Stellaris

Stellaris is a single-player and multiplayer real-time grand strategy and 4X game set in a distant future of interstellar exploration and empire-building.

The game begins as players design or select a species to lead into space. Each empire is shaped by the chosen species’ traits, ethics, government type, and starting technologies. These decisions influence everything from diplomatic behavior to research priorities and military organization. The campaign opens with a single homeworld, a science ship for exploration, a construction vessel for expansion, and a modest fleet. From this foundation, players chart their path toward galactic power.

Gameplay is divided into distinct phases. The early game emphasizes exploration, with science ships surveying star systems to discover habitable planets, anomalies, and strategic resources. Mid-game focuses on colonization and expansion, as new worlds are settled and borders are drawn. Rivalries, alliances, and federations shape the political map while empires adapt their economies to support growing populations and infrastructure. In the late game, galaxy-spanning conflicts, ideological struggles, and emergent crises challenge the stability of all civilizations.

Research is handled through dual technology trees: one for scientific advancement and another for social and political civics. Breakthroughs are semi-randomized, ensuring that no two campaigns develop in exactly the same way. New technologies allow the construction of advanced ships, orbital stations, planetary improvements, and cultural reforms. Military design plays a central role, as players customize ships with specific hulls, weapons, and support modules to counter enemy fleets.

Diplomacy and internal politics provide alternatives to conquest. Empires can negotiate trade deals, form defensive pacts, or unite in federations, while rivalries and espionage weaken opponents. Internal management includes keeping populations satisfied through housing, consumer goods, and political freedoms, with ethics and factions influencing stability and productivity. The government system allows reforms and leadership changes that can reshape empire direction over time.

Great galactic events such as fallen empires, AI rebellions, and endgame crises introduce large-scale threats or opportunities. Randomly generated anomalies and narrative-driven event chains provide unique storylines for each campaign. Victory can be achieved through domination, diplomacy, or religious conversion, among other conditions.