7 Games With The Most Realistic Economies

Key Takeaways

RTS games test economic management through trade mechanics.
Victoria 3 offers a real-world system economy for strategic balancing.
EVE Online features a complex player-driven economy in a unique MMO setting.

Alongside warfare and combat, economics and trade are two of the most commonly exploited features of the real world that are included in the gameplay of a title. There is good reason for this, as economics, either at a local or global level, is a complex topic that lends itself well to being simulated in code.

4 Real-Time Strategy Games With Economic Mechanics

Every nickel and dime counts in these RTS games that will truly put a player’s economic management skills to the test with their mechanics.

Some games simply simulate a trading economy, with the player trying to buy low and sell high. Others take a more grassroots approach, with the player having to procure resources and set up complicated supply chains. And finally, there are those games that have a fully featured economy that is entirely run by players.

1 Factorio

Complex Manufacturing And Supply Chains

Simulation

Real-Time Strategy

Systems

Released: August 14, 2020
Developer(s): Wube Software

It’s fitting that Factorio is the first entry. For what is an economy without raw resources being turned into components and completed products? In Factorio, players need to set up interlinked manufacturing processes and ensure that raw materials are provided to keep these processes running.

Factorio has a micro-economy, only implementing the manufacturing and production stages. But it does this very well. The player needs to learn how to fulfill logistical demands to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of the manufacturing economy in this game.

2 Victoria 3

Grand Strategy With Trade And Industry

Systems

Released: October 25, 2022

Victoria 3 is a historic grand strategy game, set in the 19th century. This is a period in England known as the Industrial Revolution, in the Victorian era, when the country was shifting from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy. This is an incredibly rich period of English history to mine for inspiration for a strategy game.

Victoria 3: 5 Best Economic Systems

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each Economic System can make or break a playthrough in Paradox’s Victoria 3.

Unsurprisingly, trade, commerce, and manufacturing are a big part of the gameplay in Victoria 3. The economy is modeled on a real-world system and requires careful balancing to ensure the country is well-funded at all times. Overall, Victoria 3 does a great job of bringing economics to the fore, resulting in a unique strategy gaming experience.

3 Patrician 4

Historical Trading Simulator

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Released: September 2, 2010
Developer: Gaming Minds Studios, Kalypso Media, RuneSoft
Genre: Business simulation game, Strategy

Patrician 4 is based loosely on the Hanseatic League, a group of traders and commercial enterprises that was active in medieval Europe. They operated a fleet of ships, which they not only used to forge new trade routes but also defended fiercely.

Gameplay involves buying and selling goods across the map, beating the commercial competition, and ensuring economic success. The game simulates an economy that is driven by the laws of supply and demand and does a great job of mimicking the real world in this regard.

4 The Settlers 7: Paths To A Kingdom

Cute Real-Time Strategy

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS
Released: March 23, 2010
Developer: Ubisoft Blue Byte
Genre: Real-time strategy, City-building game

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom is a real-time strategy game that is respected for its surprising depth, despite its humorous setting and often cartoon-like graphics. Resource management is a large part of the game, with resources underpinning the entire economy.

Best Sci-Fi Games With Trading Mechanics

Being able to buy, sell, and haggle over goods can be a rewarding experience in Sci-Fi games and can make resource and item gathering more enjoyable.

Players gather resources, and these feed the complex supply chains for constructing new buildings, training units, and manufacturing goods. The entire resource and construction tree is interconnected, with complex dependencies. Just as in the real world, players need to plan logistics and ensure supply chains are working efficiently.

5 Europa Universalis 4

Complex And Rewarding Gameplay

Systems

Europa Universalis 4 is one of the most respected grand strategy games of all time, as is the entire Europa Universalis series. It is praised for the complexity and depth of gameplay, which is presented in a way that is easy to learn for beginners, yet highly rewarding for advanced players.

Local and global economics play a large part in Europa Universalis 4. Players have to ensure that their empire is producing goods and resources efficiently while setting up trades and generating wealth for the empire. This wealth is then spent on colonization efforts, which ultimately leads to winning the game if done right.

6 Capitalism 2

Build A Business Empire

Capitalism 2

Systems

Released: December 17, 2001
Developer: Enlight

Regarded as one of the best business and commerce simulations, Capitalism 2 is all about making grotesque amounts of money. This is a complex game that requires the player to micromanage their entire commercial empire at all times.

The economy of the game is dynamic, and players need to keep an eye on market trends to avoid losing money and to highlight potentially profitable market gaps. Every part of the commercial enterprise is in the player’s hands; procuring resources, manufacturing goods, marketing them, and selling them.

7 EVE Online

Massive Player Driven Economy

Systems

As one of the long-running MMORPGs of all time, EVE Online likely needs no introduction. Renowned for its huge multiplayer battles and political intrigue, it is a game like no other. The economy in EVE Online is completely player-driven and incredibly complex.

10 Things You Need To Know Before Starting Eve Online

EVE Online is a brilliant, open-world MMORPG that lets players travel through space. However, it’s a very different experience compared to other MMOs.

Every module and ship needs to be constructed from a blueprint, which first needs to be researched to an efficient level. Miners need to acquire the raw resources, and then a player trained in production needs to produce the item. Ships and modules are then sold on the market, which has its own set of in-game skills to manipulate profitably. The developers of EVE Online, CCP, regularly publish market reports and also release the real-world dollar value of the game’s economy.