Highlights
- Long-standing video game genres such as strategy games offer players the opportunity to witness the growth and progression of civilizations over time, adding a unique and satisfying element to gameplay.
- Games like Victoria 3, Age of Empires 4, and Sid Meier's Civilization 5 immerse players in historical eras, empowering them to shape the course of history through complex gameplay mechanics and engaging narratives.
- Unique games like Wildermyth and The Movies offer fresh takes on procedural generation and simulation, allowing players to create epic stories and explore specific industries, such as moviemaking or city building, in innovative ways.
The video game industry has a long, storied history of games that allow the player to grow over a long period of time. Sometimes this progress is gradual and subtle, leaving only the time-lapse to put into perspective the actual growth that took place. Other games make each period of time distinct and monumental. Reaching the next era in such games is a big event. Usually, it means a plethora of new possibilities that will help the player advance past their fellow man and/or AI.
There is an immense sense of satisfaction that comes with growing a bastion civilization from the ground up and watching as that civilization evolves into something great and powerful. It's one of the biggest reasons why these games are so successful — not every title shows the progression of civilization and technology in such an epic manner, making the player's conquests and victories feel all the more special!
Updated on August 3, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Video games allow players to fulfill their wildest fantasies in a way they could scarcely dream of, letting them take on the role of anyone and anything as they accomplish a wealth of challenges, experience compelling stories, and participate in numerous feats of skill that push them to their very limit. One particularly alluring fantasy that games allow players to enjoy is watching time progress at a massive scale, with entire eras and dynasties being created over decades, if not centuries! While executing this concept can be pretty challenging, games that satisfy players in this regard end up gaining lifelong fans who cannot stop singing praises of these titles.
18 Victoria 3
Paradox Interactive is a studio that specializes in making immersive grand strategy games that will take away hours from a player's life once they get over their steep learning curves and understand what makes these titles so unique. Victoria 3 is one such title that is set in a time period that starts from the Industrial Revolution and ends around the time World War 2 broke out.
Victoria 3's tutorialization has made it easier to jump into this game and understand its mechanics properly. While some fans lament the dearth of content in these titles, Paradox Interactive games are known for integrating the basic systems early on, adding more content via expansions and the like. It's a strategy that earns them the most bang for their buck, and most fans can't complain once they boot up this game and get lost in its complexities for hours on end.
17 Age Of Empires 4
After the longest time, the announcement of Age of Empires 4 was a treat for fans who simply couldn't get enough of this legendary RTS series. The launch of this title was a muted yet celebrated one, with many people both praising and criticizing how this game essentially felt like Age of Empires 2 with better graphics and more refined gameplay.
The campaign was also structured pretty neatly, taking on the aura of a history documentary with great voice acting as the exploits of some of history's greatest figures were detailed in bold and interesting campaigns where players had to use their minds while planning out how to build bases, siege castles, and everything else along the same lines.
16 Sid Meier's Civilization 5
The Civilization games are known for combining grand strategy gameplay and a distinct brand of quirkiness present in most Sid Meier games that fans have grown to love over time. The fact that fans have their own personal preferences when it comes to the Civilization games shows how magical each entry is, with Civilization 5 holding a special place in the hearts of many gamers who were lucky enough to experience the magic of this title for themselves.
Civilization 5's beloved grand strategy gameplay allows players to rise up from prehistoric times to the future while controlling one of many famous historical leaders of the world. It's a unique combination that lends itself to some truly spectacular gameplay as players form alliances, wage wars, and make their nations as prosperous as possible.
15 Wildermyth
Wildermyth is one of the more unique takes on procedural generation in a video game, letting players weave unique and exciting stories in each campaign. Players control heroes in different chapters of a campaign, with each successive outing happening years after the first event.
As a result, heroes age and their children take over as the primary heroes instead, which gives a pretty epic feel to the events of Wildermyth. It genuinely feels like players are crafting an incredible story through the ages as they fight against massive monstrosities and dastardly villains.
14 Europa Universalis 4
Europa Universalis 4 is a grand strategy game made by Paradox Interactive. That statement alone is enough for most veterans of the strategy genre to understand what the game's all about.
Governing the rise or fall of an empire becomes positively riveting in this game. The systems of Europa Universalis 4 are deep and complex, and new players should expect a steep learning curve early on. However, if they can weather the early storm, then the wealth of gameplay at their fingertips is simply astonishing.
13 The Movies
Unlike most of the other games on this list, The Movies doesn't go through the ages in a truly dramatic manner. Instead, it takes a look solely at the movie industry and how it evolved over the ages, making for a rather unique experience that hasn't been replicated in the simulation genre.
Players who want to make the wackiest movies around should give The Movies a whirl. There's nothing quite like it, and most people would love a modern take on The Movies that could use procedurally generated systems to create something truly remarkable.
12 SimCity Creator DS
The main release of SimCity Creator is a pretty by-the-numbers city creator that doesn't really go through the ages in any way. However, the same can't be said for its Nintendo DS counterpart, which is an entirely different can of worms.
The DS version of the game lets players start from ancient times before going all the way to the future. While the mechanics might not be all that deep, the novelty of playing such a unique take on a SimCity game is worth the price of admission in itself.
11 Age Of Mythology
The idea of combining the gameplay of Age of Empires with the lore and wonder of mythology was a match made in heaven. The end result, Age of Mythology, is still considered by many to be one of the best strategy games around.
Players worship and fight for several gods across multiple civilizations, governing everything from the manner in which they generate their resources to the units they can bring to a battlefield. While a player's progress through the ages takes a backseat to the game's mythological setting, it still serves as a great way to reward a gamer's efforts.
10 Age Of Empires 2
Real-time Strategy (RTS) games are a prolific and popular genre. They have been a point of much love, especially from those with a competitive spirit. Age Of Empires 2 embodies much of what makes these games great. The key in this game is to manage one's growth, through the accumulation and defense of one's land and resources.
Ensuring a steady supply of these things will allow players to dominate over other factions; thus, they can push their civilization into greater and greater ages. Fans of this title simply can't stop playing the game, and it helps that Microsoft has kept this title relevant by pushing out updates for it years after development.
9 Civilization 6
The Civilization franchise has made a name for itself by allowing players to grow their own civilizations and pit them against other opponents to see whose will thrive. There is more than one path to victory, especially when mods are involved in Civilization 6.
As such, players race through history to reach their chosen faction's end goal before anyone else reaches theirs. The sixth game in the franchise does this especially well. The different civilizations feel more distinct than ever and can evolve in a number of unique ways.
8 Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
This game advertises itself on the prospect that it wishes to tell the story of humanity from the beginnings of its primate existence. With this in mind, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is ambitious, to say the least. The player explores a number of mysterious vistas, teaching their burgeoning population how to contend with the many threats of the world.
The path to humanity is long and there are a great many important skills to learn along the way. Luckily, once a skill has been learned, players can skip a large amount of time. Thus, future generations will be endowed with such knowledge to help them on their quest to evolve further.
7 The Universim
Though it's still in early access, The Universim already holds so much fun and potential for those who play it. The player will be given a whole planet to colonize; however, seeing as they will start with just a handful of tribesmen, only a small portion will be needed for much of the early game.
As a God game, players will have very little direct control over the actions of those beneath them. Influence the people through positive and negative actions, which will either hinder or aid their progress. Soon enough, the night sky will be lit by the exhaust of a rocketship breaking from the planet's orbit.
6 Empire Earth
Few games are bold enough to allow players to wage war on other people with killer robot mechs — in the same session where the war once was fought with wooden clubs. A game of Empire Earth will span from the ancient era of man, where cavemen gathered sticks and stones, to a futuristic age of lasers and mass bombardment.
Nothing is more satisfying than bulldozing an enemy faction with artillery as they struggle to understand the mere concept of a firearm. Time waits for no one, so it is important to always be ahead.
5 Rise Of Nations
A culmination of the great games that came before it, Rise of Nations takes the foundations of games like Age of Empires and Empire Earth and puts its own unique spin on the genre. Each match depends on a player's ability to accumulate knowledge and balance economic growth.
Multipliers and bonuses propel factions to new heights. Ancient civilizations can soon develop nuclear arms that devastated entire cities. Not to mention, an interesting border system gives defenders an advantage, so long as they can maintain their influential pressure.
4 Tropico 6
Tropico is unique in the world of city builders, in that it has a large focus on the political side. Some factions must be appeased to ensure the future prosperity of Tropico and its people.
There are a great many ways the island can be ruled, from the democratic to the outright tyrannical; however, all is done with the sole purpose of keeping the player in power. The island will start as a young colony beholden to its imperial overlords, but with some effort, the player can craft a thriving independent paradise.
3 Crusader Kings 3
A limited span of time is covered throughout a game of Crusader Kings 3. However, what players can accomplish in that amount of time can be staggering. The game is intimidating, as players have to contend with many menus, systems, and AI that act in several unpredictable ways.
The greatest threat to one's rule is uncertainty. If players wish to ensure the prosperity of their legacy, they will need to push the odds in their favor. The methods vary from the strengths and weaknesses of whoever the player finds themself in control of. Yet, said methods can allow a humble servant to become an emperor.
2 Humankind
Humankind is a strong contender in the field of games that have people growing civilizations from the beginning and turning them into monoliths of power. Humankind tasks people with performing this feat but puts a strong emphasis on utilizing the many cultures that have popped up over the long history of humanity.
As players progress into each age, they can change their culture to better reflect what they wish to do from that point forward. Claiming territory and skillful diplomacy become vital assets on the long climb to the top.
1 Spore
Spore will forever be remembered as the wild monster design game whose potential was far greater than its developers could ever reach. However, that doesn't change the fact that it still is a truly one-of-a-kind experience. Players create their unique creature and must evolve it to better face the world.
Eventually, these creatures move from microbial organisms into a space-faring empire, dead set on reaching the center of the galaxy. Of course, the most fun that can be had lies in the ridiculous creature designer, which allows players to make sensible creations or Lovecraftian Pokemon.