Highlights

• Roman history in video games offers a variety of genres from CRPGs to city-building simulations, appealing to history buffs and strategy fans alike.
• Games like CivCity: Rome and Expeditions: Rome provide immersive experiences with historical figures and tactical combat set in the Roman Empire.
• From grand strategy titles like Imperator: Rome to action-adventure games like Assassin's Creed: Origins, players can explore different eras in Roman history through engaging gameplay.

Roman history seems to be a perfect backdrop for various video game genres. Whether it is Ancient Rome, the Holy Roman Empire, or the Italian Renaissance, the Empire is one of the most significant in history. Naturally, gamers interested in a particular time love to dive into the gaming world that offers it as a setting.

Realistic or fictional depictions of Roman history aren't often a focal point of a game's setting. There have been several games based on medieval history and World War 2, but history fans are limited to games based on Roman history. That does not mean there aren't some great games based on Roman history that fans shouldn’t seek out; here are some of the best.

Updated March 25, 2024 by Michael Llewellyn: Roman history is a fascinating subject that works well in video games. Whether players are taking on the role of a conqueror on the rise in a grand strategy game or challenging foes in the gladiatorial arena, there's something for everyone. This list is updated to include more games for fans who can't get enough Roman history in their lives.

1 CivCity: Rome

A Merging Of The Civilization And Caesar Series

• Platform: PC
• Released: 2006
• Developer: Firefly Studios and Fireaxis

CivCity: Rome merges two strategy series, Caesar and Civilization. It's a city-building game where players must build and manage cities occupied by the Roman Empire. Players must keep their citizens happy by building entertainment venues like a Colussium and a Circus Maximus. In addition to city management, players must fight, defend, and conquer Germanic tribes, the Egyptians, and Carthage.

It's a juggling act that summarizes what fans love about the genre and the Roman setting features historical figures like Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, and Cleopatra. With 34 missions across 27 maps and different outcomes, there's a lot of content to keep fans busy for a long time.

2 Expeditions: Rome

A Tactical CRPG Set In The Final Years Of The Roman Republic

• Platform: PC
• Released: 2022
• Developer: Logic Artists

Expeditions: Rome is a classically styled CRPG with tactical elements set during the fall of the Roman Republic. Players take on the role of a Legatus rising in the ranks of the Roman elite while investigating the murder of his father by rivals in the senate.

The role-playing mechanics are where the game shines, with the story unfolding as the player's character fights and conquers regions in Africa and Gaul. The world is detailed and offers a lot of lore for fans of history and the period, with politics and combat woven into the narrative.

3 Gladio & Glory

Hilarious Gladiatorial Combat With Ragdoll Physics

• Platform: Steam Early Access
• Released: 2021
• Developer: Adi Zhavo

Gladio & Glory is a fighting game in Early Access on Steam. It's a comedic mash-up of Gangbeast's ragdoll physics and the bloody arena-based combat of Shadow of Rome. It's not a game for pure history fans, but it is wild and chaotically fun, thanks to its unpredictability and silly combat scenarios.

The one versus fifty matches are worth the price of entry alone. That said, there is still an element of skill and strategy involved when it comes to timing and adjusting the player's mindset to the animations.

4 Gladius

Build A Gladiator School And Take On Rivals In The Turn-Based Fantasy Adventure

Gladius is a tactical RPG developed by LucasArts and was criminally overlooked at launch. It is different from other games in the gladiatorial combat genre. Gladius' tactical combat adds depth and pits the player-created squad of gladiators against mythical creatures like Minotaurs and other monsters.

Though not a historically accurate game, the story and world are compelling and will keep fans of fantasy RPGs with unique settings entertained for hours. As complex and as deep as the combat is, the game is surprisingly accessible and well-explained throughout the campaign.

5 Civilization 5: Gods And Kings

Fight Against The Roman Empire As One Of The Barbarian Horde

The Civilization series is favorably regarded as one of the best grand strategy series available. Civilization 5: Gods and Kings is an expansion pack with a scenario that focuses on the Fall of the Roman Empire.

Players can take on the part of Eastern or Western Rome fighting off the invading barbarian hordes. Alternatively, fans can work as barbarians using the Celts, Franks, Goths, Huns, and Vandals. The expansion also introduces espionage and religion into the gameplay, adding another layer of depth to - what was already - a complex strategy game.

6 Imperator: Rome

A Grand Strategy Sandbox With Real-Time Battles

As a spiritual successor to the Paradox-developed Europa Universalis: Rome, Imperator: Rome is a grand strategy during the rise of the Roman Empire. For fans interested in the combat aspect of a strategic game set during one of Rome's most tumultuous periods, Imperator's strength is in its real-time battles.

The maps feature over 7000 playable cities, with stunning recreations of ancient landscapes, and Imperator's sandbox nature and scope offer flexibility and tactical thought for budding Roman conquerors.

7 Asterix & Obelix XXXL: The Ram From Hibernia

A Fun Co-Op Fighting Game For The Family Set In Ancient Rome

Set in Ancient Rome, Asterix & Obelix is an action-adventure game designed to appeal to a younger audience. Based on the classic Asterix the Gaul cartoon series, players take on the role of Asterix and Obelix in single-player and cooperative fun.

Asterix & Obelix XXXL is at its best when played with family, and its top-down viewpoint and combat mechanics are reminiscent of the Diablo series. With several multiplayer games being developed with online co-op in mind, it is refreshing to play a game made infinitely better with family and friends during a session of couch co-op gaming. If nothing else, Asterix & Obelix is a great way to get younger audiences interested in actual Roman history.

8 Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition

An Accessible Strategy Game With An Excellent Expansion Set In Rome

• Platform: PC and Xbox
• Launched: 2018
• Developer: Xbox Studios

First launched in 1997, Age of Empires is a trip down memory lane for fans of the original and a great introduction to strategy games where newcomers are concerned. There is a lot of depth and content for players to get to grips with. The original version has been ported to several systems, but this reworked version is the best and most accessible.

Fans of Roman history will also get the Rise of Rome expansion that brings the whole package to 10 campaigns altogether. In the Roman era, players had to fight off legendary leaders like Spartacus and Hannibal to protect Rome and the Republic.

9 Civilization 6

Build An Empire In One Of The Best Strategy Games Ever Made

Civilization 6 is a huge strategy game with a scope that starts with building an early settlement to creating and becoming a modern-day world superpower. The player will encounter other civilizations and enemies throughout their time, and one of these includes Rome.

This is where players will meet Trajan, a Roman Emperor who ruled from 98AD until he died in 117AD. This is where players will work to expand their empires and create more trade routes.

10 The Forgotten City

Time Traveling Detective RPG Set In Ancient Rome

Starting life as a mod from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, The Forgotten City is a mystery RPG remade in the Unreal Engine. Many fans argued that the storytelling surpassed that of Skyrim, and its popularity led to a full-blown video game adaptation.

The story begins with the protagonist exploring ancient ruins and getting sent back in time to a cursed city in Ancient Rome. To say too much about the fantasy-based setting would spoil it. The outstanding script, atmosphere, and fantastic conclusion to one of the most intriguing stories in gaming make it a must-have RPG for this generation.

11 Asterix

A Beautifully Animated Platformer Based On The Popular Asterix Franchise

• Launched: 1991
• Developer: Sega
• Platform: Sega Master System

Released in 1991, the Sega Master System version of the Asterix video game was better than the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version. The 2D platformer pushed the 8-bit Master System to its limits and featured excellent cartoon-perfect visuals and animations.

The game lets gamers play Asterix, Obelix, and their faithful hound Dogmatix as they attempt to rescue a captive Getafix from Julius Ceasar in Rome. Unlike many other games in the genre at the time, Asterix was far more forgiving with its infinite-continues feature that came in handy for the challenging later stages.

12 Spartan: Total Warrior

A Dynasty Warriors-Style War Game Pitting The Greeks Against The Romans

• Platform: PS2, Xbox, and the GameCube
• Released: 2005
• Developer: Creative Assembly

Launched in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube, Spartan: Total Warrior is a hack-and-slash fighting game developed by Rome: Total War developers Creative Assembly. Spartan: Total Warrior’s story is set in Greek and Roman mythology as players take on the role of a Spartan Warrior defending Greece against the invading Roman army.

Even though the game lacks the strategy found in the Total War series by being an action game similar to the Dynasty Warrior series, Spartan’s battles are epic in scale and exciting.

13 Colosseum: Road To Freedom

A Combat Game Inspired By The Gladiator Movie

• Platform: PS2
• Launched: 2005
• Developer: Ertain

Launched in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Colosseum: Road to Freedom is a gladiatorial action RPG set during the reign of Emperor Commodus. The narrative is pure historical fiction inspired by the popularity of the film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe.

However, the game still does a great job of nailing the atmosphere and will more than satisfy gamers with a passing interest in Ancient Rome and its setting as a video game world. The gameplay is open-ended and offers its players a lot of freedom to live out their Spartacus fantasies.

14 Grand Ages: Rome

Build An Empire Rise To Become One Of Rome's Elite

Launched in 2009 for the PC Grand Ages: Rome is a real-time strategy and an empire-building game set in the final years of the Roman Republic. Players are tasked with completing missions and building a reputation as a leader and a statesman for real-life historical figures like Mark Anthony, Pompey Magnus, Marcus Tullius Cicero, and Marcus Crassus.

The game covers authentic historical events like the slave uprising led by the former Gladiator Spartacus, who is given the choice of siding with either Julius Caesar or Pompey Magnus.

15 Gladiator Begins

A Gladiatorial Fighting Game With Good Solid Character Development

• Platform: PSP
• Launched: 2010
• Developer: GOSHOW

Launched on the PSP in 2010, Gladiator Begins is a prequel to Colosseum: Road to Freedom. It is based on Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus' final years as a ruler before being succeeded by his son Commodus.

Once again, Gladiator Begins is pure historical fiction and follows a similar plotline to the film that inspired it, Gladiator, by casting Commodus as the main antagonist and the player as a slave forced to fight in the arena. Despite being on the handheld, the prequel is a much larger game than its predecessor. It has an interesting plot and even more freedom to develop the fighter in the arena.

16 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure

A 3D Remake Of A Fantasy Adventure Classic Set In Rome

• Platform: PS2
• Released: 2003
• Developer: Tecmo

Launched in 2003 for the PlayStation 2, Rygar: The Legendary Adventure is a 3D remake of the 1986 Rygar on the NES. Like the original, Rygar features a story steeped in Greek and Roman mythology.

The titular Rygar is armed with the Diskarmor and functions similarly to the whip from Castlevania and the Blades of Chaos from God of War. As an overlooked classic, Rygar is a must for fans of a Roman setting, with excellent gameplay and epic boss fights.

17 Centurion: Defender Of Rome

Challenges Players To Climb The Ranks And Become Caesar

• Platform: Amiga, PC, Sega Megadrive/Genesis
• Released: 1990
• Developer: Bits Of Magic

Launched in 1991 for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive and the Amiga, Centurion: Defender of Rome is one of the first turn-based strategy games that worked very well on 16-bit consoles.

Centurion: Defender of Rome takes place in the year 275 BC, and players are tasked with rising through the ranks of the Roman army to become Caesar. Despite the limited hardware, Defender of Rome remained one of the most faithful and historically accurate depictions of Ancient Rome on consoles for many years.

18 Praetorians

Dominate As Caesar In A Command & Conquer-Style RTS

• Launched: 2003
• Developer: Pyro Studios and Kalypso
• Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Launched in 2003 for the PC, Praetorians is a real-time strategy and tactics game first developed by Pyro Studios, the creators of the Commandos series. The game was recently remastered by Kalypso Media as Praetorians HD Remaster and was released in early 2020, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions to follow.

Praetorians allow its players to take on the role of Julius Caesar and battle with barbarian hordes. In terms of its gameplay and mechanics, the single-player campaign plays very similarly to the classic RTS Warcraft series and Command & Conquer.

19 The Age Of Decadence

A Strategy RPG Set During The Fall Of The Roman Empire

Launched in 2015, The Age of Decadence is an isometric RPG made with classics like Baldur’s Gate in mind. The game is set in a fantasy universe that takes heavy inspiration from the fall of the Roman Empire with a post-apocalyptic twist for players to dive into.

Players get to create their characters as they participate in Roman-style politics and backstabbing. The Age of Decadence has a strategic turn-based combat system. In addition, the deep dialogue and choice system changes how the world develops around them.

20 Rome: Total War

Still Holds Up As One Of Greatest Strategy Games

The original - but classic - Rome: Total War may be starting to show its age compared to its successors, but that takes nothing away from the sheer depth and gameplay it offers. Even after the release of its sequel, Total War: Rome, several fans of the genre consider the original the best.

The game is still being modded by fans, but even without that, the lengthy single-player campaign is one of the best historically-set videogames of all time. The game also comes with the expansion, Barbarian Invasion, and Alexander added more complexities to negotiations, religions, timelines, and locations.