Highlights
- Firaxis Games offers a diverse range of games beyond the Civilization titles, such as Sid Meier's Railroads!, Civilization Revolution, and SimGolf.
- These games cater to different genres and provide unique gameplay experiences, whether it's managing a railroad business, dominating the world on a short schedule, or creating and managing a golf empire.
- Firaxis Games' offerings combine accessible mechanics, simplified gameplay, and strategic depth, making them appealing to strategy enthusiasts and fans of the respective genres.
Players who hear Firaxis Games will most likely think of Sid Meier, with the acclaimed video game designer being one of its co-founders. However, while many Civilization titles are under the Firaxis banner, players may be surprised that many franchises are also considered parts of the video game dev’s slate of games.
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On top of hit Civilization titles are other Firaxis Games, which accommodate various genres. While Firaxis Games seems to specialize in all “turn-based” tags, the video game dev may surprise fans with their rather expanded slew of games they can try.
10 Sid Meier’s Railroads!
The similarities between Sid Meier’s Railroads! and Railroad Tycoon are likely tied to both games being designed by Sid Meier, with the former being Firaxis Games’ successor to Railroad Tycoon 3. As with other tycoon games, Sid Meier’s Railroads! focuses on micro-managing a railroad business instead of an entire civilization, where opponents are defeated by outpacing them in terms of revenue.
This emphasis on economics and simplified mechanics makes Railroads! an easy game to understand and get into. The game largely automates the construction process of graphical components such as cities, towns, and bridges, making players focus on managing industries, tech learned, and outwitting the competition. Options to play against opponents and overcome challenge scenarios also make Railroads! an appealing title for strategy enthusiasts.
9 Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution
One of the biggest offerings of Civilization Revolution to the acclaimed Civilization series is its compartmentalization of the 4X formula for consoles. Compared to the lackluster Civilization Revolution 2, Firaxis’s first foray into the console Civ experience defined the franchise’s micro-4X experience. At its core, players still choose between 16 Civilizations with different abilities and bonuses, have four Victory Conditions (Cultural, Domination, Economic, Technology), and retain its traditional tech trees and diplomacy options.
However, a key change that Civilization Revolution offers players is accessibility and speeding up of processes. Being able to access menus with a button press and having fast-paced matches make Civ Rev fulfill one’s itch to dominate the world on a short schedule.
8 Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth
At first glance, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth seems like a reskin of Civilization 5. However, the title using Civ 5’s engine while being a spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri at the same time paved the way for a future-set game with different demands for players. Set after the events of a Science Victory in a Civ game, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth tasks players to dominate a habitable planet after a vague “Great Mistake” rendered Earth uninhabitable.
Despite similar Civ 5 mechanics such as nation-based factions, a hex-board, tech trees (or a web), and various units, Beyond Earth shines in its encouragement of theory crafting at the hands of players. At its core, Beyond Earth mechanics gives players the chance to “create” their own Civilization, as their choice of expedition sponsor and “philosophy” (called Affinity) greatly affects their access to advancements and their eventual endgame.
7 Sid Meier’s SimGolf
In a surprising twist to simulation games, Sid Meier’s SimGolf tones down hardcore world domination to something more bite-sized: managing a golf empire. As the name implies, Sid Meier’s SimGolf tasks players in creating their dream course, being able to create a full 18-hole course complete with staff and crew, amenities such as vendors and decorations, and even buildings such as hotels to encourage visitors.
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On top of cameos from celebrities such as Robin Williams and Pamela Anderson, players can also create customized golfers to “compete” and earn money for the course. Being a Sim game, SimGolf also offers a sandbox mode where players can choose a location to fully customize according to their whims.
6 Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Sid Meier's Pirates!
- Released
- November 22, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Genre(s)
- Strategy , Action-Adventure
While effectively a remake of Sid Meier’s 1987 game of the same name, Sid Meier’s Pirates! goes above and beyond being a mere graphical overhaul by giving what may be the best simulation of historical maritime life. Players are thrust into the harsh openness of the Caribbean after an evil Spanish nobleman wronged their family. While pursuing this mission, a player and their trusty boat can engage in duels with pirates, engage in diplomatic affairs, and pursue business as a merchant - all based on their preference.
What makes Sid Meier’s Pirates! an appealing game is its simple approach to mechanics. As long as players can manage their ship’s resources, they can pursue any type of quest provided to them. They’re free to chase treasures, trade with other ships, or even capture ships to add them to their fleet.
5 Sid Meier’s Civilization 3
While Civilization 4 revolutionizes the Civ franchise with a graphical overhaul, Sid Meier’s Civilization 3 is perhaps the best iteration of the classic Civilization formula. On top of its default zoomed-out view is a more minimalist layout that gives the game more of a sleek business simulator look than a visually intensive 4X title.
However, where Sid Meier’s Civilization 3 shines even better than modern titles is its simplicity. While Civ 4 added more flexibility to the franchise, Civ 3’s straightforward features make for more replayable experiences. The game boasts a simpler tech tree, few unit types, and more straightforward government types that give players room for faster plays, with strategies created here applicable to future installments.
4 Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Midnight Suns
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
- Genre(s)
- Tactical , RPG
With a plot surrounding a mysterious Hunter uniting Marvel heroes to defeat Lilith’s demonic invasion, comic book fans might be apprehensive about Marvel’s Midnight Suns and its non-traditional superhero premise. However, Firaxis Games surprises gamers with an in-depth tactical deck-building experience overshadowed only by its poor sales.
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Similar to XCOM, players spend their turns controlling their three-hero team across battlefields. On top of making basic movements, interactions, and attacks, characters have customizable decks of special moves that are drawn randomly every turn. The game’s in-depth card collection gives a new take on the turn-based tactics genre, with a story chock-full of comic book references, making it an appealing title for fans looking to move on from other crossover RPGs such as Ultimate Alliance.
3 Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
Despite its age, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri remains one of the best approaches to a 4X game separate from the Civilization games. Set in a colonization mission in Alpha Centauri gone awry, this potential headcannon take on a Civ’s Science Victory (where the last achievement is sending an Alpha Centauri colonization ship) boasts not just a deep sci-fi story but also complex mechanics that have yet to be matched by other 4X titles to this day.
The game retains core Civ principles such as colonies, resources, tech trees, and the occasional barbarian (native aliens) assaults. However, Alpha Centauri offers advanced features that fit its sci-fi setting. These include full unit customization, more flexible government systems, as well as social engineering techniques that offer a gamified take on potentially dystopian sci-fi concepts.
2 Sid Meier’s Civilization 6
Although Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 retains the overall 4X formula of other games in its franchise, the newest entry to the Civilization series sets itself apart with perhaps the most in-depth offering for a grand strategy title. Despite its cartoony graphics, Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 amps up gameplay with the introduction of various leaders per nation, board game-esque hexagonal tiles, and a much-requested Religious Victory condition.
However, Civ 6 truly shines in how these new features tie into more flexible mechanics. The hex-based game world paves the way for more intricate army management, with customizable city tiles forcing players to be more decisive with every district upgrade. The game’s more freeform tech trees and card-based policy-making also lead to more seamless gameplay.
1 XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen
After the victory of the alien forces in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, players of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen are tasked to lead XCOM, now a resistance group, in the war effort to repel the invasion. Mechanics-wise, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is a standalone expansion of XCOM 2, this time boasting procedural map generation, time-based objectives, and a new concealment system to keep players on their toes. Introduced in War of the Chosen is the eponymous Chosen, a recurring trio of elite units that try to eliminate the players.
What makes War of the Chosen such a must-play for Firaxis fans is the title’s in-depth approach to the tactical RPG genre. The game’s permadeath feature forces players to take time to customize their units carefully. Moreover, the title’s destructible environments and fighting while outnumbered encourages players to make full use of the map’s offerings, giving one of the best battlefield simulations for fans of the “tacticool” theme.