Grand strategy games are still a pretty niche subgenre, but they have slowly been growing in popularity in recent years. These types of games are all about building empires from the ground up, usually through warfare but sometimes through diplomacy, economy, or various other means. If that sounds like your cup of tea, you came to the right place because this list will cover the absolute best grand strategy games of all time.

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Before you decide to jump into a grand strategy game, make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. The genre is famous for including some of the most complex and time-consuming video games out there. While there are a couple of exceptions, most grand strategy games can eat months of your life if you let them.

Updated by Jason Moth on November 16, 2023: This list has been updated to include a couple of additional entries in the form of Total War: Medieval II and Total War: Warhammer II.

12 Conflict of Nations: World War 3

Steam Reviews: Mostly Positive (77%)

Players wagging war inside the USA
Conflict of Nations: World War 3
Released
January 10, 2016
Developer
DOG Productions

Conflict of Nations: World War 3 is a military grand strategy game set in an alternate version of the 21st century. Just as its name suggests, the game centers around an impending fictional World War 3 that threatens to engulf the entire world in another major conflict. Will you try to ease tensions and hopefully come up with a diplomatic solution, or will you be the catalyst that brings about WW3?

Conflict of Nations: World War 3 is pretty unique in that it's an MMO grand strategy game. Players get to control one of 64 different nations while engaging in diplomacy, trade, research, and, of course, war. This is easily one of the most casual games on this list and is especially suitable for newcomers to the genre.

11 Field of Glory: Empires

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (82%)

Overview of the Mediterranean in Classic Antiquity
Field Of Glory: Empires
Released
July 11, 2019
Developer
AGEod

Field of Glory doesn't get nearly as much attention as other grand strategy franchises, but it definitely should. The most recent entry in the series, Field of Glory: Empires, is a very solid game that transports players to Classical Antiquity and lets them play as one of the nations trying to survive and flourish around the Mediterranean Sea. There are 77 nations available in the base game and you can gain access to even more thanks to the Persia expansion.

Field of Glory: Empires plays a bit like a mix between Total War and a Paradox Interactive title. The game features some pretty innovative ideas related to legacies and features an economy system that puts many other grand strategy games to shame. The combat isn't particularly exciting, but it does get the job done. It's worth noting that battles instantly become much better if you also own Field of Glory 2.

10 Age of History II

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (88%)

World map with every playable nation
Age of History 2

Released
November 21, 2018
Developer
Lukasz Jakowski Games, Łukasz Jakowski

It usually takes a lot of people to develop a grand strategy game, but this one was made by a single person. Even more astonishing is the fact that Age of History II is good enough to compete with similar games from much bigger studios. Age of History II can best be described as a simplified version of a Paradox game. A lot of the same mechanics are there, but everything is much easier to understand, making Age of History II perfect for people who haven’t played a grand strategy game before.

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Age of History II takes players on an odyssey that spans thousands of years. The basic concept is that you start off at the dawn of civilization and have to progress era by era until the present day and even beyond. As per usual with these types of games, you can start wars, form alliances, build trading routes, and spend countless hours painting the map with your nation’s colors. Age of History II isn’t engaging enough for a veteran grand strategy gamer, but this is a must-play if you’re new to the genre.

9 Victoria II

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (92%)

Europe during the mid 19th century
Victoria 2
Released
August 13, 2010

Victoria II takes place over the course of 100 years, from 1836 to 1936. That's not a very long period of time compared to other Paradox Interactive games; however, there's quite a lot that happened during that century. Absolute monarchies slowly started to crumble along with their colonial empires, industrialization was in full swing, the US started to emerge as a major global power, and the Great War claimed the lives of millions.

But just because all those things happened in the real world, that doesn't necessarily mean they need to happen in Victoria II as well. Or at least not exactly like that, or in that order. Victoria II allows players to shape history to their liking, for better or worse. There are over 200 playable countries to choose from but pick carefully because some nations are much stronger than others.

8 Panzer Corps 2

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (83%)

Armored German divisions surrounding Moscow
Panzer Corps 2

Released
April 19, 2020
Developer
Flashback Games, Flashback Games Studio

Panzer Corps 2 is an amazing WW2-themed grand strategy game with an extremely impressive roster of units. We're talking infantry, artillery, tanks, bombers, ships, and more. All in all, the game offers a staggering 1,000 different unit types you can throw at your enemies by land, air, or sea. Coordinating massive armies can be challenging, but at least you don't have to do it in real-time, as Panzer Corps 2 is a turn-based game.

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Panzer Corps 2 focuses entirely on the European theater and lets you play as any nation that was involved in the conflict. The campaign alone features several dozen scenarios, and there's a random map generator on top of that. You definitely won't run out of single-player content anytime soon, but if you want to spice things up, you can always jump into some multiplayer matches instead.

7 Total War: Medieval II

Steam Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (95%)

Best grand strategy games - Total War: Medieval II
Total War: Medieval 2

Released
November 10, 2006

Despite launching almost two decades ago at this point, Medieval II is still being hailed as one of the best entries in the Total War series. That’s really saying something considering this is a series that includes dozens of other games. The scale of Total War: Medieval II was absolutely mind-boggling back in the mid-2000s when the game came out, and is still pretty impressive to this day. Especially since we don’t really have another Medieval-themed grand strategy game that does large-scale battles better than Total War.

Total War: Medieval II may feel a bit shallow if you’re primarily interested in the hardcore elements of grand strategy games. If you’re primarily interested in Medieval warfare, however, you won’t be disappointed by what this game has to offer. These days, the game typically comes bundled with the excellent Kingdoms expansion and you can find a plethora of amazing mods to keep you sated if you’re looking for even more content. Naturally, the visuals look a bit dated by today’s standards, but that’s easy to overlook when the gameplay, atmosphere, sound design, and everything else are so good.

6 Hearts of Iron IV

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (92%)

Alternate history Italy invades Great Britain

Hearts of Iron IV continues to be the most popular WW2 grand strategy game currently available, and not by a small margin either. Playing this game is like being a general, diplomat, merchant, and president (or dictator) all at the same time. Hearts of Iron IV makes sure that leading a nation through the most important war in history is both incredibly difficult and incredibly rewarding.

While not necessarily the most complex Paradox game, Hearts of Iron IV has a steep learning curve that will take you days, if not weeks, to surpass. Chances are you won't be able to wrap your head around all the game's intricacies even after hundreds of hours of play. But, strangely enough, that's one of the main reasons behind the game's massive success. Regardless of how much you play, there's always something to learn the next time you fire up a new campaign.

5 Europa Universalis IV

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (86%)

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth skill tree
Europa Universalis 4

Released
August 13, 2013

Europa Universalis IV is Paradox Interactive firing on all cylinders. This is the ultimate strategy game for fans of medieval, Renaissance, and early modern history. The game covers over four centuries of history and, in spite of its name, isn't focused solely on Europe. While the old continent is where a lot of the most important action happens, you can just as easily play a Native American, Central African, or Polynesian nation. The entire world is your oyster in Europa Universalis IV.

Playing this game used to be a real hassle until fairly recently due to its insane amount of DLC. The base game alone barely scratches the surface, and getting all the DLC would cost you an eye-watering $400 or more. Yes, you read that right. But, ever since Paradox came up with a subscription system for many of its games, EU IV has become a lot more accessible. If you wanted to play it before but didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a single video game, now's your chance to finally check it out.

4 Total War: Warhammer II

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (93%)

Best grand strategy games - Total War: Warhammer II
Total War: Warhammer 2

Released
September 28, 2017
Developer(s)
Creative Assembly

The original Total War: Warhammer was a largely successful attempt at injecting some high fantasy into a franchise renowned for its historical games. However, the series wouldn’t hit its stride until the sequel and especially until the Mortal Empires grand strategy campaign. Mortal Empires was an absolute game-changer that gave players an unparalleled amount of content to play around with. Admittedly, you do need to own both games in order to play Mortal Empires and there’s a bunch of DLC on top of that. The game definitely isn’t cheap but, then again, neither is Warhammer tabletop.

Even though Total War: Warhammer III features even more content, there are reasons for wanting to stick to the second entry instead. For one, Total War: Warhammer II is the most stable and bug-free game in the trilogy. It’s also more balanced and lacks some of the features that ended up making the sequel worse. Besides, the DLC is more fairly priced here. Total War: Warhammer III is still technically the superior title, warts and all, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Warhammer II continues to be a very solid grand strategy game in its own right.

3 Crusader Kings III

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (92%)

Iberian peninsula campaign
Crusader Kings 3

Released
September 1, 2020
Developer(s)
Paradox Interactive

Crusader Kings III isn’t a narrative-driven game per se, but the crazy stories that unfold while you’re playing it are easily its biggest selling point. The game is a huge medieval sandbox where anything can happen. Visit any site that aggregates user reviews, and you’ll find countless stories of people getting into fights with the Pope, selling their children for a bag of rice, being accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake, getting literally and figuratively backstabbed by their 10-year-old nephew, and the list goes on and on.

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More than anything, Crusader Kings III is about forming a strong dynasty and preserving your bloodline by whatever means necessary. So, what if you have to marry your own sister in the process? That's a small price to pay for maintaining your legacy pure. Sure, all your descendants might end up looking like the Habsburgs, but at least they’ll still have royal blood. Crusader Kings III should realistically have been rated M because some of the stuff that can happen in this game makes Game of Thrones look tame by comparison.

2 Stellaris

Steam Reviews: Very Positive (88%)

Diplomacy with newfound alien race
Stellaris

Released
May 9, 2016

If you’re looking to take a break from historical grand strategy games, you may want to give Stellaris a shot. Yet another Paradox Interactive game, Stellaris tackles the final frontier in a way that’s never been done before; at least not at this level. Instead of empires, you’re dealing with space-faring civilizations. Instead of conquering cities and settlements, you’re conquering planets. Instead of taking over the world, you’re taking over the entire galaxy. You get the point – Stellaris is massive.

Stellaris blurs the line between space strategy and 4X games, as the game relies on exploration and resource management much more than its historical counterparts. It also features much better combat and truly spectacular visuals. Unfortunately, it also features Paradox’s notorious DLC practices, and there’s no subscription option for this one. Get ready to dish out a couple of hundred bucks for the full Stellaris experience. Or save up some more, so you can spend it all on this next game.

1 Total War: Warhammer III

Steam Reviews: Mixed (60%)

Ogre Kingdoms fighting against Warriors of Chaos
Total War: Warhammer 3

Released
February 17, 2022
Developer(s)
Creative Assembly

Let's start off by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, many of the Steam reviews for Warhammer III are absolutely brutal. However, the vast majority of criticism is aimed at Creative Assembly rather than the game itself. And rightly so. The company made some terrible financial and PR decisions as of late, but that shouldn't take away from the fact that this is still a very good and highly ambitious title. In addition to being one of the best Warhammer Fantasy games of all time, Total War: Warhammer III also became an incredible grand strategy game ever since Immortal Empires came out. The strategy and management aspects aren’t anywhere near some of the other games on this list, but the tactical layer is miles ahead of all of them.

With two dozen races to choose from and four times as many factions, Total War: Warhammer III offers a truly mind-boggling level of variety. It also features an insanely large map that’s almost impossible to fully explore in a single campaign. The downside to all of that is that the Immortal Empires' grand strategy map requires you to own all three Total War: Warhammer games. Ideally, you’ll also want to grab a bunch of DLC packs while you’re at it. Much like the tabletop game it draws inspiration from, Total War: Warhammer III is by no means cheap. Then again, the same can be said about grand strategy games in general.

Next: Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires: Best Races Tier List