The best Steam 4X Fest games for 2025 caught us all by surprise. Following some massive Steam sales this summer, our wallets thought they'd have time to recover ahead of several of the releases of the hottest new games of 2025, but the digital distribution platform has set its sights on all 4X strategy games until August 18 at 10 am PT.
What makes the best 4X games? Well, they're turn-based strategy games which allow players to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Their scope is typically wide, and they pack tons of data to make well-informed decisions every turn. With so many variables, two matches are never the same, which makes them some of the most replayable types of video games around. The entry barrier may seem high, but trust us, there are plenty of 4X games that are newcomer-friendly. You'll be asking for "one more turn" in no time... which may be a problem for your overall productivity.
Whether you're into fantasy, science fiction, or Earth-bound fictionalized historical settings, our brief look at the best Steam 4X Fest deals is flavorful (or so we think). With only six entries and some classics left out of the sale, diehards might notice a handful of glaring omissions, so please don't get mad at us. We simply hope we can help you find a new obsession. (And we're sorry in advance.)
The Best Steam 4X Fest games, starting with...
6. Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War
Release: 2018
Developer: Proxy Studios
Price: $3.99 / £3.51
Even if you don't love the Warhammer 40,000 setting, Gladius – Relics of War is one of the most underrated 4X games around. The roster of iconic factions might not be the biggest in the realm of the best Warhammer games, especially if you don't grab the DLCs, but we believe the basics are covered, plus sometimes it's better to have a tighter but more focused selection of allies and enemies.
Since in the dark future of WH40K "there is only war," you should expect this 4X game to lean harder on warfare and aggression, so feel free to skip this one if you want a chill time. Everybody loves to exterminate heretics and xenos with a mighty army of Space Marines, though. If you need a break from Space Marine 2's carnage but love Games Workshop's grimdark setting too much, you can't go wrong with Gladius. You can also check out our Space Marine 2 review in the meantime!
Get the Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War deal here.
5. Age of Wonders: Planetfall
Release: 2019
Developer: Triumph Studios
Price: $10.19 / £8.49
Age of Wonders is one of the classic 4X series you can't go wrong with, but in order to reinvent it just a bit, Triumph Studios chose to tackle a sci-fi setting with Planetfall. For the most part, hardcore fans and the more casual crowd considered it a success, and the release of Age of Wonders 4 hasn't made it any less attractive if you ask us.
Before even getting into the DLCs, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is the kind of zany 4X game that packs factions as fun as dinosaur-riding Amazons and cyborg-zombies. This is an oversimplification, but also totally true. As you gain control of new territories with the help of diplomacy or through bloody warfare, you can also explore ruins to "unravel the history of a shattered civilization." Furthermore, there's official mod support via the Steam Workshop. This one's a killer bundle of turn-based fun.
Get the Age of Wonders: Planetfall deal here.
4. Stellaris
Release: 2016
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Price: $9.99 / £8.74
If you like your 4X games much denser and menu-heavy, don't worry: Stellaris is here. It's definitely not an easy recommendation to make for people looking for their first sci-fi, space-set 4X game, but if you're past your 'baby steps' era, it might be just what you need to keep the turns going. Alien factions, massive spaceships, celestial bodies... You know the drill.
The setup is familiar: You select a civilization that's just discovered space travel and set off to conquer the cosmos however you want. Of course, procedural generation remixes the universe and the species you come across more effectively than in other similar 4X titles, so Stellaris' replay value and ability to surprise is extremely high. To this day, it's still receiving updates, and with a massive selection of DLCs to buy if you need more, it may be the only 4X game you need for a while.
3. Galactic Civilizations 4
Release: 2023
Developer: Stardock Entertainment
Price: $19.99 / £15.24
Okay, so maybe Stellaris is too daunting for your liking, but you still want a similar 4X game set in outer space and full of weird alien species. With Endless Space 2 out of this sale, we're turning to Galactic Civilizations 4. It's big, ambitious, and colorful, but also keeps things relatively simple while offering unique systems such as spaceship-crafting.
Another positive of Stardock Entertainment's fourquel that we'd like to see in more 4X games is the ability to effectively go tall instead of just wide with territories. Sometimes we just want to chill in a corner of the galaxy, pumping our numbers in peace and trying to focus on defense vs. offense. This game allows that. Similarly, Galactic Civilizations 4 also accommodates games that last less than an hour (a very rare occurrence in the 4X subgenre) as well as months-long matches for the bravest and most patient.
Get the Galactic Civilizations 4 deal here.
2. Age of Wonders 4
Release: 2023
Developer: Triumph Studios
Price: $29.99 / £25.19
While Planetfall is a damn fun time, Triumph Studios really came out swinging with Age of Wonders 4 (just read our five-star Age of Empires 4 review for more on that). Its evolved fantasy setting is stunning; the asymmetrical factions feel like the most interesting of the modern 4X subgenre; and cross-platform multiplayer and Steam Workshop support are excellent extras we weren't expecting. Considering how dense and cohesive the base experience is, we're also inclined to recommend its DLC factions.
The customization of each group also goes beyond how you 'build' them and the decisions you make along the way to total domination, as you can create your own heroes, improve units, and even combine arcane powers to come up with the dream fantasy civilization. Despite all its little peculiarities, random events, demanding turn-based battles, and layered systems, Age of Wonders 4 also manages to never feel like too much for newbies, so we can't think of it as anything less than a miracle.
Get the Age of Wonders 4 deal here.
1. Civilization 6
Release: 2016
Developer: Firaxis Games
Price: $5.99 / £4.99
While we're bigger fans of Civilization 7 than most diehards, we're happy to admit it'll take a while before we can treat the latest installment of the long-running historical 4X series as one of the greats (and we're sure Firaxis will get there). For now, you can't get a better deal than Civilization 6, especially when you stack its two big expansions, Rise and Fall & Gathering Storm, on top of it.
Like the fifth game before it, Civilization 6 is ridiculously fun and replayable, and just deep enough to remain fresh for hundreds of hours as you try out new civilizations and come up with different strategies depending on the maps and the victory conditions that are set up. Using Earth's history as a turn-based sandbox is the pitch behind many titles in the 4X subgenre, yet none have captured the magic and tightness of Civilization at its peak. For more information on the latest entry, you can read our Civilization 7 review.
Get the Civilization 6 deal here.
For more recommendations, head on over to our list of the best Steam games to play today or look ahead with our list of all the upcoming PC games still to come.
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