Did You Know?
The plot of the game
Deus Ex, released in the year 2000, is centered in the year 2052. The skyline of New York City depicted in this game did not feature the twin towers on the game's release. The developers reasoned that they had been destroyed in terrorist attack previously in the game. This was over a year prior to the 9/11 attacks.
In a strategy game, the decisions that gamer(s) take during the course of the game makes a difference in the outcome of the game. When playing these games, players need to be aware of the developments that take place in the game. What seems like a minor happening can have a momentous impact on the final outcome of the game. These games demand, from the players, the ability to think ahead of the current scenario and have a second plan ready in case the desired outcome is not achieved.
Many are fascinated by space. They are hardcore fans of Star Wars, Star Trek, and the like. Add some strategy-building abilities to this fascination, and be ready to be entertained for hours together, by some of the best space strategy games available.
Space-based Strategy Games for PC
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
This turn-based game has been developed by
Firaxis Games. It belongs to the 4X genre. In this genre, players need to
expand,
explore,
exploit, and
exterminate an empire. The plot is futuristic and set in the 22
nd century. The gameplay is from a third-person perspective, and it has been directed by
Sid Meier. The strategies in the game revolve around the idea of colonization of space. Players can choose to be the leader of any one of the seven available factions. This game is a spin-off of the civilization series. It was released in 1999, and is compatible with Linux, MAC OS, and Windows platforms.
Sins of a Solar Empire
This game has been developed by
Ironclad Games. It is a real-time game and belongs to the 4X strategy genre. Here, players can choose to be the leader of any one of the three races -
Trader Emergency Coalition (TEC),
Advent, and
Vasari. Leaders have control of their space empires. The goal here is to conquer different star systems. There are four packages of the game that have been released so far. The first was
Entrenchment, followed by
Diplomacy. The third package was
Trinity.
Rebellion was as the fourth stand-alone package of this game. This game was released in 2008, and is compatible with the Windows platform.
Star Wars: Empire at War
This game has been developed by
Petroglyph Games. The showdown in this game is mainly between
Empire and
Rebels. Players can choose from three available game modes. These are
Campaign,
Galactic Conquest, and
Skirmish. In this game, at times, there are land battles along with space battles. It is a real-time strategy game, which was released in 2006. Later, in the same year, an expansion pack was released for the game. This was titled
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption. This game is compatible with Windows and MAC OS platforms.
Galactic Civilizations
This is another turn-based strategy game, which has been developed by
Stardock. The plot of this game is based in the 23
rd century. Players are only assigned the human race. The player becomes the leader of the human race, and the goal to be achieved in this game is of galactic domination through colonization of the space. This game does not support multiplayer gameplay. The player has to play against AI (Artificial Intelligence) opponents. He can choose from various civilizations, which are
Terran Alliance,
Drengin Empire,
Altarian Resistance,
Arcean Empire,
Yor Collective,
Torian Confederation,
Dominion of the Korx, and
Drath Legion. This game was released in 2003, and is compatible with the Windows platform.
Lords of the Black Sun
This game was previously titled
Star Lords. It is a turn-based game of the 4X strategy genre. You can play this game with multiple players along with AI. Players have eight races to choose from, and they are assigned as the leader of the race they choose. These leaders rule their empire, where the goal is to achieve space colonization. The game has been developed by
Arkavi Studios. It was released in 2014, and is compatible with the Windows platform.
Master of Orion
This again is a turn-based game, and belongs to the 4X genre of mystery games. It has been developed by
Simtex. Like most other games on this list, the goal here is to develop colonies in space. This game has its focus on colonization of the star systems. There are ten races available for the player to choose from. This is not one of the multiplayer space strategy games for PC. It is a single-player game, and players are pitted against AI. This game was first released in 1993, and is compatible with MS-DOS, Apple Macintosh, and Commodore Amiga.
Sword of the Star
This game is also from the 4X strategy genre. It has been developed by
Kerberos Productions. Players get to choose to play from the various races, and the goal is to colonize the star systems. This is also a multiplayer game, besides providing an option to pit a single player against AI. Its sequel was released in 2011, while the game was originally released in 2006. It is compatible with the Windows platform.
Homeworld
This game has been developed by
Relic Entertainment. It is the first 3D game in the real-time strategy (RTS) category. There are two races to choose from -
Kushan and
Taiidan. Players are provided with the option of playing individually against AI or in a group. The game was released in 1999, and is compatible with the Windows platform.
Endless Space
One more game in the category of 4X strategy genre, this is a turn-based game, which has been developed by
Amplitude Studios. This game has options for multiple players to play the same game, as well for a single player to take on AI. The plot takes place in 3000 A.D., where players are the leaders of their interstellar empires. Here, they can create their own civilizations, and one of the ways to achieve victory is by universal colonization. The battle scenes in this game take place in long-range combat, medium-range combat, and combat at close quarters. The game was released in 2012, and is compatible with the MAC OS and Windows platform.
Planetary Annihilation
This is a real-time strategy (RTS) game, and has been developed by
Uber Entertainment. Players are provided with a map consisting of various planets and asteroids. They have to capture these planets, which can also be
annihilated by other planets. A player loses on losing the last commander of the fleet. This game draws heavy resemblance to
Total Annihilation. It was released in 2014, and is compatible wit the MAC OS, Windows, and Linux platforms.
These were some of the top space strategy games for PCs, that provide a balanced mix of best of both the worlds, or should I say, many other worlds.