Probably my most played 4x space game and I've tried most of them. Hits a good spot between challenge and fun to play on the main difficulty. Stayed up many nights past when I should have playing this. Devs have been committed to improving since its launch. It's quite mature now but will only get better.

A very very very good 4x sci-fi space game. Has that "one more turn" quality that you get from things like Civ or Rimworld. DLC is excellent as well. Gives you control over just enough details without micro-managing... Just get it and play, just make sure you start it up early enough in the day or you will end up staying up until 4am... Everyone is saying that this is a copy of MOO2 (which it is, but better) but there is a a lot of DNA in there from Galactic Civilization games as well. Surprised that I haven't heard about this before.

Calling this 'spreadsheets in space' would be too harsh, but there is quite a bit of managing lots of details involved. Not micromanagment, which would be lots of the same actions or decisions over & over again. But there is a lot to keep track of. It's good, and has some cool mechanics - discovering more of the galaxy as you go is actually really cool. I read about that and thought it might be cheesy, but it isn't. On the other hand getting to know another system is 3 steps: must be remote surveyed, then you can send a scout, then you need to send a survey ship. If that kind of layering works for you, then rock on. For me, it's a bit much. It take away from the strategy aspect and adds complexity for the sake of complexity. At that point I'm not making strategic decisions about how close to another empire I want to get, or how close to a fabled galactically-famous star system I might be by colonizing there, I'm just going through iterations in order to be able to decide if I can colonize. Ship design, on the other hand, is pretty cool. I like it. As good and as fun as the grand master in this category. Leader specialization is also rather cool. I like that too - it's not automatic, it's something you guide and choose over time. Diplomacy is a little weak and a little weird. Overall, I like the game, but I don't love it. Definitely not having as much fun at it as I would playing the classics - ok the single best classic - of this category. Of my recent playing time of space 4x games, I would rank, for fun & enjoyability: (#1) MOO II - still the king, then (#2) Master of Orion Conquer the Stars (aka MOO IV, the 2016 release), then (#3) Interstellar Space Genesis

This game is extremely fun. I'm a veteran 4x player that have played quite some games (GalCiv, SoSE, Stellaris, Endless Space, MoO, Pax Nova, just to name some of the "space-themed" ones...). ISG is' a 4x turn-based space empire game (you know that, of course) and a kinda fresh take on the genre with some cool mechanics. The graphics are simple, and yet quite charming. The UI may scare you a little bit at a first glance (as in any 4x game), but a few turns into the game and you're all set. Some events like "ruin explorations" and "galactic events" are quite fun to read, interact and reap the rewards (or consequences). The developers are EXTREMELY active and community-driven, they really listen to their player's demands and keep constantly updating the game. The DLCs add some necessary flavor and mechanics into the game, they are really worth (but the vanilla game is extremely good and worth). A third expansion have been announced.

If you loved Master of Orion 2, but hated Master of Orion 3, give this game a try. It plays almost the same MOO2, but with slicker graphics and some improved game mechanics. They made it just different enough to avoid any copyright bother (No Orion for the other races to beat you to, and no pesky Antarans showing up and smashing your most valuable planet just as it gets productive) This is probably the game most people were hoping for when they heard MOO3 was out.