The longest-running strategy game franchises

Key points

• The Total War franchise excels at strategic gameplay on an epic scale across various periods and adaptations.
• The Civilization series remains a mainstream favorite with addictive gameplay and historical depth.
• The Age of Empires franchise offers a rich RTS experience, which embraces history and offers a vibrant representation of the past.

In the past it was difficult to reproduce realistic and in-depth graphics, but a smart solution was to look at the world on a large scale, which could look much more convincing. This may be one reason why the big strategy game boom happened relatively early in the video game life cycle and led to the birth of many great franchises that still exist today.

Whether continent-spanning adventures of wandering warlords or franchises that span time and fantasy settings, these long-term strategic franchising they have long and storied careers that deserve to be remembered.

5 Total war

2000-2024 / 24 years

• He started in 2000 with Shogun: Total War.
• He soon ventured into other historical contexts, such as the medieval and Roman periods.
• Evolved to take on bigger challenges, like adapting what's very popular War hammer universe.

One of gamers' primal fantasies is to be able to simulate large-scale warfare and be able to make tactical decisions to chart a path to victory. Few franchises do it as well Total warwhich brought its signature mix of in-depth battlefield micro-strategy to a larger macro scale of an entire civilization across many different periods of history, both real and fictional.

Although Total war has long enjoyed a dedicated fan base, it's hard to imagine it being more popular than the relatively new release Total War: Warhammer 3which was the definitive encapsulation of a trilogy of games adapting the War hammer universe that features a wide variety of gameplay styles across its many different factions and an even larger world. It is the epitome of the franchise and is one that all strategy gamers must play.

4 Civilization

1991-2016 / 25 years

• Starting in 1991 with the original Civilization on the PC.
• It evolved and grew in popularity, peaking Civilization 5 AND Civilization 6.
• There's a new entry on the way (which would actually put it at the top of this list if it were released).

While strategy gamers are a strong audience, they don't always fall into the gaming mainstream, with the exception of Civilization franchising. Starting from a very simple premise of taking a historical civilization, building it, and using 4X fundamentals to dominate the map, Sid Meier's popular game series continues to go strong to this day.

The games are well known for their addictive “just one more turn” gameplay loop, with new buildings and units always being churned out by ever-larger cities spurred by a wide variety of leaders for the player to inhabit. While the principles of the game have changed significantly since the original, each new iteration represents a major milestone in the strategy gaming calendar.

3 The age of empires

1997-2023 / 26 years

• It started in 1997 with the original The age of empires publication.
• Developed and quickly peaked with the widely loved Age of Empires 2.
• Continue to this day with The Age of Empires 4 and its various DLC versions.

Where games are liked Civilization have dominated the grand strategic conversation in traditional games, the The age of empires the franchise is arguably many gamers' first foray into the realm of RTS gaming. Initially based in ancient history, but soon becoming a game that spans from antiquity to the Renaissance, The age of empires takes the well-trodden RTS truisms of games like Warcraft and transposes it into a rich and vibrant representation of the past.

These games, in particular Age of Empires 2have garnered a rabid fanbase, many of whom still play a remastered version of Age of Empires 2 to this day, making it even a credible and exciting e-sport, as well as an ideal first approach to RTS games. The age of empires is one of the legends of strategy games and its durability is a credit to its mechanical innovation.

2 Warcraft

1994-2020 / 26 years

• Starting in 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs and Humans.
• Continuing in Warcraft 2 and reaching maximum popularity with Warcraft 3.
• The most recent release was the controversial remake of Warcraft 3.

While most people may know the world of Azeroth from the indelible and mind-bending MMO World of Warcraftsome may not know that the world was originally conceived and developed in Warcraft series, a franchise of beloved RTS games renowned for telling brilliant stories and innovating graphically with every chapter.

The franchise peaked in popularity around the release of Warcraft 3which, with its cutting-edge animated scenes, dominated the cultural landscape of video games with the tragic story of Arthas and his transformation into the Lich King. It's one of the best stories in gaming and introduces some of the lore's most powerful characters.

1 The colonists

1993-2023 / 30 years

• Starting in 1993 with The colonists.
• Reached a popular peak with The colonists 2 in 1996.
• It was rebooted in 2023 with The colonists: new allies.

It wouldn't be a surprise if most players hadn't heard of it The colonists or subsequent franchising. Yet, despite lying beneath the surface, The colonists it is an exceptionally important historical point that took the traditional “German style” of strategy board games, digitizing them and forever changing the design principles of strategy games that would come thereafter.

The game is primarily known as a budget RTS, where players don't so much control units as set specific conditions for units and buildings. This results in complex supply chains, which at first glance seem a little boring, but when the machine works, it's more satisfying than most other games. It definitely deserves a place in the history of strategy games due to its contributions, even if some entries are no longer playable.