Part of the fun in grand strategy games is getting to see a plan come together. Picking the right units, skills, and upgrades, then rewriting history to become the new equivalent of Alexander the Great/Cao Cao/Shaka Zulu, etc. (possibly literally so depending on the game). Yet they tend to either stay in the distant past or end right where the modern era begins like Victoria 3 and Europa Universalis 4.
Some say it’s due to older battle tactics being easier to replicate in video games, or developers not wanting to step on any political toes. Rocking the boat is a good way to get their work banned. However, that isn’t to say there aren’t any grand strategy games set in modern times. There are a few out there, and these are the best of the bunch.
Updated December 31, 2023, by David Heath: There is significant demand for a modern-day grand strategy or tactical strategy game. Yet there are few available. Even the ones that have come out have a few caveats on them. They may be quite clunky compared to the big names in the genre, like Crusader Kings and the Total War series.
Even so, players don't have to mod their own campaigns to make 20th/21st Century-set games. With a little scouring, it's possible to find some gems in the rough. That's why this list has been updated with a few more additions that are worth checking out, alongside some updates to the old entries.
The 10 Best Grand Strategy Games Of All Time, Ranked
The best grand strategy games are often played out over several centuries, with some leaning into the immersion and role-play aspects of these eras.9 Balance of Power
GameFAQs Score: 3/5 Stars
- Developed by Mindscape
- Era: 1980s
The “Modern Era” could mean anything depending on the context. This list will keep things simpler and cite it as anything post-World War 2. 80+ years seems pretty big, but that’s still quite tiny compared to the multiple centuries and millennia Civilization and other strategy games can cover. It also means Cold War-based games can count, including Balance of Power. It’s one of the oldest games on the list, dating back to 1985.
The mid-80s was the last time people thought the Cold War might get hot. So, developer Chris Crawford thought it was the right time to make a game where the player had to pick either the US or USSR, and avoid pushing the button by keeping the peace. Failing to do so results in one of the most iconic game-over screens, which states plainly “There is no animated display of a mushroom cloud with parts of bodies flying through the air. We do not reward failure.”
8 Supreme Ruler Ultimate
Steam Score: 3.5/5 Stars
- Developed by BattleGoat Studios
- Era: World War 1 to 2020
Still, 1985 is nearly 40 years ago now. Surely grand strategy games can get more modern than that. Supreme Ruler Ultimate manages to do that and head back to the past at the same time. It’s essentially a combination of the previous Supreme Ruler games, so it offers players a range of era-based sandboxes to strategize in.
With the use of their military units, cabinet departments, and keen knowledge of the game’s economic system, players can fight it out during both World Wars and the time in between them. Or they could heat up the Cold War, or go through various scenarios based between 2017 and 2020. The game was released in 2014, so they're more fictionalized takes that see the States splitting apart, or uniting against (or under) a certain contentious figure.
7 Supreme Ruler 2010
Metascore: 69
- Developed by BattleGoat Studios
- Era: 2010s
Supreme Ruler Ultimate combined every feature from Supreme Ruler 2020 and Supreme Ruler 1936, which is why it had such a wide scope of eras. But it didn't include features from 2020's predecessor Supreme Ruler 2010, which is technically the first in the series. It was actually a remake of the 1982 TRS-80 game Supreme Ruler, and took five years to go from a concept in 2000 to its full release in 2005.
10 Best Grand Strategy Games For Diplomacy
Fans who love the diplomatic aspect of grand strategy will find plenty to enjoy with these games.It's up to the player to unite the fragmented states of the world and become their supreme ruler, so to speak. They can restore former nations like Canada or China, make completely new ones, or make the whole world one nation under their command. Of course, this all hinges on whether they can keep track of their hand-picked ministers, regulate their economies, and handle the tricky AI. Getting into the game is easy enough, but the difficulty spikes sharply later in the game.
6 Storm: Frontline Nation
Metacritic User Score: 8.0
- Developed by Colossai Studios
- Era: Early 2010s
Storm: Frontline Nation is older, being released in 2011, but skips the political satire in favor of gameplay. Picking one of 45 nations, players navigate through a more tense take on modern politics. Alliances are few and far between, but firepower is on the rise. It’s all too easy for someone to declare war and force their will on their neighbors.
It’s up to the player to manage the production, diplomacy, research, and coordination of their troops to either hold out against their rivals or take over Europe and North Africa for themselves. The critics' reviews were cooler than, say, the Crusader Kings games, but it still received positive feedback from players. Plus, those games didn’t let the player use more modern military fare like anti-tank rounds or chemical warfare.
5 Rogue State Revolution
Steam Score: 3.5/5 Stars
Rogue State Revolution
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Released
- March 18, 2021
- Developer
- LRDGames
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
Little Red Dog Games’ Rogue State Revolution has a smaller focus, as the player can only control the fictional nation of Basenji. However, they have to be aware of the cultural differences of their nation’s 5 provinces to appeal to their voters. Then they have to appoint ministers and make sure they don’t get too popular, or they might stand against them at the next in-game election.
The political intrigue is at the forefront of the game, but the player still has to maintain and improve Basenji’s infrastructure, manage diplomatic relations with other nations, and keep an eye out for any unexpected events. If they falter on any of all of those points, they could find themselves voted out of power, or worse. Just because the player's in control doesn't mean it'll stay that way.
4 Conflict of Nations: World War 3
Steam Score: 3.5/5 Stars
Conflict of Nations: World War 3
- Released
- March 15, 2018
- Developer
- Dorado Games
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
If players want something bigger in scope, there are few games bigger than Conflict of Nations: World War 3. Set in the late 20th Century/early 21st Century, the game was made with the intention of sessions lasting days, if not weeks. In multiplayer, it can support up to 140 players, and all of them have to strategize on who’s best to ally with to fight against another foe.
11 Grand Strategy Games That Support Co-Op
These grand strategy games let players join forces with a friend.Together, they can plan out more stable defensive tactics, or a stronger offense altogether. They’ll have plenty of modern tech to play with too, provided they build up their economic, military, and weapons research doctrines properly. It could even produce chemical ICBMs and nuclear weapons. But the player has to be careful about using them, or they could cause the rest of the world to turn against them.
3 Naval War: Arctic Circle
Metascore: 64
- Developed by Turbo Tape Games
- Era: 2030
What used to be some far-off future date from a sci-fi story is now only six years away, and growing ever closer. There aren't any Skynet cyborgs, flying cars, or ethical billionaires, but in Naval War: Arctic Circle, there is a conflict. Players choose either NATO or Russian forces, and compete in their own single-player campaigns, or against another player in the online multiplayer mode.
As the name suggests, the game is all about naval war tactics. Players manage their troops across the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and Baltic Sea, commanding their units across a 35 million square-kilometer map. They'll have to strategize around day/night cycles and realistic weather conditions, and watch out for civilian ships and aircraft. It's not the prettiest or most challenging game around, but it is unique with its naval setting and focus.
2 World Empire 2027
Steam Score: 3.5/5 Stars
- Developed by iGindis Games
- Era: 2027
For something broader than sea battles, World Empire 2027 goes back to the old formula of taking one country to the top during a global crisis. The world markets have crashed, the superpowers are focusing on their own issues, and old alliances play second fiddle to just having enough resources to survive. The player has to pick their country and use their know-how in diplomacy, economics, and warfare to become its Supreme Commander.
The game came out in March 2022, but is still being updated with new features and scenarios. Most recently, the game enables the player to form alliances with other nations in case they need help against another rival. There are also unique missions and scenarios based on recent history, which can make those alliances harder or easier to form. It may be 2027, but knowing the past can go a long way in World Empire 2027.
1 World Warfare & Economics
Steam Score: 3.5/5 Stars
- Developed by Okron Studio
- Era: Present Day to Near-Future
It doesn’t feel completely fair to recommend this game as, of this writing, the game isn’t fully out yet. World Warfare & Economics is available in Early Access, offering some playable countries, full economic and political management, AI opponents, and real-time battles set across 4,000 regions set in the modern world. Even in this form, the game received some glowing feedback.
But the full game aims to provide 220 playable countries (195 UN-recognized nations, then 25 colonies and disputed states), each with their own economies, militaries, and tech to advance. They can take part in real international events, play the political game to garner support, and change history. Players can even take the fight into space if they advance their tech enough. But for now, they’ll have to keep their scheming earthbound in the Early Access demo.
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