Terms like FPS and roguelike are very common in the video game world.

In fact, they’re so common that pretty much everyone who plays games knows what they mean.

If you’re looking for the best 4X games on Steam, you’ve come to the right place.

A green battle map of allied and enemy forces in Total War: Rome Remastered, and a bustling settlement surrounded by stone walls in Farthest Frontier.

One of those terms is 4X, which pertains to both video games and board games.

Here is a full explanation.

What Does 4X Stand For?

cities skylines 2, unicorn overlord, and frostpunk split

To put it simply,4X stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate.

It was a play on the three Xs often used in the adult entertainment industry.

Ae-sun and Gwan-sik smiling at each other in When Life Gives You Tangerines.

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A ship scans a planet near a blazing red sun in Stellaris.

The City Of Arrakeen surrounded by a bunch of smaller cities on Arrakis In Dune: Spice Wars.