The Iron Age is the era that follows the Stone and Bronze ages and is usually defined as lasting from the 12th Century BCE to the 6th Century BCE, specifically in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean Basin. For regions such as Western and Northern Europe however, new technology took longer to reach and stayed in use for even longer.
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Despite this breadth of history across many regions, there aren’t many video games set during the Iron Age. Nevertheless, thankfully for fans of the Iron Age, the games that have been produced are of excellent quality and no doubt will inspire more developers to explore the potential of this dynamic era.
5Dawn Of Man
Dawn of Mantakes players on a journey from barely surviving as a tribe in the Stone Age, to building villages and thriving in the Iron Age. Although players will have to work hard and progress throughnearly 10,000 years of human history,the effort is worth it for all the exciting technologies and feats of engineering, such as building colossal structures.
In this survival city-builder game though, advancements in civilization bring about new challenges. This makes sure the game never gets boring, and also means it can be enjoyed long after reaching the height of Iron Age technology.
4Valheim
Although the Iron Age can be said to have receded from most of the Mediterranean by the 6th century BCE and Western Europe by the 1st century CE, it arguably still lingered in the Scandinavian world till the 8th century.Valheimis a game inspired by Norse mythology and due toits survival gameplaythat drops players into the realm of Midgard with no equipment or remembrance of technology, the Iron Age is a necessary step on the road to beating all the bosses and building the best bases.
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After starting with primitive stone and flint tools and weapons, players can discover copper and tin to make bronze, starting their agricultural journey. Once equipped with the latest bronze weapons and armor players can brave the swamps in search of Sunken Crypts where iron can be found. With iron, endless opportunities are opened up and players get their first true Viking experience thanks to Iron nails, which allows the Longship to be built. Additionally, new building items and crafting station upgrades become available, and players can soon advance into the most aesthetically pleasing biome in the game, the mountains.
3Age Of Empires
The originalAge of Empiresgame was released in 1997 and not only set the precedent for its own series of sequels, but also for theentire real-time strategy genre.Fittingly the first game took players back to the early years of human history from the Stone Age to the Iron Age. Many different civilizations can be played such as Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians, meaning that different experiences can be enjoyed through successive playthroughs.
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Despite the game’s age, the gameplay is as good as ever and for those who prefer modern visuals, a definitive edition was released in 2019. This edition features all of the released content and improves on other aspects of the classic game too, including sound, UI, and multiplayer.
2A Total War Saga: Troy
Although the infamous Trojan war is ultimately a mythological conflict from the imaginations of the Ancient Greeks, it is set at the dawn of the Iron Age. For an immersive and complete experience of the war, there is no game better thanA Total War Saga: Troy.Total Wargames are known for allowing players to control huge armies in epic real-time battles and sieges, in combination with turn-based strategy on a large-scale map.
In one of thelatest installments of the series, players have the chance to play as and deploy legendary figures such as Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon. With stories and battles from theIliadto recreate, players can sink endless hours into the game. If standard historical units aren’t enough, fans can add a fantastical element to their experience with theMythosDLC, which features mythical creatures as playable units.
1Civilization 6
Sid Meier’s Civilization 6is a turn-based strategy game that allows players to travel through all the different eras as they develop their civilization from primitive beginnings to a state capable of exploring space. Early on in each game or campaign, players will reach the Classical Era which allows civilizations to mine, work and utilize iron.
Backed by the power of iron, players can use this material to attack and conquer enemies that are lagging behind or focus on more peaceful forms ofvictory, for example, through science.Although the Iron Age might not last for that long inCivilization 6, it can be one of the most influential eras in the long run of a campaign. One of the best features of the game is that through playing as the various leaders and cultures available, there is plenty of replayability, meaning the Iron Age can be experienced from the perspective of vastly different civilizations.
