Games with the Best Economy Systems

Crusader Kings 3

Let’s go back in time to the Middle Ages when the feudal system prevailed.

On the top of the social ladder were lords who protected their wassals – people over whom they exercised authority in exchange for land.

Image credit: Paradox Development Studio

That’s the economic system in the Crusader Kings 3. You throw into a role as a lord whose position requires diplomatic skills and a strategic approach.

Your story begins in 867, 1066, or 1178 and the dynasty will reign for a few centuries. That’s why raising your heir properly is vital: he is the next lord and would cause trouble if he hated you.

Crusader Kings 3

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Hearts of Iron 4

Again, there are two slightly different periods when you can start: 1936 or 1939.

Both are set in the realities of World War II. As you can assume, consumption revolved around war supplies.

Image credit: Paradox Development Studio

It’s a grand strategy war game, where you take control of any nation that existed at the time. You decide how to develop your forces, what industry to focus on, and even what form of government to take.

Whether you command a major power such as the United States, Germany, the Soviet Union, or one of the smaller states, you will be making high-stakes decisions that could shape the course of history.

Hearts of Iron 4

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Stellaris

On Earth, states are governed by their own rules, but what happens in space?

Image credit: Paradox Development Studio

In this game, your civilization explores a randomly generated galaxy and colonizes habitable planets; it can travel faster than light, so time is not an issue.

The size of a galaxy can be customized and you can adjust the level of difficulty to your preferences. The initial state of the game involves exploration, after gaining experience, you will be pulled into either warfare or diplomacy.

Stellaris

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Cities Skylines

Now, let’s get back to slightly more down-to-earth stuff.

This time it’s the complaints of the citizens that will guide your decisions, but before that happens, you need to own a town.

Image credit: Colossal Order Ltd.

You can construct your city from scratch or import existing maps from modding support. You have to manage municipal charter, the distribution of buildings, roads, water resources, education and fulfilling the needs of residents.

What differentiates the game from its competitors in the genre is playing offline, you don’t need an Internet connection to build your dream city.

Cities Skylines

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Factorio

Optimising, automating, and making everything more efficient will become your obsession.

Image credit: Wube Software LTD.

You’ve crash-landed on an alien planet, and with your engineering knowledge, you’ll create an automated industry to build a rocket. Find resources, start with basic automation, and use them to create your first product – this will kick-start you to further expansion.

But an alien environment means danger; the bigger your factory, the more enemies it will attract. Huge ant-like creatures live in colonies, and pollution from the factory will make them more aggressive, so you need to find balance in your production.

Factorio

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