Strategy Games Where Technology Evolves As You Play

While some strategy titles focus on the minutiae of moment to moment battles in a single campaign, and others focus on broad stories that encapsulate the ups and downs of an era, there are a host of titles that take the concept of strategy gameplay and stretch it out over decades or centuries. Beyond this, there are some that place technological advancement on such a fast scale that, within a single playthrough, an entirely new age can be reached.

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By  Marcus Patten

Balanced across fantastic RTS titles, grand strategy games, and board-game-styled experiences, there is a good number of strategy games that showcase evolving technology as the playtime progresses. Each has something unique to offer, but some stand out because of how deep their technology advancement system really is.

5 Crusader Kings 3

Development And Tech Greatly Affect Rule

The timeline of Crusader Kings 3 is all about change and the shifting of power over the years. Functionally, this amounts to the paint-by-numbers version of a world map slowly losing "Byzantine Empire Purple" for "Umayyad Caliphate green" as rulers rise and fall and their domains collapse and reform. But no matter how large or small players' kingdoms may grow, the constant that carries from one ruler to the next, besides the royal blood in their veins (and even that is really optional, depending on how faithful a player's partner is), is the technological progression of their dynasty's culture.

Rulers are the driving forces of learned technologies in Crusader Kings 3, and while a dynasty that dismisses scholarship might be stuck in the Dark Ages for centuries, certain rulers will reach the High Medieval Era with all the benefits that doing so entails. Especially for beginners, it's important not to dismiss the cultural progress of each dynasty.

4 Victoria 3

Technological Advancements Shift The Balance Of Power

The highly moddable Victoria 3 builds itself on two pillars of gameplay and balance in particular: economics and policy. It is not surprising to learn that, in a title so centrally focused on the Industrial Revolution and the turmoil it brought, technology plays a massive role in how economics and politics shift during the course of one game. Over just 100 years, players will take their Victorian-era civilization and shape it into something of their own design.

Technology is essential in industrializing agrarian nations, working on the efficiency of trade routes, and improving the overall quality of life in a player's nation. This game has quite a steep learning curve, but for those who can even just master the basics, an incredibly robust economic and political management game driven by technological progress awaits them.

3 Civilization 6

Guide A Civilization From Antiquity To The Information Age And Beyond

Technology and progression is an essential cornerstone in Civilization 6, especially where the early game is concerned, but moving throughout the game, players will find that it is still incredibly important to have technology builds set in a certain order. The scope of Civilization 6 is really where this title shines, with players being able to take a civilization from the very earliest stages of society all the way through to sci-fi tech and expansion beyond modern means.

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By  Diana Croce

Technology expansion isn't just a passive part of the gameplay here; it's a driving force towards securing victory against any and all opponents. A good Civilization 6 player will always be steadily increasing their technological capabilities.

2 Warzone 2100

This Open-Source Title Has A Monumental Tech Tree

• Platforms: PC, PlayStation
• Released: March 26, 1999
• Developer: Pumpkin Studios
• Genre: Real-Time Strategy

Warzone 2100 is incredibly unique as far as strategy titles go, but it also holds an incredibly distinctive place in the gaming industry overall as a completely free, open-source title that has been expanded upon for years. Longtime RTS fans who enjoy titles with a greater focus on machine units and counter artillery will find a lot to love here, as the title's emphasis is on broader, wider-scale combat dominated by mortars and tanks.

The huge tech tree in Warzone 2100 means that both the player and the opponents will be in a constant race of evolving technologies that drastically shape how battles unfold, until one faction finally comes out as the winner.

1 Stellaris

Technology Advancements Are A Driving Force Of Gameplay

Research and population are the two most popular resources for progress in Stellaris, and with the right combination of traits, players will be able to see dramatic increases in the effectiveness of their empire. But advancements as an empire in Stellaris are capped by technological progress, and staying ahead of the curve in the constantly evolving technology paradigms within the galaxy is essential to victory. Technology evolves in rapid and often frightening ways, eventually spinning out of even the player's control and leading to entire narratives within themselves.

How should a player react when their belligerent neighbor uploads their consciousness to robotic bodies? What happens when the first empire gains enough insights into the L-Gates to open a path out beyond the galaxy and into the dark unknown? A player might have lost a war to an oppressive force a century ago, but now with neutron turrets, have the tables turned?