The whole point of 4X is to get so far ahead that players can lose half their empire to a rampaging AI and still win. Power-tripping is the most honest 4X experience, and some games make it easier (and funnier) than others. Some of them practically beg players to abuse their systems in the pursuit of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination.
Games To Play If You Like Age Of Empires
Fans of the Age of Empires franchise looking for great similar games to try should give these strategy titles a shot.
These 4X games are all about power fantasies, transforming players into veritable gods among men once all is said and done.
Master Of Orion 2: Battle At Antares
Overpowered Traits
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares
Master of Orion 2’s empire customization is robust enough that going hog wild is an easy affair. The trait system is the main offender here, offering combinations that can make domination trivial. The Creative trait alone is a notorious meme: players can research every single technology in a branch, turning what’s supposed to be a balanced rock-paper-scissors system into something entirely one-sided. Fans can stack custom race picks and, later, leverage multi-species populations for growth and farming bonuses.
Combat, meanwhile, is a playground for anyone who ever wanted to build their own Death Star and outfit it with planet-killing weapons like the Stellar Converter. The game wants things to go off the rails, and that’s the beauty of it!
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri
Exploiting Social Engineering & Tech
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
- Released
- February 9, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- 4X, Strategy
The real fun in Alpha Centauri is in discovering just how far its broken social engineering and wild tech tree can be pushed, granting plenty of opportunities to cheese one’s way to victory. Want to rush to Transcendence? Stack Research and Economy bonuses and spam Secret Projects. Prefer to run the map with an army of murder-fungus? Pick the Gaians (or Cult of Planet in Alien Crossfire) for the best native-life synergy.
Even the "peaceful" Faction leaders have some exploit hiding in their playstyle, from the Morganites’ ability to buy almost anything they want, to the Gaians’ ability to summon worm swarms. The planet itself won’t keep up. Once players unlock late-game terraforming, they can erase oceans and build land bridges to every enemy capital.
Master Of Magic
Apocalyptic Power
Master of Magic
- Released
- December 13, 2022
- Platform(s)
- PC
Master of Magic’s approach to being overpowered is to let players summon and breed whatever army they want, then blast their enemies from orbit. The game’s custom wizard system is essentially an exploit menu in disguise. Min-maxing picks like Alchemy (turn gold into mana for free) and Warlord (everyone gets a promotion!) Allow things to start snowballing immediately.
Once players hit the mid-game, they’re free to carpet the world with flying fortresses and apocalypse spells. The result is a power fantasy so shameless that fans can’t help but feel guilty. Well, maybe…
Galactic Civilizations 2
Abusing The Tech Trees
Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords
- Released
- February 27, 2006
- Platform(s)
- PC
The tech tree in Galactic Civilizations 2 is a maze of abusable systems, where players can research their way to game-breaking economic engines and fleets that can outmaneuver any foe. The magic, however, is in the ship design. Players can build nearly invincible space hulks by stacking the right modules, or create tiny, cost-effective "missile boats" that can wipe out capital fleets.
8 Best Space Games That Let You Build An Empire
Exploring space is all well and good, but these games take things a step further and let players establish massive intergalactic empires.
Although the AI can be clever, it can’t handle a player who’s figured out how to build efficient starbase networks or exploit morale bonuses to supercharge their planet output. By the late game, players will be cranking out ships every turn and snatching up the galaxy’s resources like a bona fide pro.
Endless Legend
Resource Exploits
Endless Legend
- Released
- September 18, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- 4X, Strategy
Endless Legend isn’t shy about letting players stamp the game with their own flavor of overpowered. Every faction in the game is fundamentally broken in one way or another. The Cultists can convert every neutral minor to their cause, Necrophages breed like locusts and harvest enemies, and Broken Lords don’t need food, turning what should be a critical limiter into a non-issue. The trait and research systems allow for endless stacking, too.
For example, players can specialize their cities to a point where a single tile can heal armies so fast that they become nearly unkillable. Once the "dust" economy is factored in and certain items and heroes are so strong that they turn one’s army into a rolling doomstack, it’s clear that the developers wanted them to break the game (and then break it again just to be sure).
Endless Space 2
Also Endless Spiraling...
Endless Space 2
- Released
- October 6, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Grand Strategy, 4X
The major factions in Endless Space 2 can all break the rules in some way. The Vodyani unceremoniously yoink population from everyone else, the Sophons unlock tech at physics-defying speeds, and the Unfallen can tie the map together with vine networks and turn every corner into their backyard. The modding community is well aware of how overpowered these systems can get, but even in the vanilla game, it’s easy to hit a tipping point where the economy spirals so hard the AI doesn’t know how to react anymore.
Chain the right heroes, ship modules, and planet improvements, and players will possess forces capable of obliterating enemy armadas in a single turn. The "endless" in the title basically refers to the list of ways fans can become OP.
Age Of Wonders 4
The AI Just Can’t Keep Up
Age Of Wonders 4
- Released
- May 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy
The customizable leader and faction builder in Age of Wonders 4 is like a playground. Players can combine culture traits, magical tomes, and racial perks in ways that the AI isn’t equipped to deal with effectively. The game’s Pantheon system encourages min-maxing, which culminates in more bonuses. Unlike some of the older Age of Wonders titles, this one leans fully into power fantasy.
Multiplayer might offer a compelling challenge, but against the computer, the fun is in seeing how many exploits can be strung together before the map runs out of viable opponents.
Distant Worlds 2
Automation Is Tough To Beat
Distant Worlds 2
- Released
- March 10, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
Most 4X games are about carefully managing a growing empire. Distant Worlds 2 is about controlling a galaxy so huge that players will rarely see all of it, and then bending it to their will with the help of an overpowered automation system. The sheer scale means that if being OP is the goal, they can turn off a few checks and let their colonies multiply like rabbits. The game’s quintessential exploit is that the player can micromanage only the fun stuff, while the AI handles all the boring logistics, except that the latter never gets tired.
When players want to take the reins, they can concentrate their best fleets, abuse tech-trading if it’s enabled, or exploit certain government types to secure a victory. Just identify the snowball moments and watch the economy suddenly dwarf the rest of the galaxy by several orders of magnitude!
Star Ruler 2
Growing Never Stops
- Platform(s): PC
- Released: March 27, 2015
- Developer(s): Blind Mind Studios
- Genre(s): 4X, RTS
Star Ruler 2 isn’t for everyone, mostly because of its intimidating learning curve. The "Exponential" economic model means every advantage can be leveraged into runaway growth. Properly managed, a single early-game lead can become an empire so efficient that it can fund planet-scale superweapons every turn. Another highlight is the modular ship designer, which can result in gargantuan dreadnoughts.
Combine this with a card-based diplomacy system that can sabotage or subvert entire alliances with a lucky draw, and it’s possible to win a galaxy-wide war before the opponent knows it started. For the patient gamer, there’s almost no ceiling on what they can do.
Civilization 4
There Are Several Ways To Become The Master Of The Map
Sid Meier's Civilization 4
- Released
- October 25, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Tactical
The Civilization 4 civic system is famously abusable. Players can transition from cash-poor to rolling in gold in a startlingly short amount of time. Stack Great People, use the right Wonders, and players can leapfrog up the tech tree. Religion can be used to spread one’s faith early and transform the map in a few turns with missionaries and cathedrals.
8 Best Games That Play Like Civilization
Civilization has a highly satisfying gameplay loop, and for those looking for something that plays similarly, these games are a great match.
The AI is pretty bad at adapting to the cheese, so once fans know how to set up a city for infinite specialists or how to catapult to space victory via Liberalism, there’s no looking back. Multiplayer is a different story as always, but solo Civ 4 is required playing for anyone who enjoys making history with a steamroller.