Game

Stellaris

2016 · Xbox Series X|S · PlayStation 4 · Linux · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 5 · Mac · Real Time Strategy (RTS) · Simulator · Strategy

78IGDB player score
290 ratings

Previously Take

A 78 average that undersells it — ask the 290 people who rated it. Slow-burn strategy: science fiction, 4x (explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate), tough calls, and the sweet pain of one more turn. Play it solo first. The multiplayer will still be there when you're done.

About this game

Stellaris is a real-time 4X grand strategy game set in a procedurally generated galaxy. Players control an interstellar civilization, exploring star systems connected by hyperlane networks, colonizing habitable worlds, and managing their empire's economy across resources like energy, minerals, and alloys. The game emphasizes empire customization through species traits, ethics, government types, and civics that shape both aesthetics and mechanics. Gameplay progresses through diplomacy, trade, and warfare with other civilizations, while mid-game and late-game galactic crises introduce escalating threats such as extragalactic invasions or hostile artificial intelligence awakenings. Players can pursue ascension paths including genetic engineering, cybernetic augmentation, or psionic abilities. Originally released for PC, the game later received a console edition and has been supported with numerous expansions adding megastructures, new empire types, espionage mechanics, and additional crisis scenarios.