C-Evo

If C-Evo had a middle name, it would be “micromanagement.” Released in 1999, this open-source offspring of Civilization II takes all the things you love about empire building—research trees, political brinkmanship, military brinkmanship—and cranks them up a notch. It doesn’t try to dazzle you with flashy graphics or overly polite advisors. Instead, it puts you right in the shoes of a ruler who thinks sleeping is optional. Strategy here is raw and unforgiving, and if you mess up, don’t expect a cuddly “game over” screen—your rivals will bury you with smug efficiency. It’s the kind of game where one more turn suddenly becomes ten hours of your life.

“C-evo is a freeware empire building game for Windows. With a time scope of several thousand years, it covers aspects of exploration and expansion, industry and agriculture, warfare and diplomacy, science and administration. C-evo follows the spirit of popular turn-based strategy games from the mid 90s, but with more emphasis on powerful AI and careful design of the rules, resulting in a true challenge.” - Steffen Gerlach