Every keep we have defended, side by side

Every game below runs on a persistent map where other players live next door, and every one of them is free to found. They differ in pace, in how much they lean on alliances, and in how much arithmetic they ask of you. Ranked by how well each repays a month of honest effort.

Our first pick01

Castle builder MMO

Goodgame Empire

The most complete castle fantasy on our list. Build walls and workshops, balance food, wood and stone, recruit from a deep unit roster, then push out into three more kingdoms with their own climates. Alliances and pacts turn the map into politics, and weekly updates keep long-time rulers busy.

Castle buildingArmy commandAlliance wars

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Strategic depth8

The opening month9

Fairness to free rulers7

Alliance life9

Raise your castle Full review

Deepest economy02

Real-time empire MMO

Imperia Online

A medieval empire builder from Bulgaria’s Imperia Online JSC, running since 2005. Wood, iron, stone and gold feed 29 structures; swordsmen, spearmen, archers, cavalry and siege engines fight in field battles, fortress sieges and pillages. Patient players colonize, annex and turn beaten rivals into vassals.

Real-time buildingSiege enginesAnnex or vassalize

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Strategic depth9

The opening month6

Fairness to free rulers7

Alliance life8

Found an empire Full review

Pick a nation03

Nation-based war MMO

Khan Wars

XS Software’s long-running empire game starts with a choice of twelve nations, each carrying a bonus to economy, battle strength or trading. Recruit from up to 28 units, including siege machines and nation-specific troops, spy before you strike, and join a guild to besiege citadels and hold territory.

12 playable nations28 unit typesGuild citadel sieges

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Strategic depth8

The opening month7

Fairness to free rulers8

Alliance life8

Choose your people Full review

Best on the go04

Pocket war MMO

Lords & Knights

Xyrality’s medieval strategy MMO hands you one castle and its knights, then asks you to grow it into a fortress and an empire. Research technologies, run missions, trade, and plan wars of conquest with hundreds of allies. Built to work as smoothly in a phone app as in a browser.

Castle buildingResource managementReal-time war

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Strategic depth7

The opening month8

Fairness to free rulers8

Alliance life9

Take your castle Full review

Hero-led wars05

Hero and order MMO

Throne: Kingdom at War

Plarium’s kingdom MMO casts you as a Lord descended from the great King. Upgrade farms, lumber mills, mines and quarries, study in the Academy, train knights, spearmen, ranged, cavalry, siege and scouts, craft armour and weapons for your Hero, and join an Order for real-time battles against rivals worldwide.

Town & troop classesOrder siegesHero crafting

Desktop browser; mobile app also available

Strategic depth7

The opening month8

Fairness to free rulers6

Alliance life8

Answer the crown Full review

Classic grid06

Village conquest classic

KingsAge

Gameforge’s browser strategy game gives you a small castle, a few acres and a handful of settlers, then asks you to build a thriving town. Raise sawmills, quarries and warehouses, train archers and knights, scout before you strike, and expand by taking settlements with noblemen alongside an alliance.

Resource villagesScout then strikeAnnex with noblemen

Desktop browser

Strategic depth6

The opening month6

Fairness to free rulers8

Alliance life6

Ride to KingsAge Full review