1
Squirrel's Pick Squirrel's PickThe best game on this page. If you only try one, try this. Budget Pick Budget PickThe best game here for the least money.
Political SimPoliticsGrand Strategy
$9.99 ~58.4 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 79.5% of 3k
The Squirrel's verdictSame whole-world nation-management sandbox: play any country, run economy and military simultaneously, chase global power without hand-holding. SuperPower 2 leans harder into economic simulation (tax rates, trade, resource management) while its AI is simpler and more exploitable than Realpolitiks'. Suits players who wanted deeper economic levers and don't mind a dumber opposing AI.
Not for you if you want competent AI opponents rather than one you can out-negotiate with cash and treaties within hours.
2
Making History II: The War of the World
PCMacLinux
Grand StrategyWorld War IIHistorical
$14.99 ~102.3 hr median no co-op 79.7% of 399
The Squirrel's verdictWWII sets the frame for Making History II: instead of Realpolitiks' modern and future era choices, everything runs from a fixed 1930s–1940s starting point. Military buildup, economic management, and political stability all interact, and reviewers note a learning curve that rewards persistence. Median playtime runs past 100 hours. Suits players who want more military-economic depth than Realpolitiks delivers, anchored in a specific historical conflict.
Not for you if you want modern or future-era scenarios, or to pick freely from all world nations rather than a WWII roster.
3
Closest Match Closest MatchThe most similar game to the anchor, by what players say.
Grand StrategyTacticalMilitary
$19.99 ~199.8 hr median no co-op 76.9% of 1k
The Squirrel's verdictSame premise as Realpolitiks: pick any nation, run its economy, wage war, control diplomacy. Supreme Ruler Ultimate goes deeper on every axis, sector-by-sector tax control, thousands of individual units, granular resource management, at the cost of a UI reviewers call crippled and a learning curve reviewers compare to a graduate degree. For players who found Realpolitiks oversimplified and want more complexity to chew on.
Not for you if you found Realpolitiks' interface manageable and want depth without wrestling an unforgiving UI and combat system reviewers call a mess.
4
Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold
PC
ModernTacticalWargame
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$9.99 ~111.1 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 77.7% of 251
The Squirrel's verdictSame premise: play any nation, manage economy and military, push toward global dominance. Supreme Ruler trades Realpolitiks' simplified systems for deeper micromanagement of production, logistics, and unit-level warfare, with median playtime over 100 hours. Fits players who found Realpolitiks too streamlined and want more granular control over the same grand-strategy loop.
Not for you if you want Realpolitiks' accessibility rather than heavy micromanagement, or dislike AI that mishandles naval warfare and late-game pacing.
5
Rogue State Revolution
PCLinux
Turn-Based StrategyGrand StrategyPolitical
$12.99 ~17.7 hr median no co-op complexity: moderate 76.3% of 539
The Squirrel's verdictRogue State Revolution is a turn-based management game focused entirely on one nation's internal politics: provincial approval ratings, faction relationships, terrorist groups, and resource allocation. Foreign powers react to your decisions rather than being yours to direct or invade. The median playtime sits around 18 hours, and some reviewers note the game grows thin once the early economic pressure eases.
Not for you if you want to control, invade, or diplomatically maneuver against other nations rather than managing one country's domestic factions.
6
Making History: The Great War
PCMacLinux
World War IGrand StrategyHistorical
Strong Mods Strong ModsA deep, active modding scene extends it past its base content.
$29.99 ~79.1 hr median no co-op complexity: heavy 75.6% of 454
The Squirrel's verdictWWI history enthusiasts who want regional granularity get two starting scenarios — 1912 or 1914 — with the world divided into small, historically accurate regions. Unit-level detail and a map editor go further than Realpolitiks' systems, and reviewers call the UI dated but the depth hard to resist. Playtime averages around 79 hours. The steeper learning curve and fixed historical period are the trade-offs.
Not for you if you want multiple eras or a broader country roster, or found Realpolitiks' systems already more micromanagement than you wanted.
How the Squirrel matches games
Not tag overlap. We compare what players actually say across hundreds of
thousands of reviews about how each game feels to play, then break
the comparison into the mechanics you can see in each card. The mark on
every bar is Realpolitiks's own score, so you can read where a match runs
hotter or cooler than the anchor.
Verdicts are written against a fixed editorial standard, machine-audited,
and human spot-checked. Which games make the cut is a human call. Prices
and review data refresh automatically. Full method & AI disclosure →