4X games are part of the strategy genre and are similar to the grand strategy subgenre, with a few caveats. The 4 X's in question stand for explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, which gives players a general idea of what they should be doing to win in these games. However, these games also have a reputation for being more difficult and complicated than other strategy games, largely because of the volume of information players have to manage as they complete their tasks.