Stellaris cover art

Game entry

Stellaris

2016 · Strategy, Simulation · PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S · Paradox Interactive

Stellaris is ranked no. 169 among the best video games of all time by GameForever voters, with an ELO score of 1,810 and 74% of duels won.

World rank

no. 169

ELO score

1,810

Wins

74%

Duels played

141

Join the debate · 16

About Stellaris

Stellaris is a real-time 4X grand strategy game set in a procedurally generated galaxy. Players control an interstellar civilization, exploring star systems connected by hyperlane networks, colonizing habitable worlds, and managing their empire's economy across resources like energy, minerals, and alloys. The game emphasizes empire customization through species traits, ethics, government types, and civics that shape both aesthetics and mechanics. Gameplay progresses through diplomacy, trade, and warfare with other civilizations, while mid-game and late-game galactic crises introduce escalating threats such as extragalactic invasions or hostile artificial intelligence awakenings. Players can pursue ascension paths including genetic engineering, cybernetic augmentation, or psionic abilities. Originally released for PC, the game later received a console edition and has been supported with numerous expansions adding megastructures, new empire types, espionage mechanics, and additional crisis scenarios.

The community says

Compared to Age of Empires, this thing takes forever to actually go anywhere, and the pacing shows it.

ELO progression

Score moved from 1,500 to 1,810 ELO points over the last 123 days.

Head-to-head

Direct record on the most played match-ups.

In the same genre

All Strategy games →
  1. 27 Dungeon Keeper1997 · Strategy 1,894
  2. 34 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings1999 · Strategy 1,892
  3. 46 StarCraft1998 · Strategy 1,882
  4. 66 Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia1999 · Strategy 1,862
  5. 72 Sid Meier's Civilization V2010 · Strategy 1,857

Keep exploring

Greatest strategy games All-time best PC games Ranking of PlayStation games Top games on Xbox Top games of the 2010s Best games of 2016

Around this spot

The games Stellaris sits between in the world ranking.

  1. 166 Darkest Dungeon 1,810
  2. 167 Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis 1,810
  3. 168 Pokémon Silver Version 1,810
  4. 169 Stellaris 1,810
  5. 170 SimCity 2000 1,810
  6. 171 Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age 1,810
  7. 172 Thief: The Dark Project 1,810

More games from Paradox Interactive

Released in 2016

The community

The debate

16 comments

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  1. VinylOwl

    Compared to Age of Empires, this thing takes forever to actually go anywhere, and the pacing shows it.

  2. RogueHunter

    Started a game one weekend with no plan at all, just wanted to see what happened. Ended up staying up way later than I should have, does anyone else remember their very first empire like that?

    cguillet

    Cette première partie qui tient éveillé, ça arrive à tout le monde ou juste sur ce jeu précis ? Moi j'ai toujours décroché avant la fin.

  3. Arnaude_40

    J'avais lancé une partie un dimanche après-midi, motivée par tout ce qu'on m'en avait dit. Trois heures plus tard j'étais encore en train de lire des popups sans avoir vraiment compris ce que je gérais, et j'ai fini par tout laisser en pause sur mon bureau pendant une semaine avant de me forcer à finir.

    Welch1989

    Once you get the interface figured out it actually runs pretty smooth, popups and all.

  4. CoopRider2008

    Une galaxie entière à explorer et jamais deux parties pareilles, franchement c'est du grand jeu même si le début fait peur au début !!

    RogueRider2008

    Ta toute première partie, elle a fini comment au juste ?

  5. NeonRider1987

    Lo retomé hace poco más de un año, en una época bastante gris para mí (por decirlo suave), y esas partidas larguísimas fueron casi terapia.

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