaborate with the empire that conquered her homela...
American Conquest is a real-time strategy game spanning from the 15th to the early 19th centuries across the American continents. It features expansions like “Fight Back” and a bundled gold edition, alongside the most recent installment, “Divided Nation.” These titles are collectively known as the A...
Call to Power II is a PC turn-based strategy game developed by Activision as a follow-up to Civilization: Call to Power. The title differs from the original Civilization series due to a licensing restriction preventing its use of the “Civilization” name. It features strategic gameplay and empire man...
Knights and Merchants: The Shattered Kingdom is a 1998 real-time strategy game developed by Joymania Entertainment and published by TopWare Interactive. Players control palace guards, commanding soldiers and citizens in pursuit of victory. An expansion, “The Peasants Rebellion,” was released in 2001...
Travian is a browser-based real-time strategy game set in ancient times. Players build and manage settlements, engaging in diplomacy and warfare with other players to control resources and expand their empires. The game focuses on strategic resource management and player interaction within a persist...
Humankind offers a unique twist on the traditional 4X genre by allowing players to combine different cultures throughout history. Instead of picking one civilization and sticking with it, you can merge various cultural traits as your empire progresses through eras. This creates a highly dynamic expe...
Tad Williams offers a sophisticated take on dark fantasy by focusing on the internal rot of an empire rather than external monsters. The story follows a young man thrust into a position of power in a court filled with spies and hidden agendas. It is 'dark' in its depiction of political cruelty, soci...
Distant Worlds 2 is a complex and detailed 4X space strategy game where players build and manage interstellar empires. The game features a vast, procedurally generated galaxy with realistic star systems and planetary environments. Players must manage economies, conduct diplomacy, and wage war agains...
Beginning with a handful of Stone Age huts and spear-wielding warriors, you’ll lead your small settlement through a range of familiar time periods – conquering, expanding, and building your way to a modern metropolis. Lead your growing armies to victory in turn-based combat sequences, join other pla...
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings is a 2004 real-time strategy title developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubisoft. It features a single-player campaign alongside multiplayer modes and map creation tools, with expansions released in 2005 and a Gold Edition in the same year. The game was later re-rel...
