In recent years, many competitors to Sid Meier’s Civilization series have appeared, only to subsequently fall by the wayside. The best alternative to Civ still lives on and has now, 6 years after release, received another major DLC.
Which game is being referred to? Old World is what comes out when you combine Civilization with Crusader Kings. The 4X strategy game is developed by Mohawk Games – among others, by Soren Johnson, the lead designer of Civilization 4. Currently, Old World is actually quite affordable.
In Old World, you lead your chosen realm through antiquity – there are no other epochs of history featured here. Besides classical 4X gameplay like in the Civ series, there are also events like in Crusader Kings, with which you manage your own dynasty.
Almost 6 years after its release in 2020, the title receives one of its largest DLCs. For “Empires of the Indus,” Old World leaves the Mediterranean and travels east, towards India. The DLC costs on Steam €19.99, but until April 13, 2026, it is available with a small discount for €17.99.
Here you see the new Indian realms in the trailer:
Three playable nations and a threatening cavalry people
What does the DLC contain? Empires of the Indus includes three new, playable nations, at the head of which you can build your realm:
- The Maurya, a powerful Iron Age empire that once claimed supremacy over the entire region
- The Yuezhi, once a people of nomads whose realm extended to the Ganges plain
- Tamilakam, a united nation of three Tamil kingdoms, in which three families vie for supremacy
The Maurya and Tamilakam send powerful war elephants into battle, while the Yuezhi place a strong emphasis on horse archers. In addition, there are two new religions – Hinduism and Buddhism – four new wonders of the world, and another dangerous cavalry people that you cannot play as.
As an AI tribe, the Huns also ride into Old World with the new DLC. They were feared in their time to such an extent that the Roman Church considered them a punishment from God. A series of new events will also cover the rise of Attila, the most famous leader of the Huns and the “Scourge of God.”
What makes Old World the secret competitor to Civ? On Steam, the strategy game is received much better than most so-called “Civ-killers,” such as Ara: History Untold or Humankind. Of over 5,300 Steam Reviews, 82% are positive.
Nevertheless, Old World remains a hidden gem: With the release of the new DLC, the game peaked at 1,220 players on Steam, while the all-time peak was only 3,589 (according to SteamDB). Thus, Old World does not reach nearly as many players as the controversial Civilization 7 does.
Old World is still one of the best strategy games you can play on PC, years after its release. If you need more recommendations, feel free to check out the following list. There, you’ll also learn more about what makes Old World so special: The 16 best strategy games for PC 2026
