Top-Rated Free 4X Games on Steam

10 free 4X games with 500+ reviews and a 70%+ positive rating, newest first.

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CivIdle - Players say: Build a civilization across eras by placing production buildings, researching technologies, and rebirthing for permanent bonuses. Players like: Deep Resource Planning · Long-Term Progression · Idle Background Play ·
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CivIdle is an idle/incremental game that allows you to lead your own civilization through thousands of years from ancient times to the modern era. Expand your territory, explore a vast tech tree, build various wonders, and trade with global players: empire must grow and numbers must go up!

Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES - Players say: Lead a Bronze Age faction from the Aegean to Mesopotamia, managing dynasties and resources before fighting tactical battles. Players like: Large Bronze Age Map · Faction Variety · Resource-Based Trading ·
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Wage total war across the ancient world from the Aegean to Mesopotamia in this free addition to Total War: PHARAOH. Challenge the Bronze Age Collapse by building your own dynasty and leading your faction to victory with new cultures, new units and dramatic new battle mechanics.

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Jul 25, 2024
79% 👍
of 3.9k
Viking Rise - Players say: Lead a Viking tribe in Midgard: build a settlement, gather resources, recruit heroes, and wage real-time land and sea wars. Players like: Viking Atmosphere · Strategy and Teamplay · Settlement Building ·
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Race against other players to explore Valhalla and conquer Midgard!

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May 21, 2024
70% 👍
of 988
Pixel Starships - Players say: Design a pixel-art starship, assign its crew and AI, then upgrade, explore, and battle other players in a persistent universe. Players like: Ship-Building Depth · Customizable Crew AI · Strategic Combat ·
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Pixel Starships is an FTL-style online sci-fi strategy builder and management game with a competitive PVP tournament. Set in the retro galaxy, your role is to explore space, meet aliens, and develop your ship, crew and AI. The game contains deep strategic and 4x elements. PSS is community-driven.

3 Days War - Players say: Command a faction in a real-time grid war, building forces, choosing strategy cards and battling players in three-day campaigns. Players like: Distinctive RTS Format · Strategic Unit Counters · Team Multiplayer ·
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3 Days War is a unique multiplayer strategy war game. Integrating the mechanics of RTS+4X, it allows dozens of players to engage in a three-day real-time strategy competitionon. Commanders, use your skills, strategies, games and even deception to become the ultimate winner!

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Apr 16, 2023
84% 👍
of 721
Supremacy: 1914 - Players say: Lead a World War I nation, balance resources and armies, and use real-time diplomacy and conquest across multiplayer maps. Players like: Strategic Planning · Player Diplomacy · Long Campaigns ·
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Take over the control of one of the mighty nations during the times of World War 1 in the biggest WW1 strategy game of all time. Conquer provinces, forge alliances and build up your economy in real-time on persistent maps. Build experimental weapons of World War 1 and become the one true superpower!

Hades' Star - Players say: Build a persistent space empire by colonizing planets, managing trade and fleets, and tackling timed cooperative and competitive missions. Players like: Long-Term Empire Building · Tactical Fleet Planning · Co-op Corporation Play ·
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A unique space strategy game where thousands of players participate in one shared galaxy.

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Feb 27, 2019
73% 👍
of 2.7k
Demise of Nations - Players say: Lead a nation from ancient eras toward modern times, expanding across hex-grid turns through war, diplomacy, and economic planning. Players like: Long-Term Planning · War, Economy, Diplomacy · Custom Maps and Mods ·
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Demise of Nations is a 4X turn-based grand strategy wargame covering the rise of Rome till the fall of modern civilization.

Galcon 2: Galactic Conquest - Players say: Send fleets between planets in fast real-time battles, expanding your territory against rivals in solo and multiplayer matches. Players like: Fast, Short Matches · Simple Tactical Decisions · Competitive Multiplayer ·
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Galcon 2 is a demolition derby in space! Send swarms of ships from planet to planet to conquer the galaxy in this fast paced multiplayer strategy game!

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Dec 5, 2014
83% 👍
of 867
Rome: Total War™ - Collection - Players say: Lead a Roman family through a turn-based campaign, managing an empire and commanding real-time battles across Rome and its invasion-era expansion. Players like: Deep Campaign Strategy · Massive Real-Time Battles · Nostalgic Replay Value ·
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Control and conquer the greatest empire ever known to man.