Games Where Black Leaders Rise Through Policy Choices

Strategy and simulation games let players experience history and imagined worlds from many different viewpoints, including those of influential Black leaders. These games challenge you to lead countries, groups, or organizations, making tough choices that affect the lives of your people. Whether it’s leading ancient African kingdoms or future civilizations, players can achieve success through skillful diplomacy, economic management, and military strategy.

‘Civilization VII’ (2025)

Firaxis and 2K are expanding their popular strategy game with a focus on African history, adding the Aksumite, Songhai, and Bugandan civilizations. Players will lead these nations through different eras, making important choices about their culture and military to shape their place in the world. The game features new leader abilities that let you fine-tune diplomacy and manage your country, capturing the specific strengths and difficulties of these African empires. Success depends on building strong trade networks and advancing technology to ensure your civilization endures against competing powers.

‘Ara: History Untold’ (2024)

This strategy game, created by Oxide Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, lets you lead historical African nations and their iconic leaders, like Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana and Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. You’ll guide your nation’s growth using a turn-based system where every decision about resources and policies truly matters. The game focuses on creating a realistic world where you must balance building a powerful empire with ensuring the well-being of your people. To succeed, you’ll need to think strategically and build a lasting legacy that surpasses your rivals in a constantly evolving historical setting.

‘Total War: Pharaoh’ (2023)

In Creative Assembly and Sega’s new game, you’ll be immersed in the turbulent Bronze Age, playing as Amenmesse, a powerful leader from Nubia who believes he should be king. As Amenmesse, you’ll use Nubia’s wealth – especially its gold – to build a strong army and gain influence. The game challenges you to keep the region stable while deciding whether to honor Nubian traditions or adopt Egyptian ways to strengthen your claim to the throne. Playing as the Kushite faction, you’ll focus on powerful archers and building a thriving economy to achieve victory.

‘We Are The Caretakers’ (2023)

Heart Shaped Games is creating a sci-fi RPG set in an Afrofuturist world where you play as the Conductor, a leader tasked with protecting a planet and its wildlife. You’ll manage resources like money and technology, build your reputation, and navigate relationships with different groups and global organizations. The game focuses on tough moral and political decisions about how to deal with poachers and support local communities. It’s a story about Black leadership in the future, blending strategic combat with themes of conservation and compassion.

‘Victoria 3’ (2022)

In Paradox Interactive’s detailed game, you lead a nation like Ethiopia through the challenging period of Victorian-era industrialization and colonialism. With the “Princes of Ethiopia” content, your goal is to unite the country under a strong emperor, mirroring the historical achievements of Menelik II. You’ll need to skillfully manage the economy, politics, and modernization to avoid being colonized. Winning means finding the right balance between respecting established traditions and embracing progress, all while building relationships with other nations.

‘Old World’ (2021)

Mohawk Games and Hooded Horse have added a new dimension to their strategy game with the Pharaohs of the Nile expansion. It introduces the Kingdom of Kush as a playable civilization. Players can now lead Kushite rulers, navigating a system of events where character stories and empire building intertwine. This includes raising families, dealing with courtly schemes, and building pyramids that reflect Kush’s unique culture. The expansion showcases the distinct history, beliefs, and government of this powerful ancient Nubian kingdom.

‘Humankind’ (2021)

The Cultures of Africa DLC for Amplitude Studios and Sega’s historical strategy game lets you guide a society through the ages, choosing from cultures like the Bantu, Garamantes, Ghanaians, and Ethiopians. Each culture has unique strengths, allowing you to focus on farming or military power. As a leader, you’ll make choices that shape your empire’s beliefs, moving between ideas like community, strict rule, and freedom. This creates a civilization that truly reflects the varied political history of Africa throughout time.

‘Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition’ (2020)

As a huge fan of this RTS, I was so excited to see the African Royals expansion! Tantalus Media and World’s Edge really did something special by adding the Hausa and Ethiopian civilizations. It’s not just about new units, though – they’ve introduced this cool new resource called “Influence” that lets you hire mercenaries and build alliances, which feels like a totally different way to play. The campaign and skirmishes really capture what it was like for these leaders, balancing trade and fighting to protect their lands from colonial powers. Honestly, it’s a really detailed and interesting take on African power and armies during that period – it feels really authentic and adds so much depth to the game.

‘Crusader Kings III’ (2020)

Okay, so I’ve been playing this grand strategy game, and it’s seriously addictive! I started as this ruler named Daurama Daura in what they call an ‘achievement run,’ and it’s all about building up a dynasty in medieval Africa. It’s way more than just conquering territory though – you’re constantly dealing with your nobles, arranging marriages, and even changing religions to try and unite the whole continent. What’s really cool about Daurama’s campaign is that it focuses a lot on gender laws and religion. I’m trying to build a family line where women are in charge, which is a really unique challenge. Every choice I make feels important, because it affects how stable my kingdom is and whether my court will support me. It’s creating a really personal story about what it means to be a leader.

‘Empire of Sin’ (2020)

Romero Games and Paradox Interactive have created a strategy game where you run a criminal empire in 1920s Chicago. You play as Stephanie St. Clair, a real-life crime boss known as the “Queen of Numbers,” and make tough decisions about controlling territory, bribing the police, and fighting rival gangs. The game focuses on her story of fighting for power and respect in a dangerous, segregated world. You’ll need to carefully manage your criminal businesses while also protecting your turf through violence.

‘Civilization VI’ (2016)

The latest game from Firaxis and 2K includes several prominent Black leaders, like Mvemba a Nzinga and Nzinga Mbande of the Kongo, Menelik II of Ethiopia, and Shaka of the Zulu. Each leader has special abilities and policy options. For example, Menelik II can use faith and culture to protect his civilization from more advanced opponents. Players can customize their strategy by choosing policies that match their leader’s historical strengths in areas like diplomacy, warfare, and the economy. This creates a variety of different ways to play, whether you prefer the Kongo’s focus on spreading religion or the Zulu’s powerful military tactics.

‘Hearts of Iron IV’ (2016)

As a huge fan of historical strategy games, I’m really excited about the By Blood Alone expansion! It lets you play as Ethiopia under Haile Selassie, right when Italy is about to invade in the 1930s. It’s seriously tough – you have to make some really smart political choices, like asking the League of Nations for help or even setting up a government-in-exile if things get desperate. You’re constantly trying to build up your army and factories, all while keeping your country stable and trying to get other nations on your side. It’s one of the hardest challenges in the game, and it really makes you appreciate how much skill and determination it took to try and keep African nations independent during World War II.

‘Mafia III’ (2016)

In the action-adventure game developed by Hangar 13 and 2K, players follow Lincoln Clay, a biracial Vietnam War veteran, as he creates a criminal empire in the made-up city of New Bordeaux. A unique feature, called the “Sit-Down,” requires players to make important decisions about how to run their organization by assigning captured territories to one of three lieutenants, including Cassandra, a Haitian leader. These choices impact the loyalty of Lincoln’s crew, the special abilities he gains, and how the story ends. The game delves into issues of racism and power, and Lincoln’s methods as a leader determine the fate of New Bordeaux’s criminal landscape.

‘Europa Universalis IV’ (2013)

The Origins DLC for Paradox Development Studio’s game greatly expands the African continent, adding detailed mission trees for countries like Mali, Songhai, and Ethiopia. When playing as the Mali Empire, you’ll need to deal with the problems caused by the immense wealth of Mansa Musa and the weakening of the empire. The updated game features require careful decisions about things like the rights of nobles, religious harmony, and how to respond to European colonization. If you make the right choices, you can build these African nations into powerful global empires that can compete with Europe.

‘Civilization V’ (2010)

In this popular strategy game, Firaxis Games and 2K added Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Askia of the Songhai empire, each offering players a different way to win. Haile Selassie excels at defense, gaining combat advantages when facing larger civilizations and encouraging players to build a strong, focused empire. Askia, on the other hand, thrives on expansion and raiding, rewarding an aggressive, military-focused playstyle. To fully utilize each leader’s strengths and achieve victory through culture or military might, players need to choose specific policies that complement their unique abilities.

We’d love to hear which of these strategy games you think does the best job of letting you feel like a historical leader. Share your thoughts in the comments!

2025-12-19 00:46