26 Best Strategy Games You Need To Play

Strategy games come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are about building up kingdoms. Others are about fighting enemies in large-scale combat. The list below shows you some of the very best.

Top 17 Upcoming Strategy Games of 2024

#26 Stronghold: Definitive Edition

Platform: PC
Release Date: November 07, 2023

Steam

Strategy games have been around for far longer than you might think, and Stronghold: Definitive Edition will bring a classic game back to modern times and show you how improved things can be with the right stuff behind it.

The game features a 14-mission campaign that’ll have you seeking out traitors to a throne! You’ll need to defeat their forces and build castles and fortresses for when they come after you! Strategy will be key, and you’ll need to think long-term about how you construct your castle homes.

With upgraded visuals and new things to do outside of the campaign, you’ll be busy with this title.

#25 MARVEL SNAP

Platform: PC
Release Date: August 22, 2023

Steam

Do you feel up to the task of playing a very different kind of card game? Marvel Snap isn’t just a card game set in the Marvel universe. It dares you to play the game on multiple levels of a battlefield to get the victory! You’ll build your deck from cards focused on characters, items, famous Marvel locations, and more! Then, once you have your deck ready, you’ll battle players online to see who can get the battlefield to do what they want. Utilize special abilities and effects to power up your characters while hindering your foe! Then, if you feel confident, make bets about how confident you are in victory! Just remember, if you go too far, you’ll “SNAP!”

#24 Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Platform: Switch
Release Date: April 21, 2023

Nintendo

Nintendo has multiple franchises that embody the “art of strategy,” and with Advance Wars: 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, you’ll get to return to the origins of one such franchise!

In the game, you’ll be put onto maps against an enemy force and tasked with defeating them! But not all victories are meant to be had via brute force! Sometimes you’ll need to outlast your opponent until reinforcements arrive. Other times you’ll need to take out a specific target!

Whatever the objective, you must strategize and use your units as best you can to succeed! Every unit has advantages and disadvantages, as do the commanders you control!

If you plan properly and execute well, victory will be yours!

#23 Pikmin 4

Platform: Switch
Release Date: July 21, 2023

Nintendo

Many Nintendo franchises utilize strategy in certain ways, but in Pikmin 4, you’ll be diving back into a strange new world to use your flowery friends like never before!

That’s right. It’s time to pull out an army of Pikmin and send them to battle against the various creatures of a strange world. There will be some familiar faces to battle against, but new foes will also test your abilities!

So how will you use the Pikmin? Will you simply throw them at foes and attempt to overwhelm them before all the Pikmin die? Will you enhance your new pal Oatchi so they can do what the Pikmin don’t? Or will you do something else? Jump in and find out!

#22 Baldur’s Gate 3

Platform: PC – August 3, 2023
Release Date: PS5 – September 6, 2023

Steam | Playstation

Plenty of games out there want nothing more than to say your choices matter. But in Baldur’s Gate 3, your choices will affect everything around you, including who you are at the beginning of the title!

You have been infected with a parasite that is giving you great power. How you choose to wield or forsake that power will drive the key narrative of the title. Plus, who you choose to work with, fall in love with, betray, and everything in between will be entirely up to you!

That means the game has plenty of ways it can go based on your choices. So choose wisely!

#21 Gears Tactics

The Gears of War franchise has taken multiple turns into other genres. For example, the Gears Tactics title puts you in a new story set before the original trilogy and has you using strategy tactics over run-and-gun gameplay.

The game is set 12 years before the original title. The Locust army is starting to make their presence felt by dropping city after city. Now, you’ll play as a group of survivors trying to save humanity before it’s too late.

While it’s a strategy game, you’ll still need to think on your feet. There are massive battles to survive, and your tactics will either save the day or doom it.

#20 Starship Troopers- Terran Command

Are you ready to fight the Arachnids? You better be, soldier! Starship Troopers- Terran Command puts you in charge of your own group of soldiers as you face the alien threat!

You’re sent to a desert planet where the Terran population is in jeopardy. Unfortunately, the Arachnids outnumber you immensely, so you’ll need to use sharp tactics to overcome the odds.

Lure them into traps, use the high ground to pick them off, or overwhelm them with firepower. The choice is yours. But no matter what you do, ensure you come out of it alive. Dive into the deep campaign and see just how long you can last in it.

#19 Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

We’re going to have two games from this series on this list. But first, we’ll show you Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. The game was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise, and they did a good job making the content for players.

The definitive edition has all the content released for the main title with plenty of upgrades. That includes 4K graphics, new campaigns, and new civilizations to control.

The game boasts over 200 hours of gameplay! That’s more than enough to satisfy you for a long time. See human history differently as you lead a nation to greatness.

#18 Bad North

Bad North is a minimalistic game that focuses on strategy and terrain. In it, you’ll play as a people trying to survive a Viking invasion. The island you’re on is small, so you must use your forces wisely on the terrain to fight the Vikings off long enough to get out.

As you go to each island, the Vikings will follow, and you’ll have to keep fighting them off. Be mindful of your units and how well they’re doing. When they die, they’re gone. Furthermore, if you lose all your units, you’re done. Game over.

With such simple mechanics, you’ll find this game is both addicting and challenging.

#17 Rome: Total War

Despite the title of the game being Rome: Total War, this isn’t a game just about Rome. Instead, you’ll be able to choose 19 different factions from across Europe, Asia, and Africa and drive them into massive battles that’ll determine the fate of continents.

Fights aren’t the only thing to focus on, though. You’ll need to manage your kingdom/empire in the economic sense too. Plus, organize your people and even their religious beliefs! All these factors will help determine your success.

Will you be able to conquer the world that is in front of you? Or will you succumb to the dangers on all sides?

#16 Into The Breach

What happens when humanity finds out that an alien force is breeding monsters beneath the surface of the planet? They’re going to stop that from continuing! Obviously!

Into The Breach will have you fighting battles on multiple fronts. First, you’ll send futuristic mechs to combat the enemy directly. But you’ll also have to protect your human cities because it’s through them that the mechs get their power.

As you fight across a set of islands, find new parts to build your mechs with and pilots to control them. But even if you fail, don’t fret. You can use time travel to send more help from the future into the past to ensure victory.

#15 Total War: Warhammer III

While Total War: Warhammer III may not have been as good as its predecessors, it’s still a decent strategy game for this list. Continuing the events of the previous title, a god’s last action has caused a rift in the world. From that rift come entities from the Realm of Chaos. That isn’t good, if not obvious.

Now, you have a choice. Will you side with the beings fighting to stop the chaotic realms’ inhabitants from coming through? Or will you command the daemon hordes in order to wreak havoc across the land?

With hundreds of units spread across seven different races, you’ll have plenty of ways to fight in this title. So build your kingdom, create heroes, and conquer whatever you want.

#14 Endless Legends

Endless Legends doesn’t play like other games on this list. Instead of commanding a vast empire with limitless potential, you manage a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. One that had just endured a massive winter unlike any seen before.

With magic and technology in hand, you’ll brave through the world to try and learn more about why this place is so dangerous. As you do, you’ll encounter other people and groups. Will they be allies in your survival? Or will they be the latest threat you have to take on?

Use the resources and people you have to the best of your ability. Make wise choices, and plan, and you might just make it through. If you don’t? Start over and try again.

#13 Medieval II: Total War

While it may have come out in 2006, Medieval II: Total War remained a guiding light for the franchise for many years. Case in point, the battles you could fight here had over 10,000 units at times. For those days in gaming, that was huge.

Furthermore, the expansions and DLC for the game were massive. The Kingdom’s expansion, for example, brought multiple new campaigns to partake in. Even the primary games campaign was so extensive that it spanned continents.

Then, when you’re done with the main game, head into multiplayer and put yourself against seven other players to see who can command their armies the best!

#12 Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

One of the classic RTS games that helped set up World of Warcraft, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, puts you in the continued conflict between humans, orcs, and other races. The title is set 15 years after the events of the previous game. Peace has come over the land, but it’s tenuous at best.

Four factions will light the spark of war once again, and you’ll get to choose which side you’re on, then lead them to victory.

Plus, just when you think you know all the players, a new threat has come to wipe out all life in the realm! So wage your battles carefully and ensure your survival in the coming clashes.

#11 Age of Wonders: Planetfall

While many of these games have you focusing on a singular kingdom to expand. Age of Wonders: Planetfall puts you in the position of a people trying to reclaim their former glory after a dark empire almost wiped them from history.

Six unique factions are yours to build with and command. Each is special in who they are and what they can do. From Amazons to cyborg zombies, you’ll have plenty to choose from and see multiple stories unfold as you play.

Build your people up from a small colony to a worldwide empire. Fight for resources and beat back anyone who dares say you can’t have anything!

#10 Europa Universalis IV

Europa Universalis IV puts you in the thralls of history and lets you see how you would handle it. First, pick one of several nations to command throughout centuries. Then, expand your reach, build up your armies and achieve total dominance over the land!

With hundreds of options to partake in, you can do multiple runs and do each one differently. It’s entirely up to you.

The same goes for how you interact with other nations. Build up trade routes with them, secure alliances through marriage, or fight them to take their lands and people as your own. History awaits you, so go grab it!

#9 StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Well, heck, it’s about time.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty was the long-awaited return to the Blizzard franchise that fans had been waiting on. Now is an excellent time to play if you’ve never had the chance to partake in the game. The title is free to play, so you have no reason not to give it a shot.

You’ll play as the Terran race as they battle the familiar threats of Protoss and Zerg. You’ll need to build up your forces and take them to the battlefield against the enemy.

Then, when you’re done with this title, you can head to the other expansions and see the game’s story from the other two races’ side!

#8 Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

We’ve already shown you one game from this series, but Age of Empires III grants you the ability to take warfare to new levels across multiple continents in epic battles and conquest. With the definitive edition, you’ll get all the improvements and content the game has added over the years.

Some additions include a co-op mode to have fun with friends or the “Art of War Challenges.” You’ll even get all the expansions and two new civilizations to become!

Will you be able to lead your nation to total domination? Will you stick to the European continent for conquest, or will you jump to the Asian theater and see what you can do there? The choice is yours.

#7 Northgard

In the age of Vikings, clans went on boats and explored all new lands to call them home. Northgard puts you in control of one such clan as they find a spot of land they feel they can make their own. Little do they know all the dangers that this place holds.

Build your settlement, then expand it to make it worthy of your kin and the gods above. Once you’re settled, see what else the land has to offer. But also ensure your people are ready to fight off massive wolves, undead warriors, and various other dangers.

If you want even more from the game, partake in the story mode and see where it leads you.

#6 Frostpunk

When the world goes cold, only the heat of the inner planet can keep you alive. Frostpunk puts you as the leader of the last city of men. One that’s allowed to live due to a great heat source.

But now, you must expand the city and do what you can to rebuild society. How you do that is up to you. You must use the resources you have to grow and keep the people in line and happy. Can you balance that?

Advance the technologies you use to further your city and ensure you can withstand the elements and threats within. Heat is life, and cold means death. Don’t forget that.

#5 Crusader Kings III

In a game like Crusader Kings III, it’s not just about making a kingdom to call your own. Instead, it’s ensuring your legacy lasts long enough for it to be built upon by your descendants.

The title lets you create your noble lord and pick your house. Then, you’ll venture out into the world and build your new kingdom. First, you’ll have to reach across the map to get all the lands you want, then deal with people in your court and within the villages and cities to ensure they’re maintained.

When time passes, let your next in line take over and see how they can advance your legacy.

But be warned, those who have power are often pursued by those who want to take it.

#4 XCOM 2

Twenty years after the previous title’s events, XCOM 2 puts you on an Earth you wouldn’t recognize. The alien invaders have taken over, claiming to be building the Earth back up to a prosperous and peaceful state. But the men and women of XCOM know better.

The decimated group resides on the fringes, constantly moving to escape the alien overlords. Now, when the truth behind the aliens’ plan is revealed, you must retake the battlefield and do whatever it takes to send them off the planet.

Choose your units and head out. Recruit new ones when you find them, and do your best to keep everyone alive.

#3 Company of Heroes 2

Hailed as one of the best World War II games ever, Company of Heroes 2 puts you smack dab in the middle of the war on multiple sides and sees how you react to it. Your strategies will sometimes determine your unit’s fate and the world itself.

Whether you play as the Germans or the Russians in the multiplayer, ensure your group’s survival by thinking tactically and using your units to the fullest.

Then, step into the campaign and fight as a Soviet commander trying to lead the Red Army to victory over the Axis invaders! With plenty of expansions and standalone modes, this game has a lot to offer.

#2 Stellaris

Stellaris is a grand-scale universal strategy game where you can decide the journey of a new spacefaring race as they enter the enormous scope of the universe.

Look to other planets to build bases and mine resources. Then, when you meet different races and species, determine how you will act with them. Will you be diplomatic? Will you try to make a working relationship? Or will you combat them and try to take what’s theirs?

You can customize just about everything about yourself and your race before you start and choose what happens next. So what will the galaxy look like when you’re done with it?

#1 Civilization VI

Few series can beat the Civilization franchise in terms of sheer replay power. From the first game on, the series has made it so no two runs are the same and that you have a wealth of options to make each playthrough special. With Civilization VI, they completely outdid themselves by completely changing how cities are made, so now even more strategy is required.

Of course, you’ll still pick your world leader and use them to build an empire. But how you go about it is much more crucial than before. Obtain power, wealth, and resources, and use them to either work with other nations or smite them from the land.