The Political Machine 2020

The Political Machine 2020

Released Mar 2020 · delisted

Win the hearts and minds of America’s voters and take the 2020 presidential election by storm in Stardock’s popular political strategy game. Choose a candidate and run against a computer opponent or a candidate controlled by another person over the Internet.

83% positive · 742 reviews
Not yet
Removed from storefront
High confidence
Not yet
Removed from storefront
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam
Can't confirm — worth a look
We couldn't confirm these stores carry this game.
Green Man Gaming Steam key Search IndieGala Steam key Search
Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
Buying through an affiliate store helps support the site

Evaluation

The Political Machine 2020 is no longer available for purchase on Steam — there are no active purchase options, meaning it has been removed from the storefront. The game launched on March 3, 2020 and received active post-launch development throughout 2020, including multiple free updates (v1.01 through v1.4) and paid DLC such as the Founding Fathers pack released on August 13, 2020. The last substantive update was v1.4 on October 29, 2020, timed to the real-world 2020 U.S. election. A minor security patch was applied on October 3, 2025, but this is maintenance-only work, not new content. Developer attention shifted to the next entry in the series: The Political Machine 2024 was announced on November 7, 2023 and entered its Steam playtest on February 21, 2024. This is consistent with Stardock's pattern of releasing new numbered editions of this franchise to coincide with each U.S. presidential election cycle, effectively superseding the prior version. With the game no longer purchasable, it is delisted.
Evidence
Stardock announced The Political Machine 2024 as the next entry in the series, with pre-orders open. This signals that the 2020 edition has been superseded.
news post · Nov 7, 2023 source development ending
high
v1.4 update released just before the real-world 2020 election, adding new issues and achievements. This appears to be the last major content update for the game.
news post · Oct 29, 2020 source content shipped
high

Media

Details

Publisher
Stardock Entertainment
Achievements
20
Platform
Windows, macOS
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · PvP

About this game

Let the campaign begin!

Win the hearts and minds of America’s voters and take the 2020 presidential election by storm in this exciting political strategy game. Choose from a large roster of candidates, from Democrats Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders to Republicans Donald Trump and Mitt Romney, as well as other well-known politicians like former senator John McCain, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mitch McConnell, Barack Obama, and more.

Want to shake things up a little? No problem! Use the Candidate Workshop to create your own frontrunner, complete with customized statistics, ideologies, and design. If you believe everything is going to hell in a handbasket, you can play as one of the wild card candidates like the Giant Meteor and adopt some truly crazy ideologies (ban all video games - they’ll rot your brain!).

The Political Machine 2020 features unique ideology trees for each of the candidates that allow them to play very differently from each other. Throughout the game, you’ll visit Town Halls or take on Campaign Events to gain ideology points that you can spend to own certain issues. For instance, Bernie Sanders has ‘Medicare for All’ as an issue he can own, while Donald Trump can use points to purchase the ‘Build the Wall’ issue.

Each issue is modded on a per-state basis with their voter support based on data in order to allow for an accurate simulation of how those issues will play out in different states. It’s important to win 270 votes in the electoral college, so you’ll need to pay attention to what issues voters care about in the swing states. What plays well in Texas or California might hurt you in Ohio or Florida.

The Political Machine 2020 is a complete rewrite of the original versions of the game with vastly improved graphics and a more sophisticated simulation that combines polling data, voter enthusiasm, and the most recent US census results to deliver a game that is both fun to play for casual players, and realistic enough for political wonks.

Do you think you have what it takes? Take to the campaign trail and show the nation why you should be the next President of the United States of America!

Core Features

  • Spread your Ideology - Participate in Town Hall events to earn ideology points and solidify your position on hot issues with your voters.
  • Generate Enthusiasm - Use your power and money to purchase ads to discredit your opponent and influence voters. The greater enthusiasm your base has for an issue, the more effective your ad campaigns will be.
  • Participate in Interviews - Accept invitations to various talk shows across the country in order to share your opinion on issues important to the American people.
  • Choose your Candidate - Play as one of several candidates, each with their own custom stats like stamina, intelligence, charisma, media bias, and more.
  • Manage your Campaign Budget - Purchase advertisements, travel across the country to campaign, and hire operatives to enhance your PR or cripple your opponent. Be wary - if you overspend and need extra cash, it might come from somewhere that will shake voters’ confidence in you!
  • Create a Candidate - Customize your own front runner and race for the White House.
  • Practice your Politics - A sophisticated underlying simulation model uses census data and real issues to test your political savvy.
  • Be Ready for Anything - Torrid affairs, natural disasters, email scandals, and other “breaking news” events can pop up and change the direction of the campaign for better or worse.
  • Check your Standings - With poll tracking and leaderboards, you can see how well people are playing as their candidates or what issues they are supporting over time.
Last evaluated Jul 22, 2026
Something about this evaluation looks wrong Report illegal or harmful content