Accessible is not exactly a word that one associates with grand strategy games. After all, it's a video game genre where half the fun consists of figuring out why everyone's waging war on you or why your territories keep going bankrupt. The point is, grand strategy games were meant to be complex as they can be in order to simulate immersive levels of geopolitics; they're usually based on real-world history.
And of the few dozen pure grand strategy titles around, it's safe to say that only a handful are really approachable or accessible to the usual attention span today (thanks, social media!). Because most of the time, their tutorials are less about learning and more about baptism by fire. But with enough fortitude and maybe half-a-dozen caffeine shots by two a.m. in the morning, these following grand strategy games can teach beginners what it's like to lead a country or faction— or rather, how stressful it can be.
Updated January 31, 2023, by Sid Natividad: Grand strategy games remain as intimidating as ever for most casual gamers, but the best grand strategy games have made themselves more accommodating; well, at least some did. With their experience, developers are now realizing more than ever how to streamline the mechanics of strategy games.
As a result, new and fresh titles have emerged recently to challenge the notion that grand strategy games are supposed to be hard and come with a steep learning curve. For beginners in the genre who want their training wheels, more strategy games have been added to this list, and they're more or less noob-friendly.
10 Stellar Monarch 2
- Release date: 2022
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
One of the several reasons why newbies find grand strategy games intimidating is they often feel like spreadsheet simulators; lots of logistics to track can make the game feel like a complex hobby, like stocks or something similar. But Stellar Monarch and its sequel, Stellar Monarch 2, rebuilt their formula.
They minimized this logistical aspect of grand strategy games and made them more fast-paced (relatively). Micromanagement is minimized (no pun intended), so players only have to deal with the fun ruler stuff. The sequel doubles down on this gameplay philosophy, making it even more streamlined compared to its predecessor.
9 Phoenix Point
- Release date: 2019
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia
Phoenix Point was made by the original creator of the X-COM games so it's also partly a tactical turn-based RPG. However, there's also a thick layer of grand strategy in the pile since players need to pick among the three factions that they will lead in either invading or defending Earth.
Combat here is more action-packed since it's a hybrid grand strategy game, yet it still gives players the opportunity to strategically micromanage their resources for efficiency so that the ground troops can have the best chance of victory. There's also diplomacy involved on the macro level, turning this game into quite a package.
8 Imperator: Rome
- Release date: 2019
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Like Crusader Kings 3, Imperator: Rome is a Paradox Studios game, and like the former, it's also one of the most accessible games in the developer's portfolio. It's a classic empire management game set in the Mediterranean during the classical age.
If players want to roleplay as a Caesar, they can definitely do so, as the Mediterranean region is ripe for the taking. It has less royal drama than Crusader Kings 3, but the intercultural interactions here among the tribes and the different empires make each faction more memorable and distinct.
7 Tiny Civilization
- Release date: 2023
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
At first glance, Tiny Civilization looks like it took the "grand" out of grand strategy and compressed it into a package that looks like it was made for mobile gaming. However, this game very much qualifies as a grand strategy thanks to its scale and ambition.
Tiny Civilization is a 10,000-year journey of mankind where players need to take care of their chosen faction as they ascend to the space age and evolve into a modern society. The developers streamlined quite a lot of mechanics here down to their most basic levels, meaning it's easier for newcomers to enjoy and learn. And don't worry; there's an English language pack included.
6 Total War: Shogun 2
- Release date: 2011
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
It's more than a decade old now, but Total War: Shogun 2's atmosphere has yet to be replicated among its historical peers in the Total War lineup. Besides, it's a good entry point for grand strategy beginners; all players have to do is pick a Japanese clan and lead their samurai armies to the top. Among all historical titles, Shogun 2 offers the most polished and immersive experience.
Some grand strategy purists will argue that Total War games are barely "grand strategy" and they're partly right. These games are divided into two gameplay aspects, namely the turn-based campaign map and real-time tactical battles. The former is where the strategizing takes place, and it's bare-bones and lacks complexity. But for that very reason, Total War games are a good stepping stone to deeper grand strategy rabbit holes.
5 Total War: Warhammer (Original)
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- Release date: 2016
- Platforms: macOS, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Classic MacOS
It's not based on history, but if players want something more fun than historical Total War's glorified chess matches, then the Warhammer lineup offers an awesome change of scenery. It's based on the Warhammer Fantasy universe, where vampires, humans, dwarfs, and Greenskins (orcs) clash with one another due to lore reasons most players will likely forget.
Never mind the reason for conflict, of course; it's a series called "total war." In any case, Total War: Warhammer has proven itself even more popular than the historical titles in the Total War franchise. We recommend starting with the first game; the second and third ones have too much stuff going on with too many races and factions.
Due to the asymmetrical nature of the races and the combat, both the turn-based campaign map and the real-time battles here have more depth compared to historical Total War games.
4 Crusader Kings 3
- Release date: 2020
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
It's a game where players can turn their whole family tree into a family circle through incest or even feed their whole noble roster to the townspeople in the event of a famine. Those are just some of the things that Crusader Kings 3 allows regularly. For many fans, it's like the Sims for medieval domination except more violent and more depraved.
Apart from being a grand strategy game, it's also a dynasty simulator. Players get to pick a medieval faction involving European, North African, and Middle Eastern countries and write whatever story they want with them through their decisions and orchestrations. The big difference compared to Crusader Kings 2 is that the third game has a more welcoming tutorial and will readily tell players how to achieve certain actions or strategic finesse.
3 Stellaris
- Release date: 2016
- Platforms: Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Like Total War games, it's a bit hard to pin down exactly where Stellaris stands in the genre box. But people generally consider this game as a hybrid between 4X and grand strategy genres, with a bit of real-time strategy (RTS). Also, it was created by the developers responsible for the Crusader Kings franchise. Regardless, it's also a good way for newcomers of grand strategy to ease themselves into more familiar mechanics.
Stellaris typically starts off like a usual 4X game where players expand their borders. The second half of most playthroughs tend to transition toward grand strategy where players must outwit, dominate, and out-gun their rivals. Because by that point in this space strategy game, the borders start getting cramped. For beginners, smaller map sizes are recommended for easier learning.
2 Europa Universalis 4
- Release date: 2013
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
Again another title from Paradox— the developers of Stellaris and Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis 4 is an ambitious retelling of the colonial period (from its infancy to its height). It takes players through four dramatic centuries of European history and development. It starts in 1444 and ends in 1821— a time period rife with colonialism, trade companies, powdered wigs, and obsession with sugar and spice.
As far as Paradox Studios games go, this one tends to be a bit more accessible. It's relatively easy to pick up compared to some of Paradox's offerings (such as Hearts of Iron, or Victoria), but expect to still learn new gameplay mechanics even after hundreds of hours of gameplay. Economy, after all, is an enigmatic puzzle.
1 Hegemony 3: Clash Of The Ancients
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- Release date: 2015
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Hegemony 3: Clash of the Ancients focuses on a different but no less grand time period during the Classical Age when the Greeks and Romans dominated the historical texts. The more unified focus on warfare and border expansion put Hegemony 3 in a simpler light compared to other grand strategy games with more complex economies.
In fact, it's closer to Total War than to most other grand strategy titles. Here, players must choose their favored Mediterranean faction or country and lead them to power, with the historical canon being the rise of the Roman Empire. However, players can rewrite history so that Greek salad is more prominent than Caesar's, thus making pineapple with pizza less taboo. The possibilities are endless.