Paradox Interactive is known for its grand strategy games in almost every setting possible.
These games range all the way from the dark ages and medieval times to sci-fi-inspired space colonies in the distant future. The games cover a variety of time periods and each game is played differently enough to make them all stand out in their own way.
While there are several Paradox Interactive games that will go unmentioned, we have curated eight of the top games from the company that we believe, stand out more than the rest. Your opinion might vary from ours, but there is no denying that these games are some of the best that Paradox Interactive has put out since the time of their inception.
Ranked list of the best Paradox games
8) Empire of Sin
Empire of Sin is a management simulator set in the 1920s mob-controlled Chicago. The game puts you in the shoes of one of 14 mafia bosses as you fight for control of the region. This involves a lot of gang wars, property and personnel management, and a lot of tough decision-making to ensure that you remain the top dog in this struggle for power.
Each of the 14 mob bosses is inspired by real-life figures of their time. Familiar names such as Al Capone, Stephanie St. Clair, and Goldie Garneau come with their own set of skills and abilities, resulting in a variety of playstyles. Depending on the boss you choose, you can either choose to intimidate your opponents with their inherent dread or charm your way up the ranks to gain whatever your heart desires.
Defending your turf is the main principle of this game and you will be attacked—a lot. The combat in this game is tactical and turn-based, which might be familiar to fans of tactics battle games. While it is not the best offering from Paradox, it is a fun experience nonetheless.
7) Victoria
Victoria is the first grand strategy entry in this list and one of Paradox’s signature game genres. It is a series of three games with each game taking place in the post-industrial Victorian era. This game is played very similarly to the other grand strategy games on this list and puts you in the shoes of a nation or a smaller county trying to make its name in this world.
The map of this world consists of all of the modern nations, with the globe already being circumnavigated by this time. Most of the focus in the series is on developing your nation and being a production powerhouse while you create a prosperous land for your people. This involves forging alliances and going to war for territory and resources while you manage your own.
Victoria 3 is the latest entry in the series and has revitalized the franchise as a whole, bringing renewed interest to the grand strategy genre. With substantial graphical improvements with a re-imagined UI, the series is more accessible than ever through Victoria 3. This success has propelled the game into the top 10 best-sellers list within its first day of launch.
6) Stellaris
Stellaris is a grand strategy game that breaks the mold for the genre and setting we have come to expect from Paradox’s games. Unlike other games that take place at various points in our known history, Stellaris takes place in futuristic foreign worlds where you have to colonize different planets using one of a few different species.
The game will have you manage an empire across several planets, making the conquest of a star system seem even grander. Stellaris allows you to play as various races with their own strengths and weaknesses that blend in seamlessly with different worlds as per their specialty. Depending on the species, some of them thrive on certain planets while others suffer.
Every one of the species also comes with its own traits. Traits are a representation of the species’ unique abilities and personalities. Each one of these traits is integral to defining your playstyle and your strengths depending on the world you choose to colonize. These traits can be chosen at the start of the game and will greatly influence how you develop your civilization.
5) Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines is a deviation from the grand strategy genre into the city builder simulation genre. The game puts you in the shoes of a city planner given access to limited funds at the beginning, while you build the city of your dreams. This is not easy, however, since you will have to manage a productive city while also appeasing the population that lives there.
Since it is a simulation game, Cities: Skylines lets you build your city from the ground up. You will have to choose the ideal landscape for your city and design its roads while placing appropriately useful structures. You can then use these structures to generate profit, allowing you to build bigger and better structures and expand your city.
The addition of traffic elements, city administration, and a functional day-night cycle just adds to the depth of the game. Each of these factors influences how your citizens behave and their general availability. While the game provides more than enough content to keep players satisfied, their expansions and extended modding support provide endless possibilities to avid city builders everywhere.
4) Hearts of Iron
Hearts of Iron is a grand strategy game that takes place chronologically after the Victoria series. The game takes place in the heart of World War II where you are given the charge of any nation in these tumultuous war-torn times. You will have to manage supply lines and your nation while you survive the harrowing events of a world ravaged by war.
Hearts of Iron focuses on military tactics and realistic battle simulation. The research tree might seem complex and daunting at first, but with enough practice, you should be able to see a pattern that takes you through the style of play in which you excel. You will have to control entire platoons of infantry, tanks, ships, and aircraft to establish dominance during this World War.
All of the troops are composed of divisions that you command while you manage unbroken supply lines to ensure a smooth war experience. A coordinated assault of air, land, and sea attacks is vital to overall success. To do so, you can choose to play as a major power during World War II or play as one of the smaller nations simply trying to withstand the onslaught.
3) Age of Wonders
Age of Wonders takes a turn from the grand strategy genre into the turn-based strategy genre. It is one of the oldest series on this list and focuses a lot on the balance between armies and magic. The series was originally a trilogy that took place in a medieval setting on Earth, seamlessly blending reality and fiction.
Then the fourth game came along, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, which changed this concept a little bit. Planetfall is a fantasy game just like the rest, although it borrows a page from Stellaris’ book and takes place in a sci-fi futuristic setting on different planets. The game brings back a lot of elements from the previous trilogy while adding alien beasts to your arsenal as well.
The premise of all four games remains the same. You rise from the ashes of either a fallen or weakened empire and finish objectives to regain your former glory. You can play through each game’s missions using a variety of skills and diplomacy or push through with military prowess. Negotiating is a perfectly viable strategy as well and a much-needed one when you come across powers you cannot initially defeat.
2) Europa Universalis
Going back to the bread and butter of Paradox Interactive’s strengths, we have the Europa Universalis series. This series is comprised of four games that take place chronologically after the Crusader Kings series, placing us smack dab in the middle of the age of discovery. The game focuses a lot on exploration and colonization, letting you manage your empire in the old world while fighting for conquest of the new world in the recently discovered Americas.
Europa Universalis will have you manage your armies in addition to your resource stockpiles and supply lines that you will have to keep active to push through difficult conquests. The renaissance world will look relatively different from modern times and a lot of the nations you see on the map can be combined to form newer countries that exist to this day.
The core gameplay element of these games involves maintaining trade lines to keep your empire prosperous while surviving small-scale events like civil wars or world events such as the Protestant Reformation You can either choose to be a part of the conflict or head out to discover the new world and settle your own empire there.
1) Crusader Kings
Undeniably the best series in Paradox’s list of games, the Crusader Kings trilogy includes a role-playing experience unlike any other in a medieval setting with other characters that are out to destabilize your realm in every way possible. Starting with their humble beginnings in Crusader Kings, many didn’t think too much of this series until the second iteration of the game was released.
Crusader Kings II was where the series really acquired some traction. With an overhauled graphics engine and smoother gameplay along with several quality-of-life changes compared to the first game, this game defined grand strategy during its era. It was so popular that it spawned several new content expansions while the base game is currently free-to-play.
Crusader Kings III wraps up the medieval trilogy in grand fashion. With modern graphical capabilities and an even more competent AI, the number of randomly generated possibilities in this game was endless. This was further exacerbated by its content expansions such as Fate of Iberia and Royal Court, which added more roleplaying elements to the game, making it worth the 600-year dynasty grind.
