Summary
- Roman history in video games offers a variety of genres from CRPGs to city-building simulations, appealing to history buffs and strategy fans alike.
- Games like CivCity: Rome and Expeditions: Rome provide immersive experiences with historical figures and tactical combat set in the Roman Empire.
- From grand strategy titles like Imperator: Rome to action-adventure games like Assassin's Creed: Origins, players can explore different eras in Roman history through engaging gameplay.
Roman history seems to be a perfect backdrop for various video game genres. The Empire is one of the most significant in history. Naturally, gamers interested in a particular time love to dive into the gaming world that offers it as a setting.
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Realistic or fictional depictions of Roman history aren't often a focal point of a game's setting. There are several great games based on Roman history that fans should seek out if they haven't already. These examples are some of the best.
Updated February 11, 2025, by Michael Llewellyn: Rome is the perfect setting for a video game in any genre. Whether it's playing as a general commanding an army or fighting in the arena to please the mob in the gladiatorial games, there's something on offer for all. This list is updated to include another game for fans of Roman history (We Who Are About To Die). It also includes updated tags with cover art and galleries for every entry.
1 We Who Are About To Die
Challenging Roguelite Gladiatorial Combat
We Who Are About To Die
- Released
- November 14, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Microsoft Windows
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action, Indie Games, Fighting, Simulation, Strategy
We Who Are About to Die is a gladiatorial roguelite set in ancient Rome. Despite being in Early Access on Steam, it is already a fantastic achievement, especially considering that a single developer created it. As a roguelite, Who Are About To Die is an unforgiving game with a permadeath feature, meaning players lose their gladiator when they die in battle.
The combat system is a little tricky with its directional attacks, but players can spend some time in the combat training area to familiarize themselves. Timing and momentum are everything in We Who Are About To Die, but once it clicks, it's a lot of fun trying to rise through the ranks with one's created gladiator.
2 Story Of A Gladiator
A 16-bit Inspired Scrolling Brawler
- Platform: PC, PS4, and Switch
- Released: 2019
- Developer: Brain Seal Ltd.
Story of a Gladiator is a side-scrolling 2D fighting game set in Ancient Rome. Players can choose their character's origins and background, then fight across 32 battle scenarios in the arena to earn the crowd's love and respect. The player's gladiator will gain rewards and can upgrade their abilities using the coins earned in combat.
Story of a Gladiator, despite its simplistic visuals and basic animations, even when compared to its 16-bit predecessors, offers satisfaction through the tactical advantage achieved by employing the right equipment and strategies to triumph in battles. It's a fun brawler that fans of movies and TV shows like Gladiator and Spartacus will enjoy at a budget price.
3 CivCity: Rome
A Merging Of The Civilization And Caesar Series
CivCity: Rome
- Released
- July 24, 2006
- Platform(s)
- PC
CivCity: Rome merges two strategy series, Caesar and Civilization. It's a city-building game where players must build and manage cities occupied by the Roman Empire. Players must keep their citizens happy by building entertainment venues like a Colussium and a Circus Maximus. In addition to city management, players must fight, defend, and conquer Germanic tribes, the Egyptians, and Carthage.
It's a juggling act that summarizes what fans love about the genre and the Roman setting features historical figures like Julius Caesar, Attila the Hun, and Cleopatra. With 34 missions across 27 maps and different outcomes, there's a lot of content to keep fans busy for a long time.
4 Expeditions: Rome
A Tactical CRPG Set In The Final Years Of The Roman Republic
Expeditions: Rome
- Released
- January 20, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Expeditions: Rome is a classically styled CRPG with tactical elements set during the fall of the Roman Republic. Players take on the role of a Legatus rising in the ranks of the Roman elite while investigating the murder of his father by rivals in the senate.
The role-playing mechanics are where the game shines, with the story unfolding as the player's character fights and conquers regions in Africa and Gaul. The world is detailed and offers a lot of lore for fans of history and the period, with politics and combat woven into the narrative.
5 Gladio And Glory
Hilarious Gladiatorial Combat With Ragdoll Physics
- Platform: Steam Early Access
- Released: 2021
- Developer: Adi Zhavo
Gladio & Glory is a fighting game in Early Access on Steam. It's a comedic mash-up of Gangbeast's ragdoll physics and the bloody arena-based combat of Shadow of Rome. It's not a game for pure history fans, but it is wild and chaotically fun, thanks to its unpredictability and silly combat scenarios.
The one versus fifty matches are worth the price of entry alone. That said, there is still an element of skill and strategy involved when it comes to timing and adjusting the player's mindset to the animations.
6 Gladius
Build A Gladiator School And Take On Rivals In The Turn-Based Fantasy Adventure
Gladius
- Released
- October 28, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- LucasArts
- Publisher(s)
- LucasArts, Activision
- Platform(s)
- GameCube, PS2, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, RPG, Tactical
Gladius is a tactical RPG developed by LucasArts and was criminally overlooked at launch. It is different from other games in the gladiatorial combat genre. Gladius' tactical combat adds depth and pits the player-created squad of gladiators against mythical creatures like Minotaurs and other monsters.
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Though not a historically accurate game, the story and world are compelling and will keep fans of fantasy RPGs with unique settings entertained for hours. As complex and as deep as the combat is, the game is surprisingly accessible and well-explained throughout the campaign.
7 Sid Meier's Civilization 5: Gods And Kings
Fight Against The Roman Empire As One Of The Barbarian Horde
Sid Meier's Civilization 5
- Released
- September 21, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
The Civilization series is favorably regarded as one of the best grand strategy series available. Civilization 5: Gods and Kings is an expansion pack with a scenario that focuses on the Fall of the Roman Empire.
Players can take on the part of Eastern or Western Rome fighting off the invading barbarian hordes. Alternatively, fans can work as barbarians using the Celts, Franks, Goths, Huns, and Vandals. The expansion also introduces espionage and religion into the gameplay, adding another layer of depth to - what was already - a complex strategy game.
8 Imperator: Rome
A Grand Strategy Sandbox With Real-Time Battles
Imperator: Rome
- Released
- April 25, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Development Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Platform(s)
- Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Simulation
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
As a spiritual successor to the Paradox-developed Europa Universalis: Rome, Imperator: Rome is a grand strategy during the rise of the Roman Empire. For fans interested in the combat aspect of a strategic game set during one of Rome's most tumultuous periods, Imperator's strength is in its real-time battles.
The maps feature over 7000 playable cities, with stunning recreations of ancient landscapes, and Imperator's sandbox nature and scope offer flexibility and tactical thought for budding Roman conquerors.
9 Asterix & Obelix XXXL: The Ram From Hibernia
A Fun Co-Op Fighting Game For The Family Set In Ancient Rome
Asterix & Obelix XXXL: The Ram From Hibernia
- Released
- October 27, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Set in Ancient Rome, Asterix & Obelix is an action-adventure game designed to appeal to a younger audience. Based on the classic Asterix the Gaul cartoon series, players take on the role of Asterix and Obelix in single-player and cooperative fun.
Asterix & Obelix XXXL is at its best when played with family, and its top-down viewpoint and combat mechanics are reminiscent of the Diablo series. With several multiplayer games being developed with online co-op in mind, it is refreshing to play a game made infinitely better with family and friends during a session of couch co-op gaming. If nothing else, Asterix & Obelix is a great way to get younger audiences interested in actual Roman history.
10 Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition
An Accessible Strategy Game With An Excellent Expansion Set In Rome
Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome
- Released
- October 31, 1998
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ensemble Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Real-Time Strategy
First launched in 1997, Age of Empires is a trip down memory lane for fans of the original and a great introduction to strategy games where newcomers are concerned. There is a lot of depth and content for players to get to grips with. The original version has been ported to several systems, but this reworked version is the best and most accessible.
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Fans of Roman history will also get the Rise of Rome expansion that brings the whole package to 10 campaigns altogether. In the Roman era, players had to fight off legendary leaders like Spartacus and Hannibal to protect Rome and the Republic.