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Rise of Nations

2003 Big Huge Games Real-time strategy Updated 25 Jul 2026

Rise of Nations is a 2003 real-time strategy game developed by Big Huge Games under designer Brian Reynolds, blending fast real-time action with grand-strategy concepts drawn from turn-based empire-building series like Civilization.

Players guide a civilization across eight ages, from the ancient world to the information era, researching technologies, expanding territory, and managing a national economy with resources including knowledge for research. Distinctive systems set it apart from typical skirmish-focused rivals: national borders that expand as your cities grow, attrition damage that wears down enemy armies fighting on your land, a cap on resource-gathering that curbs turtling, and a turn-based Conquer the World campaign layered over real-time battles.

Praised for its impressive scope and clever fusion of RTS and 4X ideas, it became a respected staple of the genre and received an expansion adding mythology-tinged nations. A remastered Extended Edition has since been released for modern platforms, letting strategy fans revisit its sweeping march through history on current hardware.

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Modern alternatives to Rise of Nations, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.

Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.

Modern alternatives to Rise of Nations compared: price, Steam Deck rating and the devices each one runs on.
Alternative	Price	Steam Deck	Runs on
Millennia Indie	€ 39,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC
Age of Empires IV	€ 59,99	Steam Deck Playable	PC
Rise of Nations: Extended Edition	€ 19,99	Steam Deck Unsupported	PC