Chronology of 4X video games

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This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

See Lists of video games for related lists.

This is a comprehensive index of 4X video games, sorted chronologically. Information regarding date of release, developer, platform, setting and notability is provided when available. The table can be sorted by clicking on the small boxes next to the column headings. Notice how a lot of these games are sequels.

See also: List of strategy video games

Legend

Video game platforms

AMI Commodore Amiga APPII Apple II ATR Atari 8-bit family BEOS BeOS C64 Commodore 64 CROSS Cross-platform DC Dreamcast DOS DOS / MS-DOS DS Nintendo DS GBC Game Boy Color LIN Linux MAC Macintosh / Mac OS MAIN Mainframe computer OSX Mac OS X PBEM Play-by-email PS1 PlayStation / PSone PS2 PlayStation 2 PS3 PlayStation 3 ROS RISC OS ST Atari ST WIN Microsoft Windows WIN3X Windows 3.x WIN9X Windows 9x WINNT Windows NT / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 X360 Xbox 360

List

Classic 4X games

Year	Game	Developer	Setting	Platform	Notes
1983	Cosmic Balance II	SSI	Sci-fi	ATR, APPII	Cosmic Balance from SSI in 1982, is a tactical level starship combat simulator and not a true predecessor.
1983	Reach for the Stars	SSG	Sci-fi	DOS, WIN, APPII, MAC, C64, AMI
1984	Strategic Conquest	Peter Merrill	Historical	APPII, MAC
1984	Imperium Galactum[list membership disputed]	SSI	Sci-fi	APPII, ATR, C64
1984	Incunabula	Avalon Hill	Historical	DOS	Based on Avalon Hill's board game, Civilization.
1987	Anacreon: Reconstruction 4021	Thinking Machine	Sci-fi	DOS
1987	Xconq	Various	Various	CROSS	A strategy game engine hosting multiple fan-made game modules.
1987	Strategic Conquest II	Peter Merrill	Historical	APPII, MAC	Sequel to Strategic Conquest.
1989	Warlords	SSG	Fantasy	DOS	First title in the series.
1989	Millennium 2.2	Electric Dreams	Sci-Fi	AMI, DOS, ST
1990	Khalaan[list membership disputed]	Chip	Fantasy	AMI, ST, DOS
1990	Spaceward Ho!	Delta Tao	Sci-fi	MAC, WIN, AMI
1990	Centurion: Defender of Rome	Bits of Magic	Hist	DOS, AMI, SEGA
1991	Armada 2525[list membership disputed]	Interstel	Sci-fi	DOS
1991	Deuteros	Activision	Sci-Fi	AMI, ST	Sequel to Millennium 2.2.
1991	Civilization	MicroProse	Historical	DOS, WIN, MAC, AMI, ST, SNES	First title in the series.
1992	Pax Imperia	Changeling Software	Sci-fi	MAC
1992	VGA Planets	Tim Wisseman	Sci-fi	DOS
1993	Master of Orion	Simtex	Sci-fi	DOS, MAC	First title in the series. First game to use the term "4X".
1993	Space Empires	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN	First title in the series.
1993	Warlords II	SSG	Fantasy	DOS	Sequel to Warlords.
1994	Colonization	MicroProse	Historical	AMI, DOS, WIN, MAC
1994	K240	Gremlin Graphics	Sci-fi	AMI
1994	Hammer of the Gods	Holistic	Fantasy	DOS
1994	Master of Magic	Simtex	Fantasy	DOS
1995	Age of Discovery	Email Games	Historical	PBEM, WIN	Alternate version of Global Diplomacy with randomized maps.
1995	Ascendancy	The Logic Factory	Sci-fi	DOS, WIN
1995	Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest	New World	Fantasy	DOS, WIN, MAC, GBC	First title in the series.
1995	Imperium	Email Games	Sci-fi	PBEM, WIN
1995	Space Empires II	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Space Empires.
1995	Stars!	Jeff Johnson and Jeff McBride	Sci-fi	WIN
1996	Civilization II	MicroProse	Historical	MAC, PS1, WIN	Sequel to Civilization.
1996	Deadlock: Planetary Conquest	Accolade	Sci-fi	MAC, WIN
1996	Emperor of the Fading Suns	Holistic	Sci-fi	WIN
1996	Freeciv	Freeciv team	Historical	CROSS	Civilization clone.
1996	Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars	New World	Fantasy	WIN, MAC, ROS, GBC	Sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest.
1996	Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares	Simtex	Sci-fi	DOS, WIN, MAC	Sequel to Master of Orion.
1997	Fragile Allegiance	Gremlin	Sci-fi	WIN9X, DOS
1997	Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty	New World	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars.
1997	Imperialism	Frog City	Historical	MAC, WIN
1997	Imperium Galactica	Digital Reality	Sci-fi	DOS	First title in the series.
1997	Into the Void[list membership disputed]	Adrenalin Entertainment	Sci-fi	DOS
1997	Pax Imperia Eminent Domain	Heliotrope	Sci-fi	WIN, MAC
1997	Space Empires III	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Space Empires II.
1997	Tone Rebellion, The	The Logic Factory	Sci-fi	WIN
1997	Warlords III: Reign of Heroes	SSG	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Warlords II.
1998	Lords of Magic: Legends of Urak	Impressions	Fantasy	WIN9X	Expansion to Lords of Magic.
1998	Lords of Magic	Impressions	Fantasy	WIN9X
1998	Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri	Firaxis	Sci-fi	WIN, LIN, MAC	Pseudo-sequel to Civilization
1998	Star Wars: Rebellion	Coolhand	Sci-fi	WIN
1998	Warlords III: Darklords Rising	SSG	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Warlords III: Reign of Heroes.
1999	Age of Wonders	Triumph	Fantasy	WIN	First title in the series.
1999	Civilization II: Test of Time	MicroProse	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Civilization II.
1999	Civilization: Call to Power	Activision	Historical	BEOS, LIN, MAC, WIN	Spin-off of Civilization.
1999	Disciples: Sacred Lands	Strategy First	Fantasy	WIN	First title in the series.
1999	Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade	New World	Fantasy	WIN, MAC	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia.
1999	Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia	New World	Fantasy	DC, LIN, MAC, WIN	Sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars.
1999	Imperialism II: Age of Exploration	Frog City	Historical	OSX, WIN	Sequel to Imperialism.
1999	Malkari[list membership disputed]	iMagic	Sci-fi	WIN
1999	Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire	Firaxis	Sci-fi	WIN, LIN, MAC	Expansion to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
1999	Star Trek: Birth of the Federation	MicroProse	Sci-fi	WIN
2000	Call to Power II	Activision	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Civilization: Call to Power.
2000	Europa Universalis	Paradox	Historical	WIN	First title in the series.
2000	Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death	New World	Fantasy	WIN, MAC	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia.
2000	Imperium Galactica II: Alliances	Digital Reality	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Imperium Galactica.
2000	Shogun: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	First title in the series.
2000	Space Empires IV	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Space Empires III.
2000	Theocracy	Philos	Historical	WIN, LIN
2001	Civilization III	Firaxis	Historical	WIN, MAC	Sequel to Civilization II.
2001	Europa Universalis II	Paradox	Historical	WIN, MAC	Sequel to Europa Universalis.
2001	Empire Earth	Stainless Steel Studios	Historical	WIN	First title in the series.
2001	Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff	New World	Fantasy	PS2	Spin-off of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
2002	Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne	Triumph	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Age of Wonders.
2002	Starships Unlimited	Apezone	Sci-fi	WIN
2002	Civilization III: Play the World	Firaxis	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Civilization III.
2002	Disciples II: Dark Prophecy	Strategy First	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Disciples: Sacred Lands.
2002	Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest	Mad Doc Software	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Empire Earth.
2002	Haegemonia: Legions of Iron	Digital Reality	Sci-fi	WIN
2002	Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm	New World	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
2002	Heroes of Might and Magic IV	New World	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia.
2002	Medieval: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Shogun: Total War.
2003	Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic	Triumph	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne.
2003	Civilization III: Conquests	BreakAway, Firaxis	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Civilization III.
2003	Disciples II: Guardians of the Light	Strategy First	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy.
2003	Disciples II: Rise of the Elves	Strategy First	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy.
2003	Disciples II: Servants of the Dark	Strategy First	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy.
2003	Galactic Civilizations	Stardock	Sci-fi	WIN	First title in the series.
2003	Haegemonia: The Solon Heritage	Digital Reality	Sci-fi	WIN	Expansion to Haegemonia: Legions of Iron.
2003	Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Winds of War	New World	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
2003	Master of Orion III	Quicksilver	Sci-fi	WIN, OSX	Sequel to Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares.
2003	Medieval: Total War: Viking Invasion	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Medieval: Total War.
2003	Space Merchants: Conquerors[list membership disputed]	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN
2003	Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria	Infinite	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Warlords III: Darklords Rising.
2004	Anacreon: Imperial Conquest in the Far Future	George Moromisato	Sci-fi	WIN	Remake of Anacreon: Reconstruction 4021.
2004	Empire Deluxe Enhanced Edition	Killer Bee Software	Abstract	WIN	Expansion of Empire Deluxe.
2004	Galactic Civilizations: Altarian Prophecy	Stardock	Sci-fi	WIN	Expansion to Galactic Civilizations.
2004	Rome: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Medieval: Total War.
2004	Strength & Honour	Magitech	Historical	WIN
2005	Civilization IV	Firaxis	Historical	WINNT, OSX	Sequel to Civilization III.
2005	Empire Earth II	Mad Doc Software	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Empire Earth.
2005	Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Rome: Total War.
2006	C-evo	Steffen Gerlach	Historical	WIN	Civilization clone.
2006	Civilization IV: Warlords	Firaxis	Historical	WIN, OSX	Expansion to Civilization IV.
2006	Empire Earth II: The Art of Supremacy	Mad Doc Software	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Empire Earth II.
2006	Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords	Stardock	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Galactic Civilizations.
2006	Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate	Nival	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic V.
2006	Heroes of Might and Magic V	Nival	Fantasy	WIN, OSX	Sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
2006	Medieval II: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Rome: Total War and Medieval: Total War.
2006	Rome: Total War - Alexander	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Rome: Total War.
2006	Space Empires V	Malfador	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Space Empires IV.
2006	Sword of the Stars	Kerberos	Sci-fi	WINNT	Turn-based with Real-time combat.
2006	Dominions 3: The Awakening	Illwinter Game Design	Fantasy	WIN, OSX, LINUX	Third game in the Dominions series
2007	Sword of the Stars: Born of Blood	Kerberos	Sci-fi	WINNT	Turn-based with Real-time combat. Expansion to Sword of the Stars.
2007	Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword	Firaxis	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Civilization IV.
2007	Europa Universalis III	Paradox	Historical	WIN, MAC	Sequel to Europa Universalis II.
2007	Empire Earth III	Mad Doc Software	Sci-fi	WIN	Sequel to Empire Earth II.
2007	Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar	Stardock	Sci-fi	WIN	Expansion to Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords.
2007	Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East	Nival	Fantasy	WIN	Expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic V.
2007	Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Expansion to Medieval II: Total War.
2008	Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor	Stardock	Sci-fi	WIN	Expansion to Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords.
2008	Sins of a Solar Empire	Ironclad	Sci-fi	WIN	Real-time.
2008	Civilization Revolution	Firaxis	Historical	PS3, DS, X360
2008	Shattered Suns	Clear Crown	Sci-fi	PC
2008	Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment	Ironclad	Sci-fi	WIN	Real-time. Expansion to Sins of a Solar Empire.
2008	Sword of the Stars: A Murder of Crows	Kerberos	Sci-fi	WINNT	Turn-based with Real-time combat. Expansion to Sword of the Stars.
2009	Empire: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	WIN	Fifth in the Total War series.
2009	Disciples III: Renaissance	Akella	Fantasy	WIN	Sequel to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy.
2009	Sword of the Stars: Argos Naval Yard	Kerberos	Sci-fi	WINNT	Turn-based with Real-time combat. Expansion to Sword of the Stars.
2009	Mayhem Intergalactic[list membership disputed]	Inventive Dingo	Sci-fi	WIN	Turn-based, streamlined.
2010	Civilization V	Firaxis	Historical	WIN	Sequel to Civilization IV.
2010	Sins of a Solar Empire: Diplomacy	Ironclad	Sci-fi	WIN	Real-Time. Expansion to Sins of a Solar Empire.
2010	Elemental: War of Magic	Stardock	Fantasy	WIN	Turn-based strategy with a fantasy theme, combining role-playing elements.
2010	Distant Worlds	Code Force	Sci-fi	WIN
2010	Star Ruler[list membership disputed]	Blind Mind Studios	Sci-fi	WIN	Real-time
2010	Napoleon: Total War	Creative Assembly	Historical	Win	Sixth in Total War series.
2010	Distant Stars (videogame)[list membership disputed]	Expat Games	Sci-fi	iPad	Turn-based, streamlined.
2011	Total War: Shogun 2	Creative Assembly	Historical	Win	Seventh in Total War series.
2011	Sword of the Stars II: The Lords of Winter	Kerberos	Sci-fi	WINNT	Turn-based with Real-time combat. Sequel to Sword of the Stars.
2011	Illyriad	Illyriad	Fantasy	BROW	Real-time
2011	Might & Magic: Heroes VI	BlackHole	Fantasy	WIN	Turn-based. Sequel to Heroes of Might and Magic V.

Games with additional 4X mode

These games include a mode of gameplay that resembles the 4X genre (i.e. global map instead campaign).

Year	Game	Developer	Setting	Platform	Notes
1990	Star Control	Toys for Bob	Sci-fi	AMI, Amstrad CPC, C64, DOS, Sega Genesis, ZX Spectrum
1994	Wing Commander: Armada	Origin Systems	Sci-fi	DOS
1996	Star Control 3	Legend Entertainment	Sci-fi	DOS, MAC
2001	Emperor: Battle for Dune	Westwood Studios	Sci-Fi	WIN	Campaign mode
2003	Rise of Nations	Big Huge Games	Historical	WIN, MAC	Conquer The World mode
2004	Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots	Big Huge Games	Historical	WIN, MAC	Conquer The World mode
2005	Star Wars: Battlefront	Pandemic Studios	Sci-fi	WIN	Galactic Conquest mode
2006	Star Wars: Battlefront II	Pandemic Studios	Sci-fi	WIN, Xbox	Galactic Conquest mode
2006	Star Wars: Empire at War	Petroglyph Games	Sci-fi	WIN, MAC	Galactic Conquest mode
2006	Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption	Petroglyph Games	Sci-fi	WIN, MAC	Galactic Conquest mode
2006	Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath	BreakAway Games	Sci-fi	WIN, Xbox	Global Conquest mode
2006	The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II	EA Los Angeles	Fantasy	WIN	War of the Ring mode
2006	The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king	EA Los Angeles	Fantasy	WIN	War of the Ring mode
2006	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade	Relic Entertainment	Sci-Fi/Fantasy	WIN	Campaign mode
2008	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm	Relic Entertainment	Sci-Fi/Fantasy	WIN	Campaign mode

References