Steam 4X Fest 2025 Is Here!
Greetings, cherished readers! It’s your lucky day as we present to you an ultimate collection of top-notch 4X games ever made, perfectly timed for the Steam 4X Festival 2025, happening from August 10th through the 18th!
This article will focus on outstanding games within the strategic ‘Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate’ (4X) genre, a staple in PC gaming for many years. These games allow players to construct grand empires, dominate cosmic landscapes, and alter historical events across eras. As someone who values 4X as one of my core gaming genres, particularly during the era of Civilization IV, I invite you to explore with me some top-tier 4X Games to Play in 2025 – as part of Steam 4X Fest 2025!
20 – Dune: Spice Wars
Kick things off with Dune: Spice Wars, a standout game that combines real-time strategy (RTS) with traditional 4X elements such as exploration, expansion, and diplomacy.
19 – Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War
Without a doubt, Warhammer setting offers an exceptional backdrop for a 4X game! Its universe is rich and diverse, tailor-made for the 4X experience. For those who interpret the “E” and “X” in 4X as ‘Exterminate’ and ‘Extreme Exterminate’, Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War is an ideal choice. This strategy game simplifies the diplomatic intricacies and victory conditions typical of traditional 4X games to emphasize the essence of Warhammer 40K universe – unending battles and strife. Players will command one of several iconic factions, such as Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Tyranids, or Necrons, in a fierce battle for dominance over a solitary, resource-abundant planet. The game’s main mechanics revolve around turn-based combat, offering rewards for strategic placement, unit harmony, and relentless expansion. If you’re both a Warhammer 40,000 enthusiast and a fan of the 4X genre,
18 – Heart of the Machine
Initially, I had numerous reservations about Heart of the Machine when I first encountered it. However, after spending numerous hours playing it since its release earlier this year, I believe it’s steadily becoming an essential addition for any 4X strategy game enthusiast’s collection. This game immerses you in the perspective of a newly awakened, sentient AI.
Heart of the Machine is an intriguing fusion of turn-based strategy, role-playing, city-building mechanics, exploration, espionage, and stealth. It’s a complex blend, to put it mildly. Instead of commanding a galaxy using starships, you’ll be shaping a vast, dystopian city by either covertly constructing a robotic empire or adopting an overt warlord approach.
Resource management, unit deployment, and manipulation of the human populace are crucial to your success in this game. By constructing structures that please them, you can sway their allegiance in your favor. The choice of your objectives is left entirely up to you.
The game has a captivating “one more turn” quality to it, so if you decide to purchase it, be prepared to lose countless hours every day. Despite being in Early Access, the publisher’s endorsement by Hooded Horse provides enough reassurance for me to suggest that you give it a try.
17 – Zephon
In an ironic turn of events, Zephon, a combat-focused strategy game created by the same developers as Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War, ended up on my list of top 50 strategy games for 2024, only to be overlooked when it was released later that year. This game immerses players in a grim, post-apocalyptic world filled with alien invasions, eldritch horrors, and cyberpunk elements, making it popular due to its unique combination of these themes.
The combat system is the game’s main attraction, offering a balance between simplicity and depth that represents a significant improvement over its predecessor. In 2025, Zephon distinguishes itself by providing an appealing option for players who enjoy the intense, tactical combat style reminiscent of Warhammer 40K: Gladius but are looking for a fresh, original game set in a new, engaging universe to explore. This game caters to those who prefer combat-heavy strategy games over diplomatic or cultural victories, much like myself.
16 – Humankind
Humankind is a historical 4X game similar to Civilization, but with its own unique twist: you can combine various historical cultures from six different eras to craft a one-of-a-kind civilization. Unlike many other strategy games based on history where you stay loyal to one civilization throughout, Humankind’s groundbreaking system enables players to develop and customize their civilization over time, resulting in hundreds of unique variations. This evolving approach allows your empire to transform from an ancient society like the Egyptians into a modern power like the United States, with each cultural decision leaving a lasting impact on your civilization through stats and units.
Despite some initial challenges in 2021, Humankind, developed by Amplitude Studios, has significantly improved over time, reaching a more favorable state by 2025. This progress is largely due to numerous improvements and expansions. The latest of these updates, the “Achilles Update” launched early in 2025, notably revamped Humankind’s War Support and Surrender system. For gamers seeking a Civilization-like experience with a fresh twist, Humankind offers an appealing alternative. Although it may not be as distinctive or remarkable as other games on this list, it has carved out a niche in the genre and contributed to the development of Civilization VII.
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2025-08-11 21:44