A timeline of events that constitute the background to X4 including events from previous X games
| NT | EY | X-Game | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| -128 | 2042 | Earth Scientists Create Jumpgates | |
| -124 | 2046 | The Flight of the Winterblossom | |
| -118 | 2052 | USC Established | |
| -104 | 2066 | Terraformer Project Begins | |
| -71 | 2099 | Terraformer Project is Terminated | |
| -25 | 2145 | The Terraformer Conflict | |
| 0 | 2170 | ||
| 130 | 2300 | First Contact with the Paranid | |
| 241 | 2491 | Foundation of the Federation | |
| 323 | 2493 | First Contact with the Boron | |
| 324 | 2494 | The Boron Campaign | |
| 328 | 2498 | Community of Planets is formed | |
| 514 | 2684 | 200 Years of Cold War | |
| 550 | 2720 | First Contact with Teladi | |
| 742 | 2912 | Evolution of the Xenon | |
| 742 | 2912 | X:Btf / X:T | Arrival of USC X and Kyle Brennan |
| 763 | 2933 | First contact with the Kha'ak | |
| 763 | 2933 | X2: | The President's End massacre |
| 763 | 2933 | X2: | The Battle of Omicron Lyrae |
| 764 | 2934 | X3:R | The Race To Find Earth |
| 764 | 2934 | X3:TC | Relations with the Terrans Begin to Cool |
| 764 | 2934 | X3:TC | Operation: Final Fury |
| 770 | 2940 | Tensions Build over AGI usage | |
| 774 | 2944 | X3:AP* | The Terran Conflict |
| 778 | 2948 | X3:AP* | The Destruction of the Torus Aeternal |
| 778 | 2948 | X3:AP | |
| 780 | 2950 | Warp Instability | |
| 782 | 2952 | The Jump Gate Shutdown | |
| 801 | 2971 | The Alliance of the Word is Established | |
| 803 | 2973 | X:R | The Gates Reopen |
| 820 | 2990 | The Gate Network Stabilises | |
| 825 | 2995 | X4:F |
Legend
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| NT | New Time |
| EY | Earth Years /AD/CE |
| X:Btf | X: Beyond the Frontier (1999) |
| X:T | X: Tension (2000) |
| X2 | X2: The Threat (2004) |
| X3:R | X3: Reunion (2005) |
| X3:TC | X3: Terran Conflict (2008) |
| X3:AP* | X3: AP (Prologue) |
| X3:AP | X3: Albion Prelude (2011) |
| X:R | X: Rebirth (2013) |
| X4:F | X4: Foundations (2018) |