Best 4X Games on Steam
Steam currently has 547 4X games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. 4X game rankings were last updated on 5/6/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
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1. STAR WARS™ Empire at War - Gold Pack
Command or corrupt an entire galaxy in the definitive Star Wars strategy collection. It is a time of galactic civil war. Will you take up the reins of the Rebellion, assume control of the Empire, or rule the Star Wars Underworld?
STAR WARS™ Empire at War - Gold Pack holds the #1 spot for "best 4X game on Steam" with a Player Score of 96. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 35,699 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 34,844 positive reviews and 855 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play STAR WARS™ Empire at War - Gold Pack on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 5/25/2010 |
| Developer | Petroglyph |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 32470 |
2. Sid Meier's Civilization® V
Create, discover, and download new player-created maps, scenarios, interfaces, and more!
Sid Meier's Civilization® V has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #2 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 197,289 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 189,693 positive reviews and 7,596 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $29.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Sid Meier's Civilization® V on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $29.99 |
| Release Date | 9/21/2010 |
| Franchise | Civilization Franchise |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 8930 |
3. Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition
Spanning the most turbulent era in Western history, your quest for territory and power takes you through Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and even onto the shores of the New World.
Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #3 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 30,711 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 29,394 positive reviews and 1,317 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 11/15/2006 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 4700 |
4. Against the Storm
A dark fantasy city builder where you must rebuild civilization in the face of apocalyptic rains. As the Queen’s Viceroy, lead humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies to reclaim the wilderness and secure a future for civilization's last survivors.
Against the Storm has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #4 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 24,122 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 22,979 positive reviews and 1,143 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $29.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $29.99 |
| Release Date | 12/8/2023 |
| Franchise | Hooded Horse |
| Developer | Eremite Games |
| Publisher | Hooded Horse |
| Steam App Id | 1336490 |
5. Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Sid Meier's Civilization IV®: Beyond the Sword is the second expansion pack for Civilization IV - the 2005 PC Game of the Year that has become a worldwide hit.
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #5 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,129 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 3,977 positive reviews and 152 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 7/24/2007 |
| Franchise | Civilization Franchise |
| Developer | Firaxis Games |
| Publisher | 2K |
| Steam App Id | 8800 |
6. Airships: Conquer the Skies
Construct mighty steampunk airships and fly them into battle, waging war and conquering the skies!
Airships: Conquer the Skies has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #6 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,417 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,197 positive reviews and 220 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Airships: Conquer the Skies on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $24.99 |
| Release Date | 8/16/2018 |
| Developer | David Stark |
| Publisher | David Stark |
| Steam App Id | 342560 |
7. Rome: Total War™ - Collection
Control and conquer the greatest empire ever known to man.
Rome: Total War™ - Collection has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #7 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 15,576 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 14,728 positive reviews and 848 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $0.00 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Rome: Total War™ - Collection on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 8/28/2007 |
| Developer | CREATIVE ASSEMBLY |
| Publisher | SEGA |
| Steam App Id | 4760 |
8. Warsim: The Realm of Aslona
Warsim is a deep and rich text based kingdom management game unlike anything else. Complete with charming ASCII graphics, navigate the millions of different procedurally generated races, events and areas with a huge emphasis on player choice. Don't let its look fool you, there is depth in every direction.
Warsim: The Realm of Aslona has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #8 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,414 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,372 positive reviews and 42 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Warsim: The Realm of Aslona on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 12/20/2022 |
| Developer | Huw Millward |
| Publisher | Huw Millward |
| Steam App Id | 659540 |
9. Master of Orion 2
Forge an empire in a universe where population growth is stripping away planetary resources. Colonize unknown planets and trade with other races for their knowledge.
Master of Orion 2 has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #9 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,379 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,332 positive reviews and 47 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $5.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Master of Orion 2 on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $5.99 |
| Release Date | 2/25/2016 |
| Franchise | Wargaming Group Ltd. |
| Developer | SimTex |
| Publisher | Wargaming Labs |
| Steam App Id | 410980 |
10. Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion
Command a space-faring empire in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, the new stand-alone expansion that combines 4X depth with real-time strategy gameplay.
Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #10 spot for the best 4X games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 15,523 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 14,470 positive reviews and 1,053 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $39.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $39.99 |
| Release Date | 6/12/2012 |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Stardock Entertainment |
| Steam App Id | 204880 |
More 4X Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best 4X games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1,899 | 5/25/2010 | 96 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 12,583 | 9/21/2010 | 95 | $29.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 2,434 | 11/15/2006 | 94 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,612 | 12/8/2023 | 93 | $29.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,308 | 7/24/2007 | 93 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 56 | 8/16/2018 | 92 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 574 | 8/28/2007 | 92 | ??? | Steam Charts | |
 | 8 | 12/20/2022 | 92 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 115 | 2/25/2016 | 91 | $5.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 551 | 6/12/2012 | 91 | $39.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 189 | 8/4/2020 | 90 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 9,438 | 9/1/2020 | 90 | $49.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 45 | 2/25/2020 | 90 | $5.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 33 | 11/27/2017 | 90 | $39.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 175 | 10/9/2014 | 89 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 570 | 10/25/2006 | 89 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 22 | 6/3/2021 | 89 | $16.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 42 | 12/15/2011 | 88 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 36 | 4/18/2024 | 88 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 8 | 10/10/2016 | 87 | $9.99 | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 6). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 6). STAR WARS™ Empire at War - Gold Pack on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 21). Sid Meier's Civilization® V on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 2). Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 7). Against the Storm on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 21). Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 7). Airships: Conquer the Skies on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, March 23). Rome: Total War™ - Collection on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 29). Warsim: The Realm of Aslona on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, February 29). Master of Orion 2 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 7). Sins of a Solar Empire®: Rebellion on Steam. Steam Store.