What is a Grand Strategy Game?
Grand Strategy Games (GSGs) put the player in control of a political entity capable of influencing realistically simulated world, usually in a specific historical period.
Modern computer grand strategies are usually associated with Paradox Interactive. The studio developed most popular grand strategy games: Europa Universalis IV (over 2 million copies sold) and Crusader Kings 3 (1 million copies sold in the first month after release). Together with other popular franchises, such as Victoria or Hearts of Iron, they serve as a good example of features common for all grand strategy games:
- * map as the main element of user interface
- * complex simulation of the world, based on a historical period
- * multiple asymmetrical starting positions
- * dozens to hundreds of active AI players
- * arbitrary start date, significant historical accuracy
- * sandbox feeling, creating alternative history
- * interaction via deep diplomacy, economy, military
- * decisions with long-term consequences
- * lack or very limited tactical level
- * semi-real-time with turn-alike ticks and pauses
- * hundreds to thousands of events presented in popups
- * comprehensive mods (e.g., conversion to Game of Thrones theme)
- * steep learning curve
- * very high replayability, hundreds to thousands of playtime hours
Gameplay
Players usually tend to a few main, non-exclusive playstyles:
- * Initial: Starting with a small nation or political entity to gain basic grasp of game mechanics
- * Roleplaying (RP): Following flow of the game and/or own rules for fun
- * Blobbing / Map Painting: Aggressive expansion, conquering significant parts of the map
- * Min-Maxing: Detailed in-game decisions, leading to impressive (game breaking) efficiency
- * Replaying History / What If: Playing out scenarios with different decisions at points of historical divergence
- * Memeing: Achieving absurd result, such as conquering whole world as Ulm
- * Iron Man: Playing with no ability to return to saved state, all decisions are permanent, usually tied with achievements
- * Simulation: Minimal interaction with the game, observing as the world history is rewritten by AI players
Most popular Paradox grand strategy games
Paradox Interactive maintains a few well-known GSG franchises:
- * Europa Universalis: playing as a nation from 1492 to 1801
- * Crusader Kings: playing as a head of family from 867 to 1453
- * Hearts of Iron: playing as a military-focused nation from 1936 to 1950
- * Victoria: playing as an economy-focused nation from 1836 to 1936
- * Imperator: playing as a nation or tribe from 304 BCE to 27 BCE
- * Stellaris: playing as a civilization from 2200 onwards (usually to 2500)
Significant non-Paradox grand strategy games
There are a few other games included in the GSG genre:
- * Total War: multiple periods and universes, more focused on battles
- * Age of History: playing as a nation or a province, spans thousands of years
- * Supreme Ruler: playing as a nation, multiple periods
Players of grand strategy games also usually enjoy adjacent genres:
- * 4X (Civilization, Endless Legend, Endless Space, Distant Worlds)
- * political simulator (Power & Revolution, Democracy, Real Politiks)
- * strategy RPGs
- * wargame
- * city builder
These genres also point to popular hybrids of grand strategy games: Crusader Kings (character-driven GSG, borrowing features from RPGs), Stellaris (space- and exploration-based GSG, intersecting with 4X games), Hearts of Irons (focused on military conflict in the World War 2, using many features of wargames).