Sid Meier's Civilization is without a doubt one of, if not the quintessential 4X video game series of history. But its next entry, Civilization 7, while confirmed to be in development, still feels long way away from its release. While Sid Meier's Civilization VI is the no-brainer game to play while waiting for more news and the subsequent release of its long-awaited sequel, we do have some suggested game titles that you might want to try just to mix things up a bit. In this list, we give you five 4X game titles that you should play while waiting for the release of Civilization 7.
5. Shadow Empire
We start with perhaps the least known about in the list. Shadow Empire looks closer to Civilization II than Civilization VI, which means it's ideal for long-time fans of the series who might want to take a step back and play the old-school feel of Civilization while also enjoying some modern improvements and features. For example, Shadow Empire has the Advisors system that has since become obsolete in recent Civilization games. It's also no Alpha Centauri or Beyond Earth, as this game offers a completely different premise aside from humanity's first attempts at intergalactic colonization. The player takes control of a warlord looking to expand his influence and territory following the collapse of a galactic republic, using the power vacuum to carve their own place in space.
Developed by VR Designs and published by Slitherine Ltd., Shadow Empire was released exclusively on PC via Steam on June 4, 2020, with a fairly recent released DLC that focuses on bodies of water called Shadow Empires: Oceania.
4. Stellaris
I would have recommended Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings but felt that for the interest of cleansing the palate, Stellaris is the more appropriate recommendation from the backyard of Paradox Interactive. While Civilization invented the 4X genre, Paradox carved its own niche and develop its own subgenre: the grand strategy role-playing game. While many gamers who aren't that familiar with turn-based empire-building strategy games would already consider Civilization to be quite complex, Stellaris and its ilk are exponentially more, requiring time and effort to learn its systems and mechanics before setting forth for an actual game session. Stellaris adds more fun to the usual grand strategy gameplay by actually giving players the chance to explore different galaxies and star systems for them to interact. But be warned – it's not for the faint of heart. So, if following the lives and stories of intergalactic spacefaring aliens while trading, exploring, and developing new cool tech in space might sound too daunting, you might want to skip this and head to the next entry. In any case, this game looks stunning, even after seven years since its release date.
Stellaris was developed and published by Paradox Interactive for the PC through Steam and GOG on May 9, 2016, and later on followed up with a console release for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on February 26, 2019. A less daunting, more portable version available on mobile called Stellaris: Galaxy Command is also available.
3. Old World
If you like the roleplaying aspect of Paradox's games but still want something more manageable to play like your typical 4X games, then Old World is the game for you. It's actually made by developers who also worked on Civilization IV, so you'll see places here and there where the two have similarities. But the biggest difference between Old World and other 4X games is that Old World actually stays in the ancient and classical periods of history, following the bloodline of a civilization leader that you choose at the start. Like real people and unlike in Civilization, the leader you choose actually ages, goes through life, and dies. This allows for some politicking to take place within and outside of your empire, which adds an interesting twist to what have, for some time, become a stale formula of 4X games.
If you'd like to try this game out, Old World was developed by Mohawk Games and was released on PC through Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG since July 1, 2021.
2. Humankind
In case you want an experience that sticks more closely to the more recent Civilization games, then Humankind offers a polished and improved experience that at times felt like the developers were playing it too safe in terms of innovation. In any case, Humankind felt like it was the natural evolution of your traditional 4X games when it first launched, with players still going through different eras all the while exploring, exploiting, expanding, and exterminating their opponents. Its biggest departure from the Civilization formula exists in the form of its city-building aspects that borrows heavily from other games previously made by developers Amplitude Studios like Endless Space and Endless Legend, where the game world is divided into large chunks of land called territories, and players can only found one city in every territory, then adding structures around the city center until you have a large metropolis crawling with life, industry, and economic activities. Finally, Humankind also gives players a chance to mold their civilization as they move through eras by allowing them to choose between ten different civilization types, each with its own traits. This lets players be more adaptable based on the environment they find themselves in and react to their situation more flexibly.
Humankind, developed by Amplitude Studios and published by Sega, has been out on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store since August 17, 2021, with a console release sighted at the horizon.
1. Age of Wonders 4
Age of Wonders 4 is the most recent game in this list, while also what we think is the best game to play while waiting for Civilization 7 to finally come out. It's a departure from the grounded approach of Civilization games that sticks to history and reality, so if you're more into that then maybe Old World or Humankind is more suited to you. But to those who are not afraid to get their hands dirty with some magic and fantasy, then there's a lot to be enjoyed in Age of Wonders 4. From balancing to gameplay mechanics, Age of Wonders 4 has been universally praised by critics for its sound game design and amazing gameplay experience. Perhaps the most interesting feature that Age of Wonders 4 added to the 4X recipe that got me hooked to it is its cross-session progression. Similar to roguelikes, which, if you think about it is every 4X game thanks to its procedurally-generated content, your performance in one run will carry over and have some effects to your next run. This makes it feel like every run of Age of Wonders 4 actually contributes to something bigger, if only for the fact that it makes your next run all the cooler.
Age of Wonders 4 came out on PC through Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store, as well as PlayStation and Xbox, on May 3, 2023.
And that's our list of our recommended 5X games you should play while waiting for the release of Civilization 7. As of this moment, we don't have a confirmation yet on when the game will actually come out, but as much as we love playing the games we've just recommended, I do hope that the wait won't be that long. Sometimes, you just want to go back to your first love (in gaming), you know?
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