A timeline of events that constitute the background to X4 including events from previous X games
| NT | CE | X-Game | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| -128 | Earth Scientists Create Jumpgates | ||
| -124 | The Flight of the Winterblossom | ||
| -104 | Terraformer Project Begins | ||
| -71 | Terraformer Project is Terminated | ||
| -25 | The Terraformer Conflict | ||
| 0 | 2170 | ||
| 130 | First Contact with the Paranid | ||
| 241 | Foundation of the Federation | ||
| 323 | First Contact with the Boron | ||
| 324 | The Boron Campaign | ||
| 328 | Community of Planets is formed | ||
| 514 | 200 Years of Cold War | ||
| 550 | First Contact with Teladi | ||
| 742 | Evolution of the Xenon | ||
| 742 | 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 | 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 |
| CE | Common era / AD / Earth Time |
| X:Btf | X: Beyond the Frontier |
| X:T | X: Tension |
| X3:R | X3: Reunion |
| X3:TC | X3: Terran Conflict |
| X3:AP* | X3: AP Prologue |
| X3:AP | X3: Albion Prelude |
| X:R | X: Rebirth |
| X4:F | X4: Foundations |