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[Drizzlehell]

I was looking to get into something like that but it's kinda hard to get the feel for what could be a more casual experience for a new player. I don't want a game that would be an Excel spreadsheet nightmare. I fell into that trap once when my friend at work kept telling me tall tales of his conquests in Europa Universalis and it sounded really awesome, but then I tried the game myself and gave up in less than an hour.

I'm more about that emergent gameplay and simple interface. I just want to build a civilization in an unpredictable environment without having to read too many text pop-ups, and then get that feeling of satisfaction when I create something that looks impressive and takes a lot of time to make. Kinda like in Civilization games but, you know, IN SPACE!

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

For a modern game, Endless Space 2 fits the bill. Do be careful with the difficulty setting, however.

Older games, Sid Meier Alpha Centauri is the goat. You can buy it from GOG but unless you have a CRT the game looks very ugly these days.

 

[StueyDuck]

4x in general doesn't really apply to casuals, but you could try Galactic Civ or Stellaris, haven't tried Dune Spice wars but know it does well.

if you are more into just city building and less about competing then something like surviving mars is pretty chilled

 

[winjer]

4X will always be complicated to get into.
But I can recommend Endless Legend. Or Endless Space.

 

[Mowcno]

Age of Wonders Planetfall, not in space afaik but is sci-fi. Galactic Civilizations series. Endless Space series.

 

[Elog]

If you do not care about graphics (old games): Alpha Centauri and Distant Worlds: Universe

Current games: Stellaris

Stellaris has a lot of problems if you are a strategy nut but is by far the best current science-fiction 4x game. While Endless Space 2 looks good it is inherently a broken mess when it comes to mechanics. My personal GOAT in this segment is Distant Worlds: Universe but from your OP I believe it is too much of "Excel: The Sci-Fi version" for you.

So I would recommend Stellaris based on your question.

While there is a discussion to be had regarding what exactly constitutes a 4x game (and there is a lot of snobbery in that), I personally find the Total War franchise to be close enough to sufficiently fit the bill. That is of course not science fiction but for the best most recent historical title TW: Attila is superb and TW: WH (1+2+3) is also fantastic even though CA is currently dropping the ball big time.

 

[NiiloPielinen]

Stellaris has already been mentioned and I like it quite much.

However, if you are looking for a modern Master of Orion type of game (turn based combat which puts more emphasis on your ship design) we have Interstellar Space: Genesis filling up that slot.

 

[Guilty_AI]

As it was said before, there is no casual 4x game.

The one players generally say its the easiest for newcomers while still retaining a good degree of complexity is X4. It even has some "immersive" elements to it like being able to walk around ships interacting with stuff.

Game has some issues though, and fans of the series usually consider the predecessor X3 to be the better game. But it lacks the casual and immersive elements you might want.

Another one i know of is Avorion. Its usually seem as a 4X lite experience. Whole empire building and RTS elements aren't that strong, with a larger focus on your own ship, but thats what make it easier for newcomers.

 

[Drizzlehell]

While there is a discussion to be had regarding what exactly constitutes a 4x game (and there is a lot of snobbery in that), I personally find the Total War franchise to be close enough to sufficiently fit the bill. That is of course not science fiction but for the best most recent historical title TW: Attila is superb and TW: WH (1+2+3) is also fantastic even though CA is currently dropping the ball big time.

I'm definitely hoping that one day CA will tackle a Warhammer 40k Total War game. That would be so dope.

As it was said before, there is no casual 4x game.

The one players generally say its the easiest for newcomers while still retaining a good degree of complexity is X4. It even has some "immersive" elements to it like being able to walk around ships interacting with stuff.

Game has some issues though, and fans of the series usually consider the predecessor X3 to be the better game. But it lacks the casual and immersive elements you might want.

Another one i know of is Avorion. Its usually seem as a 4X lite experience. Whole empire building and RTS elements aren't that strong, with a larger focus on your own ship, but thats what make it easier for newcomers.

Yeah, I played a lot of X3 and X Rebirth back in the day. Cool games but not exactly what I'm looking for now. I'd rather play a strategy game that I can just play leisurely rather than having to dogfight things in space, lol.

 

[Kupfer]

Does Factorio count? (I don't know what 4x means)

I'm not into that genre but Factorio definitely was worth every penny.
You don't really build a civilisation but a huge ass factory.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'm definitely hoping that one day CA will tackle a Warhammer 40k Total War game. That would be so dope.


Yeah, I played a lot of X3 and X Rebirth back in the day. Cool games but not exactly what I'm looking for now. I'd rather play a strategy game that I can just play leisurely rather than having to dogfight things in space, lol.

Not exactly strategy, but you could try colony building or factory building games.