Strategy games have occupied a niche that has attracted many fans to try out games across a wealth of imaginative settings. These games build fantastic worlds steeped in lore that players can get lost in as they wrap their heads around the gameplay loop and understand the best way possible to attain victory through warfare, economic brilliance, cultural superiority, or a combination of all three.

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The best strategy games around don't necessarily need an interesting setting to keep players engaged. Sometimes, these games focus on real-life events and historical periods, which can seem rather boring and dangerously close to the "edu-tainment" genre. Thankfully, these titles feature compelling gameplay loops that help players either make or rewrite history without feeling bored by the setting. If anything, the mundane settings of these games elevate the quality of the final product in the eyes of many.

5 Europa Universalis 4

From The Late Middle Ages To The Napoleonic Era

If there's any studio that deserves credit for using what seem like boring settings to craft unique and compelling strategic gameplay loops, it's Paradox Entertainment. This company has attained immense success with a wealth of 4X strategy games that should be the most boring things around to play, but their masterful gameplay loops and adherence to historical accuracy end up being quite riveting instead.

Europa Universalis 4 lets players control a nation right after the final crusade, around the time when the world was shifting to a different age. Here, players can utilize a combination of colonization, warfare, diplomacy, and economic superiority to become one of the dominant nations by the time the Napoleonic Era ends.

4 Age Of Empires 4

From The Early Middle Ages To The Early Renaissance

While Age of Empires 2 was receiving regular updates in modern times, fans were still hopeful for a new game in the series that could let them enjoy the patented Age of Empires gameplay with a fresh coat of paint. No one can deny that modern graphics and refined gameplay could help a new Age of Empires game become mainstream and relevant once again.

So, when Age of Empires 4 was announced, players were more than happy to check out this new chapter in the series. While this game might've emulated the second game to a fault while discarding some good ideas from the third entry, Age of Empires 4 was a great addition to the series with a single-player campaign that took on the guise of a documentary as gamers played a direct role in various historical periods from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance era.

3 Hearts Of Iron 4

Focuses On World War 2

World War 2 is a setting that has been adapted by so many video games that most players feel like it's been milked to death. While this sentiment is understandable, one thing that should be acknowledged is that most of these games are action-oriented and take on the guise of first-person shooters. A strategy game that utilizes this setting is bound to be intriguing if the gameplay loop is executed with great finesse, and Hearts of Iron 4 is a great example of a game that does just that.

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The previous game in the series was pretty fun in its own right, but a major problem players had was that the barrier to entry was high, and the difficulty spikes could be extreme. While Hearts of Iron 4 retains the strategic excellence of its predecessors, it does so without being overly inaccessible and convoluted. Strategy games rely on their UI to convey valuable information, and Hearts of Iron 4 is no exception here.

2 Total War: Attila

Set During The Migration Period

The Total War series shows time and time again just how interesting real-life periods in history are. The success of their Warhammer games has been so immense that some players may believe that more Total War games in historical periods may be a step back, but this is an erroneous notion. Total War owes its success to these historical events that have been portrayed interestingly by this series time and time again, and this shouldn't change.

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Total War: Attilatakes place during the Dark Ages, which is a period of history that not many games cover. If the notion was that games set in this period aren't all that exciting, then Attila puts this notion to bed with a combination of fun turn-based strategy and real-time tactical military battles that are a blast to experience.

1 Victoria 3

Covers The Victorian Era From 1836 To 1936

The latest entry in the Victoria series hasn't enjoyed a launch as acclaimed as Crusader Kings 3, but that's got more to do with Paradox's approach of releasing the game with the bare minimum content and adding more stuff in through expansions. If players look at Victoria 3 objectively, then they'll realize that this title is a pretty fun grand strategy game that is worth sinking a lot of hours into.

Victoria 3 is a fun game that focuses on employing effective political strategies, using diplomacy to resolve conflicts, and appeasing the population and its various demographics. The role of warfare is toned down here quite a bit, meaning that players can easily go through the game without waging a single war if they wish.

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