4X Games Tier List - 2024 (X) - Top 4X Games of the Past Decade
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- DEEPLY SORRY FOR THE WASHED-OUT LOOK. No idea why that happened, but we'll get it fixed for next time!
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Rob presents his tier list for the 4X games of the last decade.
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Deeply sorry that it looks so washed out. No idea why. Won't re-record because of its length, but we'll fix it for next time!
It's likely you need to turn off HDR before recording
@@SASardonic yup
We need one every year. Your insights are useful.
I was kinda surprised that Remnants of the Precursors is not there, I thought you guys all love it.
I mentioned it a bunch of times
Oh man, At the Gates. I really wanted this to go somewhere, and it had a fascinating tribe management system. Alas, it died so young...
It was such a fun game too. It is one of the games I'm sad about failing
Paradox need to make a fantasy version of Stellaris.
There's so many fantasy trope they could use.
I mean, Age of Wonders 4, (the game right next to Stellaris in this tier list) is published by Paradox and is a fantasy 4x game.
Gladius is so cool. Looking forward to Zephon and Sins of a solar empire II
Had epic moments in sins of the solar empire looking foward for 2
It's amusing to me how Civ : Beyond Earth was just erased from memory when, by today's standards, it's a much better game than most. Civ: BE was criticized for having "dull" leaders. Nowadays, many 4X games are soulless "shells" of options and variety and mix-and-match replayability--but they're all vacuous experiences, like AoW4, Humankind, etc. Civ: BE, with its interesting victory conditions, unit evolution, planetary biomes, expanded civ 5 gameplay, etc., is just a more cohesive experience and really feels like it was ahead of its time. Yet, it doesnt even get a ranking on any tier list.
Thanks for sharing your opinions and experience with us. Very informative. 👍
I agree that Gladius is great and it's refreshing to hear some good critique about it but according to your own rules it shouldn't be on the list since it doesn't have any diplomacy. But yeah, it's a great game.
Ha! Great point!
@explorminate For me, if a game is obviously going for a 4x game, but they're sacrificing one aspect to focus on another aspect it should be considered as a twist on the genre. Total War and HoMM are obviously not trying to be 4xs and are doing their own thing. While games like Gladius and Spellforce conquest of Eo are definitely aiming to be 4x games but with focused experiences like combat instead of diplomacy for gladius and exploration and exploitation instead of expansion for conquest of eo. Just my 2 cents though
Then try Open Imperium Galactica! And you see what is a true 4X space RTS!
So sad: no Deity Empires. Classic 4x gameplay with an almost D&D feel. I'm hooked. Have you played it?
A beginner; Ive tried Master of Magic, Galactic Civ 5; love them both. And Endless Legend looks interesting...
Congrats on the UnFallen for ES2. Always loved to play them when I want a nice chill game as we spread our Roots and tell the Universe how to act properly. ;)
Does this guy do multiplayer at all?
I usually play single player games but look at it as training wheel to eventually be able to play well in competitive multiplayer.
Havent played most of these games and am looking forward to picking up a new game.
From the games covered here I've played and really enjoyed Dune and Stellaris multiplayer. I think they're really top tier.
I love the unpredictability of end game Dune and the ridiculous depth of mechanics and diplomacy in multiplayer Stellaris.
Greetings, Rob!
- Overall, I don't think there's a need to be quite as strict on what games are 4X. It make sense to me that this channel (not necessarily this list) would include some 4X-adjacent games.
- I agree that Revival: Recolonization needs more asymmetry between the factions.
- For Dominus Galaxia, I'd like to mention that the version currently available is free, it's just the full release won't be. They have all assets for two factions. I don't want anyone to think there are placeholder graphics or gray boxes, or anything like that. Hopefully you found some of the videos I did on this game interesting and informative.
- Yeah, Lord or Rigel has disappointed me too.
- Absolutely love the depth of Shadow Empire. It's also cool that you can play it in considerably different ways, as well.
- I found Master of Orion remake disappointing, apart from the improved graphics. I didn't think I would mind the starlanes so much, but it's amplified 100x by the fact that there aren't that many systems. So, this game becomes all about guarding choke points.
- I agree with you 100% about Planetfall vs. AOW4. The lack of unit depth (vs. changing the entire faction) really bums me out in AOW4.
- I guess I'll have to try some more Old World. I bought it at the same time as Humankind and didn't really get into either one.
- I agree with Civ 6 being B tier.
- IMO DW2 has caught up with DW1 at this point. I don't see a reason why I would play DW1 over DW2 anymore. I do kind of agree with Das that it should be played more like a simulator than a 4X to get the most enjoyment out of it.
- Yes, I didn't have the words to describe it, but I think you nailed it that the real-time works against Dune: Spice Wars. Sadly, I feel like I wasted my money on this one.
- I have to disagree that a SOTS1 player would automatically like Stellar Sovereigns. If you really like the ship design in SOTS, Stellar Sovereigns doesn't have any of that. It also lacks a lot of depth vs. SOTS in a number of other areas, such as the research system. It has stuff going for it, but IMO the only real similarity with SOTS is the galaxy map.
- Unfallen was a great addition to ES2 :) I still find that a lot of people who don't like the auto-battler, most often are people who don't understand how the tactics and space lanes work, etc. I was trying to help you understand it better the last time you did a video about it, since you weren't using any of that in the video.
- Stellaris will never be S tier for me. I love how much they've support it, but I think it's just not my kind of game.
Damn you are quite harsh on DW2. I don’t understand how it is that much different for you than DWU. It looks much better and the UI is really a big improvement. You cannot go back now to DWU. Did you try it again after all the hard work by the devs to address the feedback?
i would prefer if they upgraded other aspects of the DWU than graphics, i was super looking forward for dw2 but it was huge disappointment to me sadly .. we will see in few years
the weird part I went looking for the first vid to rewatch it to see if I had most of the games by now and now u are doing the update so I think I have every current update for all the titles so time to revisit all of them at some point in the near future. good vid by the way like your are spit balling with buds vs a scripted "thing" as it were good stuff
so Dominions multiplayer mode doesn't count as diplomacy ?
Master of Orion is AMAZING with the 5X UCP and 5X Split tech tree mod from the workshop.
That's a very good list. I agree with Old World and Shadow Empire, those two are really the best the genre can offer (with Distant World Universe for me). However, as much as I agree with Endless Space 2 in A (maybe quite an S), Endless Legend would be a C for me, as well as Stellaris. Those two games felt really boring to me and I really wanted to like them so I tried and tried again with more DLCs after years and patches but nothing changed (especially Stellaris where I feel like the game consist of spamming "next turn"). I would have put Distant World 2 in B (waiting for an S in a couple of years? I'm patient ^^), and would have been less kind with Civ 6 (and 5). For the rest, I agree (I didn't play the 2 you put in D neither Imperium Greek Wars and Ominous Galaxia though).
But more importantly, I forget that I have Interstellar Space Genesis and didn't played it yet, so thanks, I know what I will play next :D
Nice. IS:G is good fun, especially once your first planets get built up. When you design ships, just remember that newly researched weapons with zero miniaturization are not ready for prime time in this game. Use an older weapon that can use weapon mods.
THANK YOU! Thank you so much for giving Old World the love and attention it deserves! It all but demands that S tier man!
Great video, agree on the civ thing. Found civ 6 to be too much and just went back to 5. Also agree, don’t know why ign even reviewed Sins 2. Felt really unfair to review the game the way they did.
Nice list. I would put master of orion CTS a C tier (bad game with good graphics) master of magic A tier (i love that it stayed close to the original), ES2 is B tier for me. Civ6 would beC tier for me. Totally agree with endless legends it rules.
Ah just in time for the Steam Summers sale. Recently really got into 4X games.
it's over 5 years now since At the Gates farce, damn
This list is solid. I wouldn't disagree with anything on this list except the amplitude titles. I personally feel that other than the visuals everything that they do well... is taken from other games, and all their original ideas are just garbage. ES2's hacking system, EL's combat, ES2's academy, etc. etc. etc. Community patches can't polish bad ideas. Anyway, I really like the rest of your list, and all of those games are exactly where they should be. I'm cautious about Zephon. I don't think 1.0 will make it A. I think the followup expansions will.
What other games do the Endless games "take from"? The endless games have been around for a long while and pioneered a number of systems that current games have stolen (i.e., City unpacking, regional settling, unit customization, minor race assimilation, influence currency, seasons, factional asymmetry, etc)
@@SuperDoggy99 ....none of those things originated with Amplitude studios man. Since you seem really young, I'd advise you to look at older titles. Unit customization has been around since Alpha Centauri. Influence has been around since ... what galciv 1? Factional Asymmetry has been around since Master of Orion 1. Seasons have been around in most strategy games. Rome 1 springs to mind. I understand you probably dont have alot of experience with 4x, but don't let the internet tell you how to feel. Do your own research.
A really nice summary. Thank you.
What about Europa Universalis? It is technically a 4x. Just that it is a Historically based 4x. Meaning the only new cities you will build will be the ones you Colonize in the New World or Africa or South East Asia.
Nope.
No dominions so the list is sadly incomplete.
Something need to be said about the DLCs of Stellaris. I bought just a few which I felt are a "must-have". I wonder if I missed an important one.
For a fanatic like me, they are all importants. But I would say Federations, Utopia, Overlord.
I'm new to strategy games and need suggestions! I want a game like oregon trail ish city builder ish resource management ish diplomacy ish (?) idk. I want it to have choices I have to make like "dude got space aids in your outpost and 40 scientists are at risk of dying, do you want to kill the guy or try and treat him" and run the high risk of my whole outpost dying off for example. I'm not interested in rts kind of combat, I'm not opposed to it either. But what I'm struggling to find the most is... I need a story.. I need reason to be playing the game. Send suggestions please!
I haven't played it myself, but I've heard that New Cycle is a city builder with a story. Ixion and Frostpunk 2 as well. Frostpunk 1 is good if you're looking for something older and therefore cheaper.
@@Trifler500 Thanks for the suggestions. I have new cycle and frostpink 2 in the watchlist. Just started playing frostpunk 1, been paying it all day lol It's a fun game.
@@thehavok4258 Right on. Enjoy! :)
I respect your list.
Distant Worlds 2 was such a disappointment at launch. I LOVED the first game, put hundreds of hours into it and played with lots of mods. DW2 feels like the same game, just with 3d graphics and far less content, both official and community made. At the very least it needed new mechanics, for example ground combat could have had gameplay built around it, or boarding actions, or espionage. I'll probably pick it up eventually but only after they fill it out content wise.
IMO they have as of the release of the last expansion.
I wish that in SoaS2 ships would move around more than just two blobs fighting each other.
Great list and the only one I'd bump up is Endless Space 2 to S tier. I think your critique of Civ 6 is on point. Civ 5 is still a better game.
Distant Worlds 2 would be S Tier for me. How can a game which you can literally completely automate be bad, because it's a lot of work?
Otherwise I agree with your S Tier. Civ 6 I would even put lower and think it's overrated by the community.
Because it's boring as hell to automate? My $.02
@@explorminateYou don't have to. You can finetune it exactly to your preferences. Edited my comment above. The simulation mechanics in terms of resources and the civilian economy makes it unique in my opinion and I see a lot of similarities with Shadow Empire in this regard.
Thank you for great list :) I didnt know Old World is so good. Maybe I try it.. for me ES2 is probably best. Easygoing, fun, great graphics and music.. I only think last 2 dlcs were a miss.. did play them but it just takes away from game core. so I just play with them turned off now. AOW4 is great.. GalCiv4 played few times seems ok.. I really wished some of these had better production value it would make them so much easier to look at and maybe try.. but when I see pixel art its just no for me :D
Pixel art?
@@explorminate i mean really bad graphics. Wrong choice of words. Games now in 2024 have no excuse to have at least good graphics. In 4x you look at that screens all the time at least make it nice :) even if u dont have money for high production nowdays AI can generate decent images :)
I think you were on point regarding Civ 6, glad you dropped it to B tier, actually it is a C tier. Good move on moving Stellar and Dune. Age of Wonders 4 is definitely S tier.
Humankind in C is bit heartbreaking. I'd honestly put it together with Civ6 as I prefer HK just a little bit more. At least it warms my heart up that EL and ES2 are up there, personally I'd switch them though as well :D
I really like Humankind and do not really find culture switching jarring but then again I tend to look at stats VS the actual culture. Have 2x time played in Humankind VS Civ6 since I found city building (districts) and combat far more interesting in it
Loved gladius to death (and pandora before it), and want to love zephon, but a few things are way off for me. Tech tree is extremely confusing - like what units are built where and what techs are part of each development path. Should not be just 15 techs in each tier just presnted as they are all white and in a big square.
Also progression seems super slow relative to gladius.
I disagree on Millenia, for me it's a B now, after the patches. MOO:CTS with the 5X mod is A. I agree with your takes on CIV:VI and HK, however controversial they might seem.
Hey, where is Dominions 6 man?
Me: Why isn't Civ V on this list??
*goes to look up release date*
Me: ....holy shit.
I would create S+ category and put Shadow Empire alone in it. :-)
If you like assymetry, then maybe give spice wars another try. Or at least win it once with each faction. Pretty unique mechanics for each faction to lean into with vastly different victory paths available!
Northgard is other shiro game and it's also quite good!
Diplomacy? It is something that I hate. I only like resource management and strategies, EXCEPT for diplomacy. LOL
I agree with S tier if only for Shadow Empire, but having Civ 6 in the same rank as the Master of Orion remake is borderline heretical.
And I'm someone that still prefers Civ IV.
I respect the list. With that said these kind of list are highly subjective.
Stellaris for me is way better game than endless space 2. endless space It made me boring because of how easy it was. and it is not replayable because the mechanics are not so unique in each race. Like playing total war Rome 1 o 2 there are only three major civilizations.
Human Kind literally has the best political structure / trading in any 4 x game. The culture change is fine. Also they buffed staying as the same culture. So for those civ purest who enjoy being abrhaham lincoln for 800 years can do that to. Combat is very good as well. Definitely not C tier lol. A or B yes.
We’ll agree to disagree!
Endless Legend the best and most beaultifull 4x
Great list
i need a MMO 4x game. if you know some... or a exploration space RTS like game.
Old World..is this the one where you have to take the city locations pre-planned? I don't like that, for a 4x game.
Yes, but you still have several tiles to choose from when you found the city in the area. Even then. it's not a problem because 1) city improvements and tile improvements are built away from the founding tile; you choose what and where they are built 2) you can expand your borders via laws 3) you can expand your borders via specialists 4) you can buy tiles on the landowners family seat. So all in all, it's really not a problem. After Old World came out, I dropped Civ, Gal Civ, Stellaris and it's pretty much all I play (3000 hours).
I seriously cannot imagine your Age of Wonders rank. It far surpasses Planetfall and I put thousands of hours into Endless Legend, but it is superior to that as well. Unfortunately haven't played Old World or Shadow Empire to compare them, but I'd be very surprised if I enjoyed them more.
Old World is amazing. Best 4X game I've played in years.
Old world with all the dlc is god tier
AoW4 MP is a mess, be it balacing got much better over time but actual server service is a joke.
Old World is the best.
MOO4 was a terrible 'in name only' game.
I have kind of fallen away from 4X games, mostly frustrated with the lack of challenge with the AI, and as such I actually prefer combat systems where its more abstracted with less direct control. It becomes too easy to become so much better than the AI at the tactical combat systems it almost feels like cheating.
Have you tried Shadow Empire? It's considered to have strong AI.
Old World has remarkably challenging combat A.I.
So much so that the developers have and to make continued tweaks on the lower difficulties of the game because there isn't really a way to make "easy" a.i. mode, so when players get into wars they get their asses kicked.
Devs had had to limit the a.i. use of forced March at lower difficulties, and even limit the a.i. ability to attack and take your cities.
In fact just a few months ago, the devs added a new difficulty to the game; an even EASIER one than all of the previous ones that existed.
If you're a skilled player you'll probably need to bump up the difficulty a tad to find the right spot, but in terms if combat A.I. I haven't found a game that matches Old Worlds.
Yeah, AI is the major issue in 4x games. There are very few with competent AI. I'd recommend civ 4 with the adv mod. Very well balanced and very strong AI. If you haven't played Fall from Heaven, the More Navel AI or Extra Mod Mod AI is quite strong too, although the balance of those mods is not nearly as good as the adv mod. Sword of the Stars is decent too. The Caster of Magic mod AI is also quite competent.
Stellaris at A is a wild take
Where would you put it?
@explorminate In S. I know it does have it's flaws, like the absurd amount of DLC and late game performance issues, but the sheer massive possibilities that the game offer in term of builds, diplomacy, storytelling, endless replayability, and else is unmatched in the 4x games.
We are talking about a game that's been going for ten years, constantly updated and added to the experience, where you can play from the range of a photosynthetis plant hivemind to a rock based aliens mining dictatorship, passing by peaceful spiritualist rogue servitor A.I. or a Slaving xenophobic technocratic human empire. And the gameplay will change completely depending what you are playing, including the events and the results of them. I am way past 200 hours and still discovering things I didn't tought possible.
Not only this but you can fully custom your own battleships for war.
I mean I understand that Stellaris has some flaws, but giving it less than a S is a bit unjust. This game forever changed the space 4x genra.
@@Wizard_of_Light You would move it up and I would move it down, so he probably has it in a good place. :)
Yeah, definitely. For the reasons Cassius explains very well, Stellaris is C tier. B tier at best if you are kind to the breadth of content. But ultimately, the game is 'who can make the most alloys and fleet capacity?' Everything else is bolted on, mechanically shallow, overpriced DLC. The game has no flavor, the AI doesn't know how to play 'builds', the artstyle is mediocre, tech is just a thing you do in a few decades, diplomacy is tedious and doesn't matter, crisis are super hit and miss because you can double your eco in 10 years. It's just a very mediocre, very overpriced game with a fanbase that paradox milks for ever more shallow expansions never fixing the core gameplay problems the game has.
@Hans-m7n Cassius got rightfully put in its place for his video. He is simply a contrarian and most of his arguments were of bad faith.
Personally: S Tier is named after Stellaris, not the other way around. The kind of agency and expression it gives you with the Origin/Ethics/Civics systems is unique and I miss it in all other games.
+1
Stellaric is more like c or b tier at most.
Is this like a cheesy underdog tierlist? I mean almost NONE of the popular and well received titles are represented and CIV 6 got almost in C TIER?
@@chillzz2323 which titles are we missing?
civ 6 tierb??? are you totally out of your mind?
planetfall better than civ 6??? this is utterly ridiculous
Unfortunately, Stellaris is more expensive than all the other games together. 🤣
Also expansive. It cant believe it is rated together with Age of Wonders 4. I mean, I love AoW4, but it gives far, far less freedom in every aspect of the gameplay elements, outside of the combat.
Isn't there a subscription option now?
@@philoponusvienna yea
@@Wizard_of_Light Expansive yes, but incredibly shallow at that. The game is about making alloys and fleet capacity. Everything else is a pointless bolted on mini game. Cassius has an excellent video summing it up.
@Hans-m7n lol if you believe this is the core of the game you aren't knowing much about the game don't you?
you talk nonsense
That was incredible. Thank you.