Best Strategy Games That Focus On Building Criminal Empires, Ranked

Games that allow their players to control a criminal empire present a power fantasy that is unmatched. One of the biggest crime games out there is Grand Theft Auto, which is primarily an action-adventure experience. But there are gamers who crave a more dedicated experience that focuses on the strategies of maintaining their enterprise. Some of the best strategy games with a criminal element have a nice balance between rival gang takeovers, property management, relationship building, and law evasion.

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10 Best Games Where You Create and Manage A Criminal Empire, Ranked

Creating and managing an illicit empire can be very rewarding in video games. These titles offer some of the best experiences.

Thankfully, there exists a niche of criminal-focused strategy games just like this. The criminal strategy genre of video games has been largely underserved for some time, and its players are always looking out for new experiences. Below is a list of the best strategy games that allow players to build a flourishing criminal empire.

8

Empire Of Sin

The Perfect Starting Point For Crime Strategy Gaming

Released

December 1, 2020

Developer(s)

Romero Games

Empire of Sin is a crime strategy game set in the 1920s prohibition era. The game is one of the most aesthetically pleasing within this genre, with a sleek noir-style tint. Its presentation alone draws players into the world of crime management, with scenes that involve the player sitting down with a number of contacts for important conversations.

The game focuses heavily on combat, with an isometric view of the action. There are RPG turn-based mechanics here, with many of the combat scenarios based on RNG (random number generation). Players must strategically take out enemy rackets before raiding their depo for a takeover.

Empire of Sin is probably the best gateway strategy sim for newcomers to the genre, but there’s little content here to keep players invested for the long haul. Within eight to 10 hours, players can experience everything that the game has to offer.

7

All In The Game: Crime Strategy

An Early Access Title With Multiplayer Modes

• Released: June 25, 2024
• Genre: Turn-based strategy
• System: PC
• Publisher: Strangelet Games

All in the Game is a 4x turn-based strategy game that sees players go from running a small-time street gang to a big-time criminal enterprise. It also supports multiplayer, which is a super-rare feature in the crime strategy genre.

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All In The Game lets players recruit gang members, organize robberies, claim turf, sell drugs and set up protection rackets around the city. When players earn too much money, they’ll also have to deal with IRS tax audits. As for progression, there are many pathways for players to go down, like becoming a drug cartel or political rebels.

All In The Game released in 2024 but is still an early-access title. It has a mostly positive response, and players are enthusiastic about the game’s future. Strangelet Games responds to feedback and has so far supported the game well. The potential is there for All In The Game to become the de facto crime strategy game upon its full release, but even in its early access state, it offers a great criminal strategy experience.

6

Definitely Not Fried Chicken

This Is What Breaking Bad Feels Like

• Released: September 29, 2023
• Genre: Management & Strategy
• System: PC
• Developer: Dope Games
• Publisher: Silver Lining Interactive

Fans of AMC’s Breaking Bad love this game. Definitely Not Fried Chicken lets players operate a chicken shop with a twist. Players can grow a flourishing drug trade while using the chicken shop as a front business, just like Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad.

Not only do players have to manage the factory workers looking after the goods, but they also have to manage the legitimate business, too. This adds balance to the game, making it addictive and satisfying. There are many challenges to maintaining both the legal and illegal sides of the business, like preventing break-ins and keeping up with orders. In a genre dominated by the mobster aesthetic, Definitely Not Fried Chicken is a nice change from the norm.

5

Omerta: City Of Gangsters

A Decent Crime Strategy Sim With Some Frustrating RNG

• Developer: Haemimont Games
• Publisher: Kalypso Media Digital

Omerta: City of Gangsters is a mobster simulation game with turn-based strategy combat and developed by the people behind Tropico 4. Set in the 1920s, this game gives players the rags-to-riches feeling of coming fresh off the boat and building a successful criminal syndicate in Atlantic City.

The game has combat mechanics, but this aspect could have benefited from a more turn-based approach as the combat can be slightly buggy, with characters clipping through the environment. Despite this, there are many management scenarios to enjoy, such as building relationships, shaking down property owners, and bribing law enforcement. One thing about the game is that it will force players to keep a notepad close by, as they’ll have to do some math to ensure some business deals they cut are beneficial to their business.

This game also has a significant amount of RNG to combat outcomes, which can infuriate players and ruin the element of strategy — but for others, that randomization element can keep things fresh.

4

Cartel Tycoon

Takeover An Entire Island

• Released: March 18, 2021
• Systems: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
• Genre: Strategy
• Developer: Moon Moose
• Publisher: tinyBuild

Cartel Tycoon is a game about fighting for the position of the number one cartel on an island. The game will challenge players to control pipelines. For example, a player can ship their products through the airfield, but there’s a limit on how much players can push. This means that players will also need to lock down other methods of shipping, like sending it out through ports.

Players will be competing with a number of cartels who also have the same idea, adding a significant challenge to their rise to the top. There are plenty of obstacles players need to monitor, such as packaging products, dealing with warehouses raided by police, and laundering money through banks without overflowing them. There are so many things that can go wrong, forcing players to think strategically while under pressure.

3

Weedcraft Inc

It’s Not Wrong If It’s For Medicinal Purposes, Right?

• Released: April 11, 2019
• Systems: PS5, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC & Mac
• Genre: Strategy
• Developer: Vile Monarch
• Publisher: Devolver Digital

Weedcraft Inc is another tycoon-inspired game centered on producing a weed-selling empire. At its core, it’s a management sim, giving players the ability to grow and distribute various strands of marijuana. The game is extremely detail-oriented, with realistic strands of weed.

Not only that, but as a weed distributor, players can influence law changes and create marketing campaigns to change the perception of weed. They can even push for medical marijuana legislation.

Players will lose hours trying to outdo the competition because it’s an uphill grind to best a rival, only for that rival to be replaced by a newcomer. Still, the game is charmingly addictive and features a super-relaxing soundtrack to keep players as calm as some freshly baked brownies.

2

Gangsters: Organized Crime

The OG Of This Genre

• Genre: Strategy
• Developer: Hothouse Creations
• Publishers: Eidos, Square Enix

When it comes to crime-based strategy, Gangsters: Original Crime is the OG in the genre. Some call this 1998 game the greatest crime strategy game to ever exist. Sadly, it’s such an old game that it takes some effort to make the game functional on modern setups. Still, it was impossible not to include it on this list.

The game is a mixture of real-time strategy and turn-based action, with each gameplay segment broken down into a week. At the start of the week, players decide which orders to give their lieutenants, and it shows in real-time what those lieutenants got up to during that week. For its time, the game went into so much detail that every single building had an owner and a purpose. Murders were even investigated by the local police or FBI. Sometimes, reporters even show up at crime scenes.

Gangsters: Organized Crime is available to purchase on GoG, but buyers should prepare to look for fixes to get the game running on a modern OS. Fans of the game believe it’s worth the effort for those who love this genre. There’s also a 2001 sequel called Gangsters 2 Vendetta, which is harder to find but equally as good. These games would greatly benefit from a remaster or remake.

1

City Of Gangsters

The Don Of This Genre Currently

Crime

Management

Strategy

Systems

Released

August 9, 2021

Developer(s)

SomaSim

Publisher(s)

Kasedo Games

City of Gangsters is the Football Manager of crime strategy. Players sink hundreds of hours into this game as it’s the closest thing to Gangsters: Organized Crime on the market. Like many of the popular crime strategy games, City of Gangsters is set during the prohibition era.

The player arrives in Atlantic City with a connection to the local crime families and must grind their way to the top through any means necessary. Much of this is done by developing relationships with the local working class so they’ll allow players to sell illicit goods and services.

City of Gangsters focuses on the micromanagement aspects of running an enterprise and less on street-level violence. The UI resembles the ones in Civilization, with clean, readable pop-up menus. There are many intricate mechanics at play here, encouraging players to keep starting over from scratch to improve each playthrough.

In a niche that’s extremely underserved, City of Gangsters is the go-to crime strategy game to scratch that itch.

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