Summary
A video game genre that stemmed from an old military tactician exercise, the grand strategy genre has technically been around for hundreds of years, though it first made it to the video game landscape in the early 1980s with games likeColonial ConquestandRomance of the Three Kingdoms. While strategy games can cover a vast array of titles, from city-management games to turn-based military shooters,the grand strategy genreis often defined by its larger scale, often letting players control entire nations across whole continents, the world, or even space. And when it comes to grand strategy games, there are few quite as renowned asCivilization.
Debuting in 1991, theCivilizationfranchise was one of the first to really popularize the grand strategy genre, and it’s continued to lead the charge into the modern era of gaming. But while the grand strategy genre has remained fairly popular practically since its debut, the last few years or so have seen a real golden age for the genre, with multiple high-quality, big franchise titles releasing within quick succession. And withCivilization 7now on the horizon, this grand strategy resurgence may have found its shining crown jewel.
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Civilization 7 Could Be the Highlight of a New Grand Strategy Renaissance
The grand strategy genre has managed to remain a staple of the industry over the last few decades, mostly thanks to a few big-name franchises that have released entries pretty consistently every few years or so. But in the last seven years, the grand strategy genre has really kicked things up a gear, and a lot of that is down to Paradox Interactive, Creative Assembly, and of course, Firaxis, all of which have continued to release some ofthe most critically-acclaimed strategy titles of all time.
2016 was a truly monumental year for the grand strategy genre. Kicking off the year with a bang was Paradox’sHearts of Iron 4, a sequel that had been seven years in the making, and by all accounts, was certainly worth the long wait. Soon after, the firstTotal War: Warhammerreleased, and though it wasn’t perfect, it showed some real potential and would go on to spur some ofthe bestTotal Wargames ever made. If that wasn’t enough, the critically adoredStellarisalso made its debut in 2016. And of course, rounding things out in style was Firaxis' ownCivilization 6, an entry that’s still being played avidly by fans today.
While 2016 brought with it some of the greatest grand strategy games of all time, the years following would continue the trend. A newTotal Wargame has been released every year since 2016, and while some of these games have been of a much smaller scale, they’re still generally regarded to be a great set of titles.Crusader Kings 3also made a huge splash when it launched in 2020, and 2022 brought bothVictoria 3andTotal War: Warhammer 3to the table. And things are only set to grow from here, withTotal War: Pharaohright around the corner, andStar Trek: Infinitehaving just been announced.
But while the grand strategy genre has already seen some phenomenal games released during this ongoing golden age, and more are set to come, it’sCivilization 7that could end up being the crown jewel of them all, though it’s going to take some effort.Civilization 6was an excellent entry in the long-running franchise, but in order to truly stand out and claim its top spot,Civilization 7needs to expand and innovateon the formula, as opposed to just reiterating it once again. But ifCivilization 7can go above and beyond, then it could easily end up being the highlight of this grand strategy resurgence.
