The Best Video Games That Can Take You Straight Back to Ancient Greece

The Heraion of Samos as seen by players of the ”Odyssey Assassin’s Creed” video game. Credit: https://twitter.com/ArchaicWorlds

Over the last several years, video game companies have been using Ancient Greece as a backdrop at a spectacularly fast pace. This is why we decided to create a list that will give you the all-time classics, but also newer editions of video games that can transfer you to Ancient Greece in a matter of moments.

Before we do that though, many would wonder why Ancient Greece has become so popular among video game creators and players lately?

Well, considering that thousands of years ago Greece had everything to offer as the ultimate setting — from beauty, magic and powerful gods, to the ruins (intact back in ancient times!), islands and culture, it’s no surprise we live in an era of ancient Greek mania!

Let’s see some of the best video games, old and new, now.

1. Spartan Wars: Blood And Fire

The statue of Leonidas in Sparta, Greece. Credit: pxfuel.com

This strategy-based video game has 155,000 five-star reviews out of a total of 220,000 reviews! It is a real-time mobile/tablet game, using beautifully-rendered animation, which lets you build your own ancient Greek city.

It also allows you to assemble your own army to defend your land in the (unlikely!) event of “server vs. server wars”. The game is brought was developed by Tap4Fun Corp. Ltd.

2. Hegemony Gold: Wars Of Ancient Greece

Scene of the Hegemony Gold: Wars Of Ancient Greece game — Credit: https://twitter.com/mobyshots

This real-time strategy video game is all about ancient Greece, and in particular, the military campaign of Phillip the Second of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. This game is all about battles and strategy, all of which you map out before the actual battle begins. It was developed and published by Longbow Digital Arts Inc.

3. NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits

Scene of the NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits game — Credit: https://twitter.com/AndroidPolice

If all you want to do is see what it would be like to be a mythical Greek god, in this video game, developed by the Spanish developers Over The Top Games, you can do exactly that! You can play as two protagonists, known as Icarus and Nyx, who are given special powers by the Greek gods Zeus and Eolus, as they go on adventures and conquer the land.

4. 0 A.D.

The ''0 A.D.'' video game — Credit: https://twitter.com/brandsoft_tech

Developed by Wildfire Games, this game is quite accurate when it comes to historical facts regarding Greek civilization from 500 B.C. to 1 B.C. There is even an updated scenario that focuses on 1 A.D. to 500 A.D. This is a free, open-source, real-time strategy video game that will take you through the best and worst of times in the history of Greek civilization!

5. Okhlos

4 Years Anniversary shot from the ''Okhlos'' video game. — Credit: https://twitter.com/Okhlos

This game was developed by the Argentina-based studio Coffee Powered Machine and published by Devolver Digital. It is also based in ancient Greece and, of course, this means that the law of the land is that of the mythical Greek gods!

Okhlos is an action-packed game where the player is a scholar who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the Greek gods and sets out on a mission to destroy them.

6. Zeus: Master Of Olympus

One of the loading pictures of the ''Zeus: Master of Olympus'' video game. — Credit: https://twitter.com/JohannesEvans

When it comes to a city-building game series, this is one of the best which features Ancient Greece. You as the player are thrown into the ancient land during a time of great intrigue and adventure — where Greek gods, mythology, and legends all played a crucial role in society.

The game has several options for players, including a story mode, missions mode, and a sandbox mode. This is the fifth stand-alone game in the series by Impressions Games’ City Building.

7. Spartan: Total Warrior

Scene of the ''Spartan: Total Warrior'' video game — Credit: https://twitter.com/ToddR_

Brought to you by Creative Assembly, in this “hack-and-slash” video game you are a Spartan warrior who is under the tutelage of none other than Aris, the Greek god of war! This game is all about defending ancient Greece from the invading Roman Empire.

8. Age of Mythology

Scene of the ''Age of Mythology''video game — Credit: https://twitter.com/wannagate

This game features heavy elements from Greek mythology, along with Egyptian and Norse mythology. It is a real-time strategy game, developed by Ensemble Studios, which later went on to develop the popular Age of Empire series. Here you will find all of the buildings and cityscapes of ancient Greece.

9. 300: March to Glory

Scene of the ''300: March to Glory'' video game — Credit: https://twitter.com/OgreatGames

Most modern theatergoers know the movie “300”. Similarly, in the “300: March To Glory” game, the player is Leonidas, the ruler of Sparta, before the time of the famous battle of Thermopylae.

Inspired by the movie and comic book which were very popular at the time of its creation, the game was developed by Collision Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games. “300: March to Glory” gives the player the chance to re-write history… and who wouldn’t want to be able to do that?

10. God of War

Scene of the ''God of War'' video game — Credit: https://twitter.com/Temimitsu

God of War is a bloody, battle-filled adventure and strategy game also set in ancient Greece. Developed by Santa Monica Studios, it revolves around Kratos, the protagonist, who encounters all of the most well-known Greek gods of Greek mythology. The graphics are quite detailed, as Kratos completes his “quests” while taking players through ancient landscapes.

11. Odyssey – Assassin’s Creed

Scene of the video game ''Odyssey Assasin's Creed. — Credit: https://twitter.com/yiitkocabas

Throughout the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players deal with an array of political and scientific themes such as democracy vs. tyranny, myth vs. science, and order vs. chaos. The game takes place in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War.

Ubisoft Quebec, the studio behind the popular Assassin’s Creed syndicate, truly went the extra mile to ensure the authenticity of ancient Greece in their new Odyssey game by depicting ancient Athens as a colorful, vibrant, multi-faceted city with many districts to explore.

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