Red Imperium is a 4X space game inspired by Missile Madness, Twilight Imperium, Galactic Empire, Civilization, Catan and other hex-based games of colonization and conquest.

The game is similar to its counterparts in its use of hexagonal movement, strategy cards, a technology tree and a command-counter system that restricts the flexibility of player moves and forces trade-offs between different activities.

It differs significantly from other games in its embrace of streamlined gameplay mechanics that preserve the social aspects of the game while enabling faster real-time play.