Through the Ages (2018)

Developer: CGE Digital
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Indie, Strategy
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 2,333 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 66 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A slow-burn, deeply strategic civilization builder that feels like a cerebral board game, rewarding careful planning and tactical patience over action.

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What players say

Players praise this as one of the best digital board game adaptations, noting the AI is surprisingly strong and the tutorial is excellent. They appreciate that the game handles all the bookkeeping, making it much faster and easier to play than the physical version.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.