Best Strategy Games Like Civilization 7

Summary

• Age of Wonders 4 has engaging gameplay & custom factions.
• Humankind influenced Civilization 7 with flexible ages.
• Stellaris is a sci-fi alternative to Civilization 7.

There’s no denying that Civilization 7 has gotten off to a bit of a rocky start with a list of changes needed before it can compete with pre-existing entries. That doesn’t help gamers who want to scratch the strategy itch right now, but worry not; there are plenty of great strategy games out there that are great alternatives to Civilization 7.

Whether it’s the work of the grand strategy publishing maestros at Paradox or different entries into the Civilization franchise itself, there are a lot of strategy games for the intrepid gamer to choose from.

8

Age of Wonders 4

The Scrappy Underdog

In the world of 4X gaming, the Age of Wonders series, despite being one of its elder statesmen, has rarely found the audience it so rightfully deserves, and the newest entry, Age of Wonders 4 is possibly the best it’s ever been with engaging strategy gameplay on every level with a bit of high fantasy thrown in for good measure.

One of the best features of Age of Wonders 4 is the ability to create a custom faction and species that can show up as an AI player in subsequent battles, meaning players can build out their grimoire of factions full of unique culture units. It’s a lot of fun and a great alternative to the Civilization franchise.

7

Humankind

A Competitor and Inspiration

Humankind was a bold move. Civilization has long reigned as the 4X game of choice for gamers worldwide, but some feel that a lack of strong competition keeps Sid Meier’s popular series from evolving. Humankind took up the mantle and decided to try and directly compete with the Civilization games on its merit.

While the results are mixed in the long term, Humankind has clear and cogent game design decisions that have directly influenced Civilization 7, particularly with the flexible ages and evolving factions. With a couple of years of patches and tweaks, Humankind is the best it’s ever been and deserves a shot from jaded Civilization fans.

6

Crusader Kings 3

Create an Epic Dynasty

While the Civilization games are great, they are usually the first step gamers take into the world of strategy gaming. The next step tends to be into Paradox games that ramp up the complexity, but also the richness of game design choices, resulting in games that can have thousands of hours of content.

Though it’s quite different from Civilization 7 in a lot of ways, Crusader Kings 3 is a great place to start as the most beginner-friendly Paradox game that sees the player forge a dynasty over hundreds of years across Medieval Europe with all its warfare, intrigue, diplomacy, and generational wars. It’s a lot of fun for roleplayers and history fans alike.

5

Hearts of Iron 4

The World at War

Where games like Crusader Kings 3 are an easy way into the world of Paradox strategy games, venerable WW2 simulator Hearts of Iron 4 is for the more hardcore contingent who want a war simulation game that doesn’t skimp on the game design details, making it mind-boggling complicated to newcomers, but infinitely rewarding for the players willing to put in the time to figure out how it works.

That’s to say nothing of the immense mod scene of Hearts of Iron 4 that introduces a lot of alternate history scenarios and total conversion mods. If Civilization 7 feels too shallow and the player wants to be challenged further, then Hearts of Iron 4 is the best place to go.

4

Total War: Warhammer 3

Total Chaos

The Total War franchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs over its decades-long lifespan, but it’s perhaps never reached greater popularity than Total War: Warhammer 3, the culmination of the Warhammer trilogy that melds together everything learned from the previous two games, making one of the most infinite, vast, and replayable grand strategy games ever made full of unique factions.

For fans of Civilization, the city-building macro-economic game design is very present here, but it’s infused with a robust war gaming side where units of armies must be individually managed, providing far more control to the player than the abstracted units of Civilization.

3

Europa Universalis 4

The Age of Discovery

If Hearts of Iron 4 is a little too intimidating, then Civilization players may prefer looking into Europa Universalis 4, one of the older Paradox Games still actively supported, but for good reason. Set during the Age of Discovery and going right through to the Napoleonic wars, Europa Universalis 4 lets players forge vast colonial empires, manage economies, and go down great mission trees to some compelling alternate history scenarios.

Despite being a little hostile to new players, the game loop of Europa Universalis 4 comes the closest to mimicking that “just one more turn” mentality of Civilization games, resulting in play sessions that can go well into the night.

2

Stellaris

Ad Astra

While Paradox games are genuinely fantastic, few of them directly compete with the Civilization franchise in the 4X space, except Stellaris. Set in the sci-fi future where galactic empires need to be spun out of nothing, Stellaris comes the closest to meeting the core tenets of 4X game design, mimicking many of the common systems found in Civilization games.

Though it’s more complex than Civilization games, it’s still well worth picking up, particularly if the player is a big fan of the sci-fi world but was left a little cold by Civilization: Beyond Earth. Stellaris is welcoming and provides a whole new frontier for 4X gaming.

1

Civilization 5

The Best of Both Worlds

Sometimes, it’s best to go back to what the player knows best. There are a lot of alternate franchises out there for a Civilization fan to go to, but frankly, if Civilization 7 isn’t hitting the right buttons, there’s a wealth of great games in the very same franchise.

Choosing just one is difficult, but Civilization 5, with all its DLCs and expansions that build out its roster of iconic leaders, is the platonic ideal of the Civilization franchise, retaining the core ideas of the franchise’s DNA while also bringing in modern graphics and UI enhancements. There’s a reason why people still love playing Civilization 5 to this day, and it’s well worth returning to if Civilization 7 was a good time.