10 Games You Should Play If You Love Civilization 6

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI was the game that kept on gaming, with dozens of DLC, including expansions that completely revolutionized gameplay. Yet most longtime fans have probably played just about every scenario imaginable in the 6+ years since its initial release. And understandably, some people don’t want to shell out extra money for DLC.

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If you absolutely loved Civilization VI, there are plenty of strategy games out there centered around building up your very own society. Economics, research, culture, and warfare feature heavily in these 10 games you’re sure to enjoy.

10
Crusader Kings 3

If you can’t get enough Medieval action, this work of art from Paradox Development Studio is for you. Spend hours developing a unique culture and religion, or expand your realm through warfare or intrigue. The only real rule in CK3 is to keep your family dynasty alive and flourishing.

This game can be a little too open-ended for some players, but others can find great satisfaction in that level of freedom. Just be sure to play the tutorial first, and watch out for hovering tooltips! The information they provide can be game-changing.

9
Total War: Rome 2

Players should check out Creative Assembly’s iconic Total War franchise for more intricate warfare and less focus on managing an empire. Rome II can be particularly exhilarating for history and culture buffs. Combat is highly complex, with many different battle types in addition to diverse strategies.

As the name implies, Total War: Rome II focuses more on warfare than anything else. Although there are some fun diplomatic and political elements, your culture is obviously going to be Roman. If you want more freedom to develop a unique society, plenty of other options exist.

8
Stellaris

This is another excellent game from Paradox. In Stellaris, you lead a civilization that’s just discovered faster-than-light travel, to explore the galaxy as well as develop your people. How you expand, build your economy and culture, and interact with alien lifeforms is almost entirely up to you.

Like other games from Paradox, Stellaris is highly open-ended in terms of how you develop your civilization. This boosts the game’s replay value substantially since there are seemingly endless combinations of government ethics, species traits, and origins to experiment with.

7
Age of Empires 4

Relic Entertainment’s AOE 4 quickly became a fan favorite in the franchise. If you’ve played any of the previous installations, you’ll be extremely familiar with many of the mechanics in the new game. But there are also several new gameplay features that entirely change warfare and economics.

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The biggest change going from Civ 6 to AOE 4 is learning to deal with real-time decisions. Hotkeys are your best friend for that, and the tooltips in-game can help you identify which hotkeys you’ll need to use the most.

6
Old World

This turn-based strategy game from Mohawk Games is extremely similar to Civilization VI, which really should be no surprise as the lead designer also designed Civilization IV. Old World doesn’t span nearly the same length of time as those epic games, but it makes up for that with complexity.

The gameplay is similar to Civilization, but Old World has a strong dynastic element and more storytelling than the traditional nation-builder game. Properly educating your heirs is as important as developing your lands and armies.

5
Star Wars: Empire At War

There are many reasons to love Petroglyph Games’ classic Star Wars RTS game: whether for the simple planet-side skirmishes, or the epic space battles between massive fleets. Empire at War also supported online battles between up to 8 players, a feature which has since been re-continued on Steam’s services.

Of course, no Star Wars game would be complete without Force-users. In Empire at War you can recruit and command several of your favorite classic characters, such as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, depending on what side you choose.

4
Anno 1800

Although more of a city-building than an empire-building game, Ubisoft Blue Byte’s Anno 1800 still has everything Civilization fans could want. One of the best new features in this installment is seeing how industrialization negatively or positively affects your population. Build an industrial dystopia, or a utopian paradise if you can.

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War also features prominently in Anno 1800, although it’s rather limited to naval combat. But the core gameplay revolves around your people’s consumption of goods in the Old World and your colony’s corresponding production of goods in the New World.

3
Total War: Warhammer 3

Creative Assembly’s third entry in the Total War franchise, Warhammer III has excellent graphics and a surprisingly well-rounded tutorial that will teach you everything you need to know. That makes this game extremely enjoyable, even if you aren’t a Warhammer buff.

There are several playable races in Total War: Warhammer 3, and each has a drastically different kind of culture and technology/magic. And with more DLC still being released, now’s a perfect time to get into this spectacular game!

2
Age of Mythology

Although it never got a sequel, Ensemble Studios’ Age of Mythology has been one of the most popular RTS games for over 20 years. The classic gameplay is complemented very well by the ability to mould your culture to suit particular styles. Worship different gods to empower your armies, mythological beasts, and more.

Age of Mythology also had some DLC, greatly increasing its replay value. Early on, there was an additional Greek pantheon with the Titans, and more recently, an expansion was developed to add a Chinese pantheon.

1
Europa Universalis 4

The latest game in Paradox’s fabled Europa Universalis series came out nearly a decade ago. It’s still one of the best grand strategy games out there, allowing players to take control of just about any country in the world between the 15th and 19th centuries.

Like other Paradox games, Europa Universalis IV is extremely complex. Even from Civ 6, it’s quite a big step-up, so taking things slow at first is advisable. But if you enjoyed mastering the complexities of managing vast resources in Civilization, you’ll love this game.

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