Grand strategy game subtopic of strategy games genre in gaming. The main features are warfare, army, diplomacy, internal relations, and detailed economy. These games are more complex than other strategy games because you must focus on a lot of things, and plan your next steps and there’s a lot of fun hidden in the details.
For game developers are a big challenge to create balanced words which will entertain you. In these games, you must be creative and set your own goals. Some of them are based on reality (like word war II or medieval) but you must set if you won’t play like reality or if you create alternative history.
Who makes a grand strategy game?
Grand strategy games aren’t my favorite game genre in the gaming industry. There are just 3 studios which makes GSG in the last years.
- Paradox (Hearts of Iron IV, Crusader Kings III, and more…)
- BattleGoat Studios (Supreme Ruler, Galaxy Ruler)
- Firaxis Games (Civilization VI,…)
Yes, you should say where is Ubisoft which makes series Anno 1800 but games like Anno 1800 aren’t grand strategy these games are identified like city builder.
Are grand strategy games boring?
You’ll probably have to find your way to these games, they’re a bit more complex than other strategy games, but if I had to simplify it that way:
- For players which don’t like strategy games => unfortunately, yes.
- If you are an experienced strategy games player => No, no, no!
What is the difference between 4X and grand strategy?
Grand strategy games are more centric on the nation, empire grows on a limited playing field where you have a lot of information when the game starts so you could focus on your resources. But 4X strategy games are eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate so you must more focus on exploration or expansion.
Yes, the game could be called 4X and a grand strategy game at the same time. But we can’t say that every 4X game is a grand strategy game. But there isn’t exactly a defined border between these topics.
List of grand strategy games
Ordered from newest:
- Terra Invicta (announced)
- Total War: Warhammer 3 (2022)
- Distant Worlds 2 (2022)
- Crusader Kings III (2020)
- Humankind (2020)
- Field of Glory: Empires (2019)
- Total War: WARHAMMER II (2017)
- Stellaris (2016)
- Civilization VI (2016)
- Hearts of Iron IV (2016)
- Europa Universalis IV (2013)
What was the first grand strategy game?
One of the first games which we could call a grand strategy game is Geopolitique 1990 from 1983.
This game wasn’t 3D as we have games now. This game came in an early phase of the gaming industry.
There is let’s play from YouTube:
