Real-time strategy games are perfect titles for those who want to see their thoughts become action instead of just trying to rely on instinct. These games challenge players by showing them the consequences of doing the wrong command. So if that is a fun time for you? Look out for these titles next year.
#8 Fire and Maneuver
- Release date: Apr 19, 2023
- Publisher: Armchair History Interactive
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
- Developers: Armchair History Interactive, Targon Studios
This game is by history lovers who want nothing more than to go out and showcase the genuine feeling, tactics, and difficulty of war. In the game, you’ll play as various countries during the Victorian Era of conflict and have to face the consequences of every decision you make.
Fire & Maneuver isn’t about army building; it’s about army command. Make decisions about where they go and what they do, and see what happens. Multiple modes in the game let you play through history or rewrite it to your whims.
#7 Stargate: Timekeepers
- Publisher: Slitherine Software
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
- Developers: CreativeForge Games, Creative Forge
- Release date: December 12, 2023
Welcome back to the Stargate SG-1 universe. Stargate: Timekeepers takes place after the main plot of season 7 and gives you an all-new story with a familiar set of characters. But, it also provides new enemies, new twists, and a time loop you have to get out of to move forward.
You’ll start in the Battle of Antarctica alongside Commander Eva McCain and then work through 14 different narrative missions to get out of the time loop and ensure the best result for your people.
Due to the time loop, your choices matter, and when you rewrite an event, it’ll affect what comes after. With multiple possible endings, you’ll have to see just where your decisions in battle and beyond lead you.
#6 Pharaoh: A New Era
- Developer: Triskell Interactive
- Publisher: DotEmu
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
- Release date: Feb 15, 2023
Now let’s go back in time to an age long since passed. When Egypt reigned, things were very different, but their era’s grandeur lives on in memory. In Pharaoh: A New Era, you’ll get to relive that period and build your version of Egypt as you raise it from sand to supremacy.
Across 50 different missions, you’ll build the Egyptian Empire off the banks of the Nile River. Construct buildings, monuments, temples, the Pharaoh’s palace, and more! Then, maintain what you’ve built by keeping the people happy, ensuring economic success, trading with other nations, and seeing your kingdom thrive.
#5 Nuclear War Simulator
- Developer: Ivan Stepanov
- Release date: Feb 2, 2023
- Publisher: Slitherine Software
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
Many believe that the end of the world won’t just come through war but a nuclear war that will wipe everyone out. But, no, this isn’t a Terminator video game; that will come later on.
In Nuclear War Simulator, you’ll see a realistic outlook on what would happen if the 13,000 nuclear warheads out there somehow got launched. What’s more, you’re the one who determines where they go and what they blow up.
You can let the AI choose the destinations for speed, or you can personally select where each warhead detonates to ensure a specific vision.
With every attack you do, you’ll get the results. Lives lost, cities decimated, and so on. That way, you’ll know what would happen if someone pushes the big red button.
#4 Gord
- Developer: Covenant.dev
- Release date: Aug 17, 2023
- Publisher: Team17 Software
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Gord is a title inspired by Slavic Folklore. That’s important because this grim fantasy title will force you to make decisions on behalf of the people you watch and see how those choices shape them.
You will guide the Tribe of the Dawn into forbidden lands to build their lives. Once you construct their homes, tell them what missions to complete to survive. Each task they do will guide their personalities and their fates.
Start with a small village, then expand it to turn it into a mighty fortress! You’ll need those defenses to take on the enemy tribes that will come for your people.
Keep your villagers alive, happy, and sane; you might see a happy ending for them.
#3 The Great War: Western Front
- Release date: Mar 30, 2023
- Developer: Petroglyph Games
- Platform: Microsoft Windows
- Publishers: Frontier Foundry, Frontier Developments plc
World War I was called “The War To End All Wars” for a reason. It was brutal and chaotic, and things changed on a dime to throw all sides into disarray. In The Great War: Western Front, you’ll take charge as a commander on the Western Front and guide your troops across five years of war to achieve victory.
Your role will be two-fold. First, as the Theater Commander, you’ll provide for your army and think of ways to boost your soldiers by researching new technologies. Plus, you’ll think of ways to hinder the enemy’s advancement.
Then, as Field Commander, you’ll take the role of leader on the battlefield and attempt to guide your forces to victory, no matter the cost.
#2 Aliens: Dark Descent
- Developer: Tindalos Interactive
- Publisher: Focus Entertainment
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5
- Release date: Jun 19, 2023
Aliens: Dark Descent is a real-time strategy game set in the universe of Alien. In it, you’ll lead a group of Colonial Marines to a moon overrun with Xenomorphs.
You’ll have to control your squad through open and enclosed areas to wipe out the enemy. But know this, the enemy might not always be aliens. Rogue operatives from a vile corporation will be on the moon too!
Customize your team with a variety of weapons as well as class options to ensure you have the right team for the job. That job? Stop the outbreak of Xenomorphs from spreading across the stars!
#1 Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Developers: Wayford
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Release date: April 21, 2023
There are plenty of games we could’ve put at this top spot, but we thought it’d be fun to honor a classic franchise with their return title.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp was supposed to come out in 2022, but real-world events pushed it back and fortunately it’s available to pick up and play today.
This game is a compilation of the original Advance Wars titles, but with all-new graphics, new modes, online play, and more. Many hope this will restart the franchise so we can get new entries. It’s easy to learn, hard to master, and provides just the right mix of fun and challenge to keep players coming back for more.
Disclaimer: This article was updated on 12/12/23 as we continue to adjust this list with new entries or remove games due to delays or failure to captivate audiences.
