Ascendancy

Ascendancy is the friendlier, trippier cousin of Master of Orion. It’s 4X strategy in space, with bizarre alien races, psychedelic menus, and a soundtrack that sounds like it was composed by a stoned dolphin. The early game is peaceful and relaxing, and then the AI decides it hates you and sends fleets the size of Jupiter. There’s a learning curve, but also an "End Turn" button that’s dangerously addictive. If you like building empires, colonizing worlds, and occasionally shouting “what just happened?”, Ascendancy is your kind of cosmic chaos.