Need a game likeStellaris for your space conqueror fix? We got you covered.
Stellaris injected new life into the space strategy genre, but it is hardly the only spacefaring war game out there.
People have been establishing despotic machine states and peaceful federations for years thanks to a wide variety of space 4x games each offering a different way to colonize the stars.
Here are some games similar to Stellaris that have given the player control of a species to groom, a home planet to turn into a fortress, and a warp drive to discover the stars.
10. Star Ruler 2
Star Ruler 2 Gameplay
Colonize the stars with one of seven races in this 4X-RTS, or make your own species using a creative and detailed species builder. Rule over hundreds of star systems with a space armada that you build from the ground up.
Star Ruler 2’s shipbuilding system allows you to craft every ship in your armada down to the smallest details, including the size and shape of certain subsystems.
Incredibly, this game is completely open sourced, meaning members of the community are constantly improving the game.
Ship Design: Star Ruler 2 has an in-depth ship builder with the ability to control every detail of your subsystems, engines, and weapons to provide maximum efficiency.
Test Drive: Send your ships on important missions and put their systems to use in battle.
9. Starsector
Starsector Gameplay
More of an RPG and star fighter game than a 4x strategy game, this open world space adventure game builds a narrative as your captain and crew interact with the chaotic cosmos.
The characters on your ship encounter dilemmas and stunning narratives build as each encounter strengthens or weakens your crew. Although the game is not exactly a 4x title, there are some grand strategy elements such as diplomacy and trade.
Ships can be manually controlled in an exciting top-down battle stage where the player’s split second decisions can be the difference between life and death for your pilots. If you love Stellaris and want to see it close up, Starsector will not disappoint.
Open World Space RPG: Your ship’s crew is incredibly important, and you can level them up to be the best crew in space.
Space Battles: Combat plays out in a 2D phase with lots of quick maneuvers and phaser fire.
8. Endless Space
Endless Space Gameplay
Endless Space is a turn-based 4x game that allows you control over every aspect of your growing space empire. No 4x game offers as in-depth of a leader system, whose traits and bonuses give your empire personality.
For a 4x game with lots of details, the empire management is actually streamlined extremely well. But managing the resources and infrastructure of your empire will mean nothing if you cannot defend it: in Endless Space you can outwit your opponent using unique battle tactics.
The battle sequences, shown in this let’s play, dazzle the senses with exploding weapons, fantastic environments, and massive starships and plays out according to your chosen strategy.
Battle Decisions: Space battles are the real deal in Endless Space, with the ability to plan your attack in different phases and watch the action in a stunning cinematic short.
Colonize the Stars: Carefully choose the planets you wish to call home, for not all will have a welcoming environment.
7. Endless Space 2
Endless Space 2 Gameplay
Endless Space 2 is a continuation of the themes and strategies employed in the turn-based 4x gameplay of Endless Space. The graphics in the battles have improved ten fold – the particle effects and clarity makes it seem like the battles are actually real. Management mechanics, already streamlined in Endless Space, are perfected, adding new content while managing to remain smooth and fun to play. Slide into Amplified Reality view to see all of the important information about a star system at a glance, while new traits and heroes bolster your star empire’s bureaucracy.
Unique Factions: Endless Space 2 galaxies develop organic rivals and conflicts between an array of unique factions in the Endless universe.
Sharpening the Stars The galaxy view in Endless Space 2 is clearer and easier to read, making your grand strategy easier to plan.
6. Galactic Civilizations III
Galactic Civilizations III Gameplay
Galactice Civilizations III is one of the largest space strategy games, and offers a diverse cast of factions to choose from with which to conquer the galaxy. With a galaxy based on our very own, the scenarios spin a believable future where humans are just another alien species, and every playthrough will be different thanks to randomized events that provide flavor and surprise. Galactic Civilizations III has reached its zenith with its third and final expansion: Intrigue. The tile-based planets have been retooled to focus on city growth, making for less laborious planet development. Incredible cut scenes play at the discovery of each anomaly, heightening the sense of exploration and wonder.
Unique Universe: Interact with dozens of unique factions all trying to carve out their own little corner of the galaxy.
5. Distant Worlds: Universe
Distant Worlds: Universe Gameplay
One of the most dense and complex space strategy games ever created, Distant Worlds: Universe offers the grittiest details and strategies of managing a star empire. The galaxy and everything in it can be built to exact specifications, with over 20 races and different time periods to choose from. The game speaks a scientific language, with mountains of data and even an organic economy with both a public and private sector. This is more than just a great 4x game, it is a space empire simulator.
Space Sim: Distant Worlds lets you manage every aspect of life in space, including fine-tuning your relations with your neighbors.
Paint the Stars: Rule over many star systems, but don't be too rude to your neighbors or they may gang up on you.
4. Star Ruler
Star Ruler Gameplay
Star Ruler is a 4x space strategy game that built the core mechanics that make Star Ruler II so great, including the engrossing ship builder. Star Ruler has a particularly inventive technology tree that generates multifaceted and unexpected effects. The balance between management and action is well executed, and although it is one of the larger 4x game, there are not too many panels cluttering the screen. The game has great support and over 30 patches have turned the game into a strategic goldmine.
A Busy Galactic Neighborhood: Star Ruler contains hundreds of procedurally generated star systems that each make up part of a fragile and war-prone galactic ecosystem.
Manage the Details: Scroll in to see the minutia of your space empire and its every day routines.
3. Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth
Beyond Earth Gameplay
Beyond Earth is a hex-based colony sim and strategy game that takes the core gameplay of Civilization 5 and puts it on an alien planet. The player controls the growth of a space colony and competes with other colonies on the planet for resources and space. Barbarians from Civ 5 are alien war bands and sea monsters; enemy empires are rival colonies from different parts of Earth. Carve out your identity on the map and establish yourself as the dominant culture on this brave new world.
Space Civilizations: Beyond Earth gives you the opportunity to spread human culture in an exotic world and bring the cities of humankind into the galaxy.
Cleanse the Planet: Your new home might have a few alien infestations. Root them out to make way for your colony.
2. Eons of War
Eons of War Gameplay Preview
Coming in May 2019, Eons of War will be a brand new take on the turn-based space strategy genre. The game moves fast compared to the other entries in this list and your empire stretches quickly through the galaxy. The galaxy in Eons of War evolves quickly over time, with shifting asteroid fields, exploding stars, and hyperlane tunnels bursting from enemy star systems. This game could shoot a breath of fresh air into the space strategy genre and offer a new vision for the genre.
Star Defense: Star systems become absorbed into empires quickly as you hurtle towards an inevitable conflict with an unseen enemy.
Galactic Chess: Blaze through star systems to quickly gain a strategic advantage in the galaxy.
1. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion®
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion Gameplay
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is the final incarnation of one of the best 4x space strategy games in which the goal is to rule the stars with an Empire of your own creation. The first Sins of a Solar Empire introduced real time elements into the traditionally dense and difficult to learn space 4x games. The ships move in real time and the sense of scale as a player zooms through star systems gives a godlike feeling. Rebellion, the final evolution of Sins of a Solar Empire, adds new capital ships for each race, including monolithic “titans” that can swing entire wars in your favor. Much of Stellaris’ design and approach to portraying space empires comes directly from this game.
Impregnable Space Fortress: Titans are the cornerstone of a good fleet in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, and it can take entire fleets to destroy one.
Interstellar Politics: Carefully groom your friends and set others against your enemies as you vy for the most influence.
