For that matter, some players might want to take the chill pill and engage themselves in the art of commerce. It just so happens that certain games allow players to flex their economic know-how in ways that make trade and mercantilism more interesting than saving the world through violence. Whether as a traveling merchant or a business magnate, these games allow players to become the invisible hand of the market.
8 Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Release year : 2020 (early access) Platforms : PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is the belated sequel to the legendary and one-of-a-kind medieval sim RPG, Mount & Blade. It’s about as expansive and complex as the previous games but with the added benefit of upgraded graphics and more refined systems.
Among these systems is a gameplay mode or mechanic that lets players avoid the ridiculous feudal power struggle and just focus on being a roaming merchant caravan or trader instead. It still lets players win and conquer the whole game world if they get rich enough to buy territory or cities. The game is also highly-moddable, further adding to its intricate systems and mechanics.
7 Caravan
Release year : 2016 Platforms : Microsoft Windows
For those who fancy the trader lifestyle but with a fairy tale background similar to some vocations in the Arabian Nights, then Caravan will sate the players’ need for a roving merchant lifestyle. It’s also a story-driven game with some solid trade simulator mechanics.
As part of a merchant caravan seeking to make riches, players will have to traverse deserts and many other perils in uncharted territories to bring goods to their customers. The game is heavily based on the Arabian Peninsula while also borrowing some themes and aesthetics from the countries spanned by the Silk Road.
6 Dawn Of Discovery
Release year : 2009 Platforms : Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Wii
Also known as Anno 1404, Dawn of Discovery is one of the series’ most impressive entries. Like most other Anno titles, this game is first and foremost, a city builder where players set up production buildings and keep their population happy in order to produce goods.
Players can then trade these goods to other civilizations or factions in a rather expansive network of naval trade and commerce. So in a sense, Dawn of Discovery is also partly a naval commerce simulator on top of being a city-builder. The best part is that it’s set during the infancy of the Renaissance period when trade and naval technology is booming fast.
5 Capitalism 2
Release year : 2001 Platforms : Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS
Capitalism 2 probably doesn’t need much explanation for a lot of players. It’s a game about getting rich through market manipulation, business deals, and production streamlining. It’s an in-depth strategy game that covers the multiple aspects and facades of running a business empire.
The game is old, however, since it was released a solid two decades ago. But it stands as one of the most comprehensive business simulations in the video game industry. A few games managed to capture the scope and care that Capitalism 2’s developers put into being a digital capitalist.
4 Evil Bank Manager
Release year : 2018 Platforms : Microsoft Windows
Evil Bank Manager takes the mercantilism aspect a step further past the boundaries of ethical and moral concerns, as is implied by the title. In this business sim game, players have the goal of accumulating as much fiat currency value as possible either by printing money or becoming a Federal Reserve.
Getting there is never a clean climb as players will have to conspire, scheme, and manipulate their way into becoming the wealthiest capitalist in the world through banking. If they go become rich enough, then players can also start developing their own technologies or maybe even send a car or a rocket into space just because.
3 The Guild 2: Renaissance
Release year : 2010 Platforms : Microsoft Windows
The Guild 2 might just be the perfect companion to Dawn of Discovery. While that game is a top-down city-building trading sim, The Guild 2 is an immersive medieval sim that is also set sometime during the Renaissance. Players are free to choose whoever they want to be in this rather turbulent era.
The Renaissance expansion will broaden the players’ horizons as it adds even more professions or lift paths, allowing players to become fully-fledged merchants with their own means of production. At a decade old, the game is heavily outdated in terms of visuals and mechanics but not many can match its scope and ambition when it comes to letting players become medieval merchants.
2 Merchant Of The Skies
Release year : 2020 Platforms : Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Macintosh operating systems, PlayStation 5
Merchant of the Skies offers a breathtaking new kind of scenery as far as trading games go. Because players get to travel the skies as their trade routes. Not many merchant-based games can offer that kind of experience. But of course, the goal has always been to make the business thrive.
This pixel art game is all about letting players build their very own trading company in the clouds to cater to aerial cities. It’s also an indie game, meaning it has free reign to choose whichever creative direction it wants to take and this shows in how Merchant of the Skies defies or combines a lot of genres.
1 X4: Foundations
Release year : 2018 Platforms : Microsoft Windows, Linux
X4: Foundations has a suggestion better than clouds: space! It’s the final frontier for mankind and thus, the perfect setting to establish a trading empire. X4: Foundations is mostly a universe simulator game, but players can assume a more merchant-focused role with their space vessels.
To that end, it’s like the space age version of Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord which is always a welcome amalgam of genres. The game does allow players a surprisingly vast number of different life paths, they can be a space conqueror, explorer, pirate, or just a humble merchant.
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