Accessible is not exactly a word that one associates withgrand strategy games. After all, it’s a video game genre where half the fun consists of figuring out why everyone’s waging war on you or why your territories keep going bankrupt. The point is, grand strategy games were meant to be complex as they can be to simulate immersive levels of geopolitics; they’re usually based on real-world history.
Related:Features We Hope To See In Triangle Strategy
And of the few dozen pure grand strategy titles around, it’s safe to say that only a handful are really approachable or accessible to the usual attention span today (thanks, social media!). Because most of the time, their tutorials areless about learningand more about baptism by fire. But with enough fortitude and maybe half-a-dozen caffeine shots by two a.m. in the morning, thesefollowing grand strategy games can teach beginnerswhat it’s like to lead a country or faction— or rather, how stressful it can be.
Updated Jun 01, 2025, by Sid Natividad:Grand strategy gamesremain as intimidating as ever for most casual gamers, but thebest grand strategy gameshave made themselves more accommodating; well, at least some did. With their experience, developers are now realizing more than ever how to streamline the mechanics of strategy games.
As a result, new and fresh titles have emerged recently to challenge the notion that grand strategy games are supposed to be hard and come with a steep learning curve. For beginners in the genre who want their training wheels, more strategy games have been added to this list, and they’re more or less noob-friendly.
10Stellar Monarch 2
One of the several reasons why newbies find grand strategy games intimidating is they often feel like spreadsheet simulators; lots of logistics to track can make the game feel like a complex hobby, like stocks or something similar. ButStellar Monarchand its sequel,Stellar Monarch 2,rebuilt their formula.
They minimized this logistical aspect of grand strategy games and made them more fast-paced (relatively). Micromanagement is minimized (no pun intended), so players only have to deal with the fun ruler stuff. The sequel doubles down on this gameplay philosophy, making it even more streamlined compared to its predecessor.
9Phoenix Point
Phoenix Pointwas made by the original creator oftheX-COMgamesso it’s also partly a tactical turn-based RPG. However, there’s also a thick layer of grand strategy in the pile since players need to pick among the three factions that they will lead in either invading or defending Earth.
Combat here is more action-packed since it’s a hybrid grand strategy game, yet it still gives players the opportunity to strategically micromanage their resources for efficiency so that the ground troops can have the best chance of victory. There’s also diplomacy involved on the macro level, turning this game into quite a package.
8Imperator: Rome
LikeCrusader Kings 3,Imperator: Romeis a Paradox Studios game, and like the former, it’s also one of the most accessible games in the developer’s portfolio. It’s a classic empire management game set in the Mediterranean during the classical age.
RELATED:4X Strategy Games That Are Good For Beginners
If players want to roleplay as a Caesar, they can definitely do so, as the Mediterranean region is ripe for the taking. It has less royal drama thanCrusader Kings 3,but the intercultural interactions here among the tribes and the different empires make each faction more memorable and distinct.
7Tiny Civilization
At first glance,Tiny Civilizationlooks like it took the “grand” out of grand strategy and compressed it into a package that looks like it was made for mobile gaming. However, this game very much qualifies as a grand strategy thanks to its scale and ambition.
Tiny Civilizationis a 10,000-year journey of mankind where players need to take care of their chosen faction as they ascend to the space age and evolve into a modern society. The developers streamlined quite a lot of mechanics here down to their most basic levels, meaning it’s easier for newcomers to enjoy and learn. And don’t worry; there’s an English language pack included.
6Total War: Shogun 2
It’s more than a decade old now, butTotal War: Shogun 2’s atmosphere has yet to be replicated among its historical peers in theTotal Warlineup. Besides, it’s a good entry point for grand strategy beginners; all players have to do is pick a Japanese clan and lead their samurai armies to the top. Among all historical titles,Shogun 2offers the most polished and immersive experience.
Some grand strategy purists will argue thatTotal Wargames are barely “grand strategy” and they’re partly right. These games are divided into two gameplay aspects, namely theturn-based campaign mapand real-time tactical battles. The former iswhere thestrategizingtakesplace, and it’sbare-bonesandlacks complexity. But for that very reason,Total Wargames are a good stepping stone to deeper grand strategy rabbit holes.
5Total War: Warhammer (Original)
It’s not based on history, but if players want something more fun than historicalTotal War’s glorified chess matches, then theWarhammerlineup offers an awesome change of scenery. It’s based on theWarhammer Fantasyuniverse, where vampires, humans, dwarfs, and Greenskins (orcs) clash with one another due to lore reasons most players will likely forget.
Related:Pro Tips For Age Of Empires 3 That You Need To Know
Never mind the reason for conflict, of course; it’s a series called “total war.” In any case,Total War: Warhammerhas proven itself even more popular than the historical titles in theTotal Warfranchise. We recommend starting with the first game; the second and third ones have too much stuff going on with too many races and factions.
Due to theasymmetrical nature of the races and the combat, both theturn-based campaignmap and the real-time battles here havemore depthcompared to historicalTotal Wargames.
4Crusader Kings 3
It’s a game where players can turn their whole family tree into a family circle through incest or even feed their whole noble roster to the townspeople in the event of a famine. Those are just some of the things thatCrusader Kings 3allows regularly. For many fans, it’s like theSimsfor medieval domination except more violent and more depraved.
Apart frombeing a grand strategy game, it’s also a dynasty simulator. Players get to pick a medieval faction involving European, North African, and Middle Eastern countries and write whatever story they want with them through their decisions and orchestrations. The big difference compared toCrusader Kings 2is that the third game has amore welcoming tutorialand will readily tell players how to achieve certain actions or strategic finesse.
3Stellaris
LikeTotal Wargames, it’s a bit hard to pin down exactly whereStellarisstands in the genre box. But people generally consider this game as a hybrid between 4X and grand strategy genres, with a bit ofreal-time strategy(RTS). Also, it was created by the developers responsible for theCrusader Kingsfranchise. Regardless, it’s also a good way for newcomers of grand strategy to ease themselves into more familiar mechanics.
Related:Which Strategy Game Should You Play, Based On Your Chinese Zodiac?
Stellaristypically starts off like a usual 4X game where players expand their borders. The second half of most playthroughs tend totransition toward grand strategywhere players must outwit, dominate, and out-gun their rivals. Because by that point in this space strategy game, the borders start getting cramped. For beginners, smaller map sizes are recommended for easier learning.
2Europa Universalis 4
Again another title from Paradox— the developers ofStellarisandCrusader Kings,Europa Universalis 4is an ambitious retelling of the colonial period (from its infancy to its height). It takes players through four dramatic centuries of European history and development. It starts in 1444 and ends in 1821— a time period rife with colonialism, trade companies, powdered wigs, and obsession with sugar and spice.
As far as Paradox Studios games go, this one tends to be a bit more accessible. It’s relatively easy to pick up compared to some of Paradox’s offerings (such asHearts of Iron, orVictoria), but expect to still learn new gameplay mechanics even after hundreds of hours of gameplay. Economy, after all, is an enigmatic puzzle.
1Hegemony 3: Clash Of The Ancients
Hegemony 3: Clash of the Ancientsfocuses on a different but no less grand time period during the Classical Age when the Greeks and Romans dominated the historical texts. The more unified focus on warfare and border expansion putHegemony 3in a simpler light compared to other grand strategy games with more complex economies.
In fact, it’s closer toTotal Warthan to most othergrand strategy titles. Here, players must choose their favored Mediterranean faction or country and lead them to power, with the historical canon being the rise of the Roman Empire. However, players can rewrite history so that Greek salad is more prominent than Caesar’s, thus making pineapple with pizza less taboo. The possibilities are endless.
More:Which Strategy Game Should You Play, Based On Your D&D Alignment?
