20 Video Games About Ancient Rome To Help Unleash Your Inner Gladiator
- 176 VOTESPhoto: Sega
Rome: Total War was the first of many games that incorporated a plethora of characters on the screen, making it possible to fight army against army on a single computer, and because it featured Roman history, the battles were intense and massive. Rome: Total War is easily one of the best strategy games ever made, as it features both micro and macro management, with each being important to gameplay.
The game's campaign is massive, and it offers a great deal of historical accuracy. Most players agree that the game features some impressive replayability, and because of its robust multiplayer tools, it stands as one of the best multiplayer strategy games of its kind. The game is a classic, and you can score a copy on Steam for a steal.
- 270 VOTESPhoto: Sega
The first Total War: Rome game introduced an impressive array of mechanics and gameplay, which were stepped up in this incredible sequel. The visuals are impressive, making this one of the best Rome video games in terms of visualization ever released. Like the first game, everything about Total War: Rome II is about strategy and tactics, so each player's skills make for a completely different gameplay experience.
This sequel surpasses its predecessor in every way, by upping the ante in terms of graphics, sound, mechanics, and style. While it did have a ton of bugs at launch, those have long since been ironed out, making it an incredible game you can get these days at far less than Triple-A prices. The Emperor Edition on Steam comes packaged with all the extra campaigns and DLC, so get it while it's around, and enjoy battling against armies as history's greatest Roman commander!
- 364 VOTESPhoto: Crytek
The most recent game to find its way on this list is Ryse: Son of Rome, as it was a launch title for the Xbox One. In Ryse: Son of Rome, players take on the role of a Roman centurion named Marius Titus, as the leader of a Roman Legion. The majority of the game's story is told through the various fights and execution sequences spread throughout the game, making it an original take on a rather old idea.
The game was heavily praised when it came out, and while it was intended to be the first game to feature the Kinect, it was redesigned into a third-person hack & slash title to better reflect the various nuances of gameplay and mechanics created for the game. While it originally came out as an exclusive title for the Xbox One, it can be found on the PC, thanks to a Microsoft and Crytek release on Steam.
- 442 VOTESPhoto: Impressions Games
Back in the days of MS-DOS games, SimCity was one of the most popular titles around, and it inspired a ton of copycats. City-building games featured everything from insect colonies to aliens, but one of the most successful of these dealt entirely with ancient Rome via the Caesar franchise. The third entry is arguably the best, as it introduced mechanics and play elements previously unseen in the genre.
Players build their empire by keeping their citizens clean, happy, and well-fed. There are tons of options, making gameplay an immersive experience that changes every time you play it. Because it's the most popular title in the franchise, it has been ported to Steam, so you can enjoy it to this day in all of its glory.
- 525 VOTESPhoto: Electronic Arts
Centurion: Defender of Rome is a turn-based strategy game from the era of MS-DOS. It was released in 1990 and was created by Kellyn Beck. It shares a lot in common with Beck's Defender of the Crown, which was released a few years earlier. The game mixes elements of real-time strategy with turn-based movement, and adventure aspects.
The game is set in the year 275 BCE, and the player assumes control of a centurion in the Roman Army. When the game begins, players are in command of a legion, but the goal is to become Caesar, and the only way to get there is to win increasingly harder military campaigns. Because it blended different mechanics of gameplay, Centurion: Defender of Rome was an early standout, and one of the best strategy games of its time.
Because the game has been shifted into ShareWare status, you can play it via a web-based emulator here.
- 622 VOTESPhoto: Midway
Rise And Fall: Civilizations At War was released in 2006 as a real-time strategy game that centers on playing one of four civilizations: Persia, Egypt, Greece, and of course, Rome. There are civilization-specific units and specializations, as well as "hero" units players can acquire through gameplay. The game features two separate campaigns, with one being historically accurate, involving Alexander the Great's conquest with the other a fictionalized liberation of Egypt by Cleopatra.
The game was highly successful and has since been re-released as an ad-supported version, which is supported -- for some reason -- by the United States Air Force. If you're looking to play a great game about ancient warfare surrounding some of Europe and North Africa's greatest civilizations, you can get a copy here.
- 728 VOTESPhoto: Paradox
Set during the early days of Rome, Imperator charts Rome's unstable rise to power with tons of tiny details that definitely pushes the boundaries of traditional historical grand strategy games. Developed and published by Paradox, it's an extremely complicated and convoluted game that offers a ton (sometimes too much) of different factors that help influence how you play the game.
As a successor to Paradox's Europa Universalis: Rome, the combat system is incredibly detailed, and once you get the hang of it, becomes extremely fun.
- 822 VOTESPhoto: Iron Tower Studios
While this game is technically set in a post-apocalyptic universe, the style and thematic elements are greatly inspired by the fall of the Roman Empire. With eight different backgrounds to choose from (including classes like knights and grifters), the game also boasts 23 unique skills, which helps make the gameplay more varied and lets players customize their characters.
Like most traditional RPGs, the choices you make have their own set of consequences, and while The Age of Decadence features turn-based combat, it's known for being extremely difficult. Skills and equipment factor heavily, and with more than 100 quests to choose from, there's a lot of replay value.
- 921 VOTESPhoto: Lucasarts
If starting your own gladiator school and traveling around the world winning fights sounds like something you'd be into, then you should definitely give Gladius a try. Developed by LucasArts and published by Activision, Gladius is one of those underrated tactical role-playing games that's definitely worth a second look. Players can choose to start their school in Imperial Roman lands or in the Nordic barbarian areas.
While the graphics and mechanics haven't aged too gracefully, the plot and the overall style still hold up. The fighting elements are particularly interesting, as in addition to traditional turn-based fights players can take advantage of swing meters to help improve their overall accuracy.
More Gladius
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- 1025 VOTESPhoto: Capcom
Shadow of Rome is a somewhat odd video game, as it incorporates elements of hack & slash gameplay with stealth and vehicle combat, thanks to some chariot-driving mechanics. The game is set after the assassination of Julius Caesar and focuses on Agrippa, a soldier whose father was accused of the murder. Play also focuses on Octavianus, who is intent on proving Agrippa's father's innocence.
Gameplay is a bit unbalanced, but that doesn't detract from the excitement players feel when they slash their enemies to pieces. The historical accuracy is relatively well-done, and because it takes place following the assassination of Caesar, it's a turbulent time in Rome, making for an impressive setting filled with immersive lore.
- 1119 VOTESPhoto: 2K
What do you get when you combine elements of the Caesar and Civilizations franchises? CivCity: Rome, of course! This game was released back in 2006, and it includes elements of the aforementioned series to deliver a city-building strategy game that lets players manage numerous cities of the Roman Empire. Players place buildings and ensure that each neighborhood has everything it needs to thrive. The main focus of the game deals with upgrading the citizens of the Roman Empire, and it's no easy task.
The game was incredibly popular when it first came out, and it still has a devoted fanbase. You can purchase a re-release on Steam and play it as it was originally presented more than 15 years ago.
- 1232 VOTESPhoto: Microsoft
The standalone Age of Empires game received an expansion in 1998, making it possible to play the game through the rise of the Roman Empire. It also added a few more civilizations to the Age of Empires base-game and featured units, buildings, themes, and history related to Rome. The expansion also fixed the gameplay with some interface tweaks, making it easier to play by balancing how units were managed.
The Rise of Rome won numerous awards when it was released, and it went on to be classified as Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1998 "Add-On of the Year" award. The addition of an entirely new campaign expanded the original game so much, it essentially worked as a sequel, and it remains the most popular addition to the first Age of Empires ever released.
- 1323 VOTESPhoto: Firaxis Games
As the first expansion to the insanely popular Civ 5, Gods & Kings adds 27 new units, new eras, and new civilizations (including—you guessed it—ancient Rome). What's more, it introduced a brand-spanking-new faith element, which lets players start their own customized religions.
Among the new scenarios included an awesome Fall of Rome expansion, which centered on the sharp decline of the Roman Empire. Players can either play as Eastern or Western Rome as they fend off barbarians who threaten to overrun their borders. Alternatively, you can also play as the barbarians themselves, which is definitely pretty cool.
- 1416 VOTESPhoto: Square Enix
Praetorians was released in 2003, which was a few years after many of the real-time strategy games centered on Rome came out the previous decade. Despite being a late addition, Praetorians stands as one of the best entries in the genre. Players take control of Julius Caesar, as he makes his way through one barbarian horde after another.
Play focuses heavily on action, but it does feature some resource management and compares somewhat to the early Warcraft titles than it does to other RTS sim games in the genre. There's less of a focus on macro-management, and more about individual battles, which progress the character through the game's storyline.
You can play the game these days, thanks to an HD remaster released in January 2020 on Steam.
- 1512 VOTES
Nemesis of the Roman Empire
Photo: Haemimont GamesSet during the Punic Wars (which lasted from 264 BC to 146 BC), Nemesis of the Roman Empire lets players control one of four civilizations: Romans, Gauls, Carthaginians, and the Iberians. As a real-time strategy game, it offers a few unique role-playing elements as well, helping to immerse gamers into a pivotal point in Rome's history.
As a sequel to Celtic Kings: Rage of War, Nemesis built on many of the same elements that made the original so memorable, while also breathing new life into the franchise. Reviews were mixed upon release, though the game still has its fair share of fans.
- 1624 VOTESPhoto: Sega
Spartan: Total Warrior was released in 2005 as a spin-off of the Total War franchise. It plays as a hack & slash, which pits the player as a Spartan warrior, who is guided by Ares, the God of War, alongside his fellow Greek as they invade Rome.
Typically, the Total War franchise follows historically accurate events, but Spartan: Total Warrior is entirely fictional, and it involves various Gods of the Roman and Greek Pantheon.
- 1714 VOTESPhoto: Koei
While some of the best games set in Rome are strategy-based, Colosseum: Road to Freedom fits more in the hack & slash variety. The game centers around a gladiator, who wants nothing more than his freedom, and the only way to get it involves killing a ton of people in the arena. Most of the gameplay takes place in the pit, where you train and then fight enemies as you climb your way to the top to earn your freedom.
The game features multiple endings, and it's open-ended, so once you've made it to the top, you can continue playing as a gladiator... just for the fun of slaughtering other folks who want what you have. The game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and while the graphics haven't aged as well as some PS2 titles, the title stands as an excellent example of the genre.
- 1813 VOTESPhoto: Blue Byte Software
The fourth series in the installment also featured Rome as a playable class, though this one focuses more on Roman life. As a real-time city-building game, The Settlers II is arguably the most fluid and enjoyable of the bunch. Gamers take control of a group of shipwrecked Romans, led by Octavius, as they work to find a way back to their homeland.
Originally released in 1996, the game has been revamped and rereleased over the years, with the latest being a port on the Nintendo DS, which was released in 2007. Fortunately, newer editions can often be found for a sweet discount on sites like GOG.
- 1913 VOTESPhoto: Atari
Asterix & Obelix began as a French comic book, and it's insanely popular all around the world, so it's no surprise there are dozens of video games based on the property. The setting revolves around a small clan of Gaul (modern French) the Romans cannot beat, thanks to a potion they concoct, which makes them invincible in combat. There are dozens of games featuring the duo, but the best of the bunch is Asterix & Obelix XXL 2.
The game was released in 2006, and it stars the titular pair, as they fight to thwart Julius Caesar's attempt to conquer Gaul so he can build a theme park called Las Vegum. The game contains numerous homages to other popular video game franchises, including Mario, Sonic, Pac-Man, Rayman, Ryu, and many more. It's an action-adventure, and while it's the most popular game in the franchise, it's hardly the only one. Another great addition to the franchise came out on the NES as a 2D sidescroller.
- 205 VOTESPhoto: Conifer Games
Unlike other games, this one pits players as barbarians as they work to overthrow Rome. Originally funded through Kickstarter, Jon Shafer's At the Gates plays a lot like the Civilization series (Shafer was the lead designer of Civ V), with many of the same gameplay mechanics. This one's notable for including a cycle-style map that changes with the seasons, which helps prompts players to pack up and move to new lands.
The game was in developmental limbo for years, and while reviews were mixed, it still stands strong as an enjoyable (if not somewhat flawed) historical 4X strategy game about ancient Rome where you don't actually play as the ancient Romans.
