Ikariam

Ikariam from 2008 set the browser strategy genre in ancient Greece - the player started with a single island city, developing it by constructing buildings, mining resources, and researching technologies in order to gradually build a network of colonies and a fleet of ships capable of trading and competing militarily with thousands of other players on the same server. Unlike purely war-focused strategy games, Ikariam placed heavy emphasis on economy, trade between islands, and diplomacy within alliances called guilds.

Gameforge drew on its experience with browser titles, and Ikariam became one of the most successful games in the genre thanks to its combination of an accessible pace for casual players and enough depth for those who wanted to build a vast empire over many months. Its ancient Greek theme, with its own mythology and units inspired by antique armies, gave the game a stronger identity than many competing strategy games with more generic sci-fi or medieval settings.

The game operated on the principle of parallel worlds, where players competed for dominance on the same server, and Gameforge gradually expanded it with new buildings, units, and in-game events throughout its operation. Ikariam remains active today, though its peak popularity falls around the turn of the first decade of the 2000s, when browser strategy games still had no competition from mobile apps.

Why play it: For players fond of slow empire-building, trade, and diplomacy among allies, who will appreciate the ancient Greek theme in place of the usual sci-fi or medieval setting.