The Best 4X Games

Update : Nexus 5X added at rank #5.
1

Scythe (2018)

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100
Review score
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Android Mac OS PC Windows IOS iPhone

Scythe transports you to an alternate reality in 1920s Europa, one ravaged by the First World War. Take up the role of leader by assuming command of one of 5 factions, and set out to conquer the coveted "Factory". Lead your mechs to war and your people to victory!


  • board-game
  • 4x
  • mech
  • historical
  • i
  • hex
  • turn-based
  • steampunk
  • visual-novel
  • tabletop
  • alternate
  • eroge
  • strategy
  • beautiful
  • grid

2

The Battle of Polytopia (2016)

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94
Review score
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IOS iPhone PC Windows Linux Mac OS Android Nintendo Switch

The Battle of Polytopia is a simplified 4X game that allows players to experience the Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate aspects of the genre in under an hour. Available for mobile devices, it's the pocket-sized 4X that anyone can play anywhere.


What we like:
  • Distillation of the 4X genre in a great turn-based action game
  • Mechanism for competitive play
  • Addresses limitations of chess
What could be improved:
  • Limited multiplayer and co-op options
  • Not ideal for players who want a longer game

  • turn-based
  • 4x
  • strategy
  • civilization
  • diplomacy
  • empire
  • multiplayer
  • building
  • economy
  • tactical
  • real-time

3

Snake Clash! (2023)

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94
Review score
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Android IOS iPhone PC Windows Mac OS

Snake Clash is the ULTIMAE SNAKE IO GAME! Hunt down snakes with lower levels than yours to become bigger and more powerful. Fight against players from around the world to claim your spot on the leaderboard.


  • diplomacy
  • grand-strategy
  • turn-based
  • wargame
  • immersive
  • strategy
  • 4x
  • military
  • snake
  • character
  • cooperative
  • must-play
  • card
  • historical
  • real-time

4

Airships: Conquer the Skies (2018)

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93
Review score
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Linux PC Windows Mac OS

Construct mighty steampunk airships and fly them into battle, waging war and conquering the skies!


  • grand-strategy
  • real-time
  • naval
  • steampunk
  • strategy
  • i
  • wargame
  • 4x
  • authentic
  • pvp
  • data-driven
  • cooperative
  • mech
  • combat
  • tanks

5

Nexus 5X (2024)

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92
Review score
Logo of Nexus 5X

PC Windows

eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate, EXPRESS. All of the depth, diplomacy, conflict and conquest of a turn-based 4X epic but played in fast-paced 60-minute competitive sessions. Play Solo or Multiplayer for 2-8 players.

Buy

  • turn-based
  • 4x
  • board-game
  • diplomacy
  • science
  • tabletop
  • strategy
  • pvp
  • team
  • space
  • multiplayer
  • cooperative
  • sci-fi
  • management

6

Police Simulator - Cops Duty (2024)

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92
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows Android

Get your adrenaline pumping with the CHASE DOWN. Respond to a high-speed chase involving a rogue vehicle on a relentless rampage. Get behind the wheel of your squad car, chase down the criminal with tactical precision and professional driving skills. Boost your accuracy and master your weapon.


  • diplomacy
  • grand-strategy
  • turn-based
  • wargame
  • immersive
  • 4x
  • strategy
  • military
  • character
  • tactical
  • cooperative
  • simulation
  • card
  • historical
  • real-time

7

Reshaping Mars (2023)

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90
Review score
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PC Windows

In Reshaping Mars, you play as a bold and meticulous base commander tasked with transforming the barren planet into a habitable one. Using a real terrain database, you must mine, build, and manage resources to create a thriving civilization. Manage the behavior of your inhabitants, climb the technology ladder, and engage in production. Once the ecological cycle is formed, the power of nature will help you further complete the transformation to habitability. With different story backgrounds, you can experience exciting new journeys. Enjoy the unique journey of navigating Mars as a pioneer!

Buy

What we like:
  • Good idea with potential for development
  • Fun gameplay mechanics
  • Lots of content and replay value
  • Androids increase productivity
  • Worth the price tag
What could be improved:
  • Performance: lag and stuttering
  • Unnecessary money system
  • Annoying notifications that can't be turned off
  • Production chains are unbalanced
  • Mining abilities are limited with no option to tunnel
  • Needs more fundamental work for deeper gameplay

  • 4x
  • mars
  • colony
  • base-building
  • grand-strategy
  • strategy
  • simulation
  • building
  • real-time
  • space
  • resource-management
  • management
  • futuristic
  • mineral
  • chain

8

Conquest of Elysium 5 (2021)

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89
Review score
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Linux Mac OS PC Windows

Conquest of Elysium 5 is a quick turn based fantasy strategy game with a touch of rogue-like. The game is full of depth, details and monsters. There are also a huge number of factions, each with its own unique gameplay and magic rituals.

Buy

  • rogue-like
  • 4x
  • magic
  • moddable
  • fantasy
  • strategy
  • asynchronous
  • medieval
  • procedural
  • turn-based
  • cooperative
  • multiplayer
  • local
  • exploration
  • randomly-generated

9

Endless Space 2 (2016)

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88
Review score
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Mac OS PC Windows

Endless Space 2 is a Strategic Space Opera, featuring the compelling “just one more turn” gameplay, set in the mysterious Endless universe. As the leader of your civilization, will you impose your vision and build the greatest stellar empire?


  • 4x
  • empire
  • strategy
  • turn-based
  • economy

10

Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim (2022)

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86
Review score
Logo of Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim Screenshot of Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim Screenshot of Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim Screenshot of Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim

Mac OS PC Windows

Build an empire in a single sitting. All the strategy of a classic 4X in a faster format, which also shines in multiplayer.


  • hex
  • 4x
  • grand-strategy
  • turn-based
  • asynchronous
  • tactical
  • economy
  • strategy
  • historical
  • grid
  • tabletop
  • management
  • board-game
  • resource-management
  • multiplayer

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