The Best Games That Let You Manage a Medieval Kingdom

Summary

• Banished is a top historical city builder, focusing on micro-management of a medieval settlement.
• Anno 1404 offers an addictive blend of kingdom management, population growth, and resource balancing.
• Crusader Kings 3 provides players with near-total freedom in managing a vast familial dynasty.

The Medieval period has had a stranglehold over the gaming world for as long as it has existed. In particular, grand strategy and real-time strategy games love returning to the Medieval world because of the thrill of managing an entire kingdom in a world dominated by court intrigue, chivalry, and brutal melee combat, as well as the evolution of the world we live in today.

Whether it’s building a kingdom from scratch out of nothing but the sweat on a peasant’s back or managing a centuries-old dynasty, there are plenty of great games that let gamers manage their very own kingdom.

8

Banished

Out In The Sticks

When Banished was released in 2014, the town builder subgenre was struggling to garner much attention. However, the game’s enduring popularity, as well as taking the actual business of managing a Medieval settlement to its most microelements, has had a profound influence on the genre and made the game one of the best historical city builders ever made.

Players begin Banished with a few peasants in the wilderness with nothing to their name. Players need to think fast to provide shelter and essential resources, as well as get crops in the ground so food stores can be topped up before winter. It’s a brutal cycle, but incredibly satisfying, particularly when a tiny hovel turns into a thriving city.

7

Anno 1404

Back In Time

The Anno series, despite having its fans, has always been overshadowed by the other strategy giants. This is unfair, as the Anno games have been a consistently great time that continue to develop the city-builder subgenre further. Anno 1404 is no exception and is a great introduction to the franchise as a whole.

Starting on a remote island, players must build up a Medieval kingdom from scratch, balancing increasing populations, demands, and services, with the availability of critical resources that may not demand war and trade. It’s an addictive balancing act that can make a quick play session turn into a marathon.

6

Medieval 2: Total War

Chivalrous Chevauchée

The Total War franchise has certainly had its ups and downs over its long life, but one of the better entries was Medieval 2: Total War, which brought the series back to the Medieval setting after its first foray back in 2002. While the Total War series made its name with the Shogun games, the specifics of Medieval warfare make it such a good setting for the franchise’s core mechanics.

While Medieval 2: Total War allows players to have control over units in battle, it also features a comprehensive macro management situation where armies and settlements need to be turned into a productive economy to fuel warfare. It’s an intricate set of interlocking systems that makes it one of the best games Creative Assembly has put out.

5

Farthest Frontier

Staking A Claim

As massive dev studios turned away from strategy games and city-builders, the indie world stepped up and began to deliver experiences that were tailor-made for the hardcore. Farthest Frontier, while still in early access, is a great example of these kingdom management games that are built out of love for a decades-old genre.

Clearly inspired by the likes of Anno and Banished, Farthest Frontier sees the player attempt to manage and grow a settlement in the wilderness, facing off against bandits, natural threats, and even the problem of crop rotations, as well as town management and infrastructure. It’s a hardcore game that requires constant attention, but even in early access, it’s one of the best kingdom management games around.

4

Stronghold 2

Behind Stone Walls

Firefly Studios is a quiet but venerated dev studio that has dedicated its creative output to the Stronghold series in all its incarnations. While several Stronghold games could take a spot on this list, Stronghold 2 remains a fan favorite and a great example of the franchise at its best.

As a lord who looks over their domain from a newly acquired castle, players must build up their settlement to have a thriving economy and a judicious military to defend from a variety of attacks that will inevitably be thrown the player’s way. Though critical reception was mixed, the game has built up a quiet but strong fanbase with massive nostalgia for Firefly’s particular brand of kingdom management.

3

Manor Lords

Lord Of Thy Castle

While Farthest Frontier may have beaten Manor Lords to the early access market, it’s hard to deny the sheer brilliance of Manor Lords, which not only excels in the city-builder part of a kingdom management game but also in real-time strategy sections that rival the design of the Total War series.

What makes Manor Lords most exciting is that it’s not even in its final form yet, and it competes with the very best of the genre. The solo developer Grzegorz Styczeń opted to take on the giants of the genre, and so far, he is putting them to shame. The final release of Manor Lords will be an all-timer.

2

Crusader Kings 3

Forge A Dynasty

It’s easy to imagine the Medieval Period as being short, but depending on the definition, it may have stretched from the 9th Century all the way to the 15th Century. Few games try to encapsulate the sheer scale of that timeline quite like Crusader Kings 3, which focuses on globe-spanning familial dynasties, and it’s a great entry point into the franchise for newcomers.

In the game, players take control of any region on the map, and they are free to do what they wish. If they want their kingdom to span entire continents, they’re welcome to try, or if they want to play tall and have an economic powerhouse, that works too. Crusader Kings 3 offers near-total freedom, making it one of the best kingdom management games for players looking to be let loose in a sandbox and make their own fun.

1

Age of Empires 2

Real-Time Perfection

Frankly, it’s hard to imagine any game dethroning the sheer brilliance of Age of Empires 2. Though it was first released back in 1999, the original game still holds up remarkably well to this day, as evidenced by a 2019 remaster that did very little to the core mechanics and just sharpened up the graphics.

That’s because the game’s central design is nearly flawless. Players must create an industrial kingdom as quickly as they can to fuel a military engine to fight other empires that are doing the exact same thing. Strategy, reflexes, and careful planning result in an insidiously addictive game that remains the very best of the entire franchise.