8 Lighthearted Grand Strategy Games

Highlights

• Grand strategy games can be stressful, but some like
  Hearts of Iron 3
  offer a simplified, lighthearted experience for beginners.
• Space lovers will enjoy
  Stellaris
  , a laid-back game with endless possibilities to explore and conquer galaxies at your own pace.
• For a fantasy twist,
  Age of Wonders 4
  lets players rule their own realm, make choices with consequences, and enjoy simple mechanics.

Grand Strategy games can be quite stressful, especially for those who have never played one before. These games commonly have plenty of different features and mechanics for a player to manage that make each playthrough feel quite serious. However, some grand strategy titles can be played for those looking for a lighthearted experience.

These games are not only commonly great for beginners of the genre but are also laid back enough in their gameplay to make for great lighthearted fun that will have players enjoying gradually building up their empire or country in these incredible grand strategy titles.

8 Hearts Of Iron 3

Metascore: 77

• Platform: PC
• Released: 2009-08-07
• Developer: Paradox Development Studio
• Genre: Grand Strategy

While Hearts of Iron 4 may have been released with players finding it to be incredibly complex, many players and critics praised the previous title, Hearts of Iron 3, for creating a simplistic and refined grand strategy title for players to get stuck into. In this grand strategy title, players are able to choose between various factions from the Second World War and possibly rewrite history as they know it.

Although the player is doing more than wage war with them and balancing diplomacy and building their industry, Hearts of Iron 3 made sure to make it as straightforward as possible for players to understand an extremely lighthearted experience at such an emotionally volatile point in history.

7 Stellaris

Metascore: 78

Moving away from historically accurate points of time, another great and lighthearted grand strategy title is Stellaris. This game is great for any sci-fi or space lovers who are looking for a title that allows them to make a name for themselves among the stars, either with friends or alone, to enjoy the game at their own pace.

Gamers are left to explore the galaxy any way they wish, from surveying anomalies with science ships, discovering new worlds, or simply starring in various space warfare. The game is filled with possibilities that only a laid-back adventure across the various solar systems will uncover.

6 Age Of Wonders 4

Metascore: 83

Besides Sci-if and historically accurate grand strategy games, some of the most lighthearted gameplay can be found in those that take on the theme of fantasy. Age of Wonders 4 is a successful franchise that allows players to rule their own fantasy realm that they have created in their own design. Players are free to grow their own empire each turn with how they see fit.

Simple-to-understand mechanics help the player to quickly understand how to reign supreme in Age of Wonders 4, alongside the joys of role-playing to make every choice made, this opens up all sorts of consequences or rewards.

5 Risk: Global Domination

Steam Rating: 9/10 (34,684 Reviews)

Board games were truly the start of the popularity of gaming well before the creation of arcades and then how it has progressed since then. Therefore, a true classic grand strategy title that can now be enjoyed entirely free on PC has to be the classic known as Risk: Global Domination.

This title sees players go against the AI or even other players as they build up their armies to fight against their foes and claim more land. Board games are meant to be fun, lighthearted things and, therefore, part of the joy of Risk is testing their power against friends and enjoying the various available maps to fight on.

4 Total War: Warhammer 2

Metascore: 87

Total War is another brilliant grand strategy franchise that has made a variety of strategy titles based on various different yet interesting themes. Out of all the available games to be released, one of the best and most laid back of them all has to be the games that take place in the Warhammer setting, such as Total War: Warhammer 2.

Part of the fun in this lighthearted grand strategy title is the choice of four well-known factions that players can control in either the open-world turn-based campaign or the more intense tactical real-time battles. This choice between two halves of the game also allows players to enjoy it at their own pace.

3 Tiny Civilization

Steam Rating: 10/10 (1,571 Reviews)

• Platform: PC
• Released: 2023-01-01
• Developer: 喜人一个
• Genre: Strategy

At first glance, Tiny Civilization may not look like a grand strategy game, but its simplistic yet adorable style makes it a perfect lighthearted grand strategy game for any player to try. Players won’t have an entire map to deal with in this historical simulation title, as players instead must use its match-3 mechanics to gather resources, use skills, and discover the new technology needed to advance humanity.

When matching 3 of the same image, players should focus on exactly what their Civilization needs, from matching food icons to feed their people, or cultural images to unlock the technology they need. Overall, Tiny Civilization is an incredibly lighthearted grand strategy game that’s a must for players.

2 Sid Meier’s Civilization 6

Metascore: 88

Sid Meier’s Civilization is one of the most popular grand strategy games to ever be created, with Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 continuing the success of the franchise as it has entertained countless players. For those looking for a lighthearted experience, this grand strategy title is certainly one of the best for its timed turns that allow players to work at the speed they want if they make the timer longer.

Playing with friends can also make this strategy title way more of a joy to play if everyone is simply trying to have a good time instead of being competitive. If players don’t want to go against real people, they can even create a single-player campaign where they go against the AI instead.

1 Crusader Kings 3

Metascore: 91

Out of all the grand strategy titles mentioned, one of the greatest and easiest to pick up has to be Crusader Kings 3. This title not only allows players the usual grand strategy mechanics and takes an interest in other lands that they may take over through democratic power or by force in a war, but also plenty of role-play mechanics, as players experience life as either royalty or a noble of the land they have taken control of.

Players don’t need to be power-hungry in Crusader Kings 3. It’s great to take the lighthearted stance of focusing on their own land and gradually expanding through generations of their own legacy.