Games like Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

96% positive from 2,868 reviewsReleased 2007Steam Deck Unsupported

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword on Steam

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword screenshot

What it is

This is a turn-based strategy game focused on empire building. Players manage civilizations through history, expanding territory and developing technology.

What players liked

Players say it's the peak of accessible strategy games, superior to later Civ titles and Paradox games, praised for its deep strategy and balanced gameplay.

The catch

Fights are lost even when the displayed combat odds are overwhelmingly in your favour.

Why it is here

It is here because it sits in the band this site looks at: well reviewed at 96% positive, but with 2,868 reviews, far fewer than the household names carry.

View Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword on Steam

More like this: 4X Turn-Based Turn-Based Strategy Historical

Six games like Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete

89% positive from 7,713 reviews2006Deck Unsupported

Turn-based strategy game. Build an empire through exploration, expansion, and technological advancement.

What players likedPlayers praise Civ III as the best in the series, offering immersive, addictive gameplay and strategic depth that newer titles lack.

Both are tagged 4X, Historical and Turn-Based Strategy.

Games like Sid Meier's Civilization® III Complete →

Sid Meier's Civilization® IV

92% positive from 3,620 reviews2006Deck Playable

Turn-based strategy game where players build and manage a civilization through history. Core loop involves exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination.

What players likedPlayers praise Civ IV as a better version of Civ III, with great gameplay, an iconic soundtrack, and addicting fun.

The catchIt crashes constantly on modern Windows and can corrupt saves so they will not load.

Both are tagged 4X, Historical and Turn-Based Strategy.

Games like Sid Meier's Civilization® IV →

Oriental Empires

81% positive from 2,991 reviews20171% finish itDeck Playable

A grand strategy game where players build an empire from a single settlement through development, diplomacy, and large-scale battles on a detailed map. It focuses on historical Chinese civilization building and conquest.

The catchBattles play out on their own with random results no matter how strong your army.

Both are tagged 4X, Historical and Turn-Based.

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Ozymandias: Bronze Age Empire Sim

88% positive from 1,646 reviews2022Deck Playable

A streamlined Bronze Age 4X empire sim with a single-choice objective system and abstracted combat. Players strategically expand, build, and defend across historical maps.

What players likedPlayers praise it as a quicker, smoother 4X strategy game, often compared to a streamlined Civilization or "Beer and Pretzel" wargame.

The catchIt is a shallow board game rather than a 4X, with no exploration or diplomacy.

Both are tagged 4X, Historical and Turn-Based Strategy.

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Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization

87% positive from 1,543 reviews2008Deck Playable

This is a 4X strategy game where players colonize the New World, manage resources, and fight for independence. It features historical figures and diplomacy with natives and other nations.

What players likedPlayers praise it as a deep experience, akin to a "Colonization II" with the We The People mod, offering a unique take on the Civ IV engine.

The catchPlayers who know the 1994 original find this remake clunkier and less fun.

Both are tagged 4X, Historical and Turn-Based Strategy.

Games like Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization →

The Battle of Polytopia

95% positive from 3,271 reviews2020Deck Verified

Turn-based civilization-building strategy game. Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate to conquer a procedurally generated world.

What players likedPlayers praise "The Battle of Polytopia" as a simplified, fast, and accessible "Civilization"-like 4X strategy game with surprising depth.

The catchA few tribes are badly overpowered, and matches against them feel decided in advance.

Both are tagged 4X, Turn-Based Strategy and Turn-Based.

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