Strategy video games are some of the most popular games in the world and have been for a long time. Whereas many types of games will test reaction times and reflexes, strategy games are all about thinking through the problem in front of you and coming up with a strategy to solve it. This makes strategy games perfect for those looking for a slightly less high-speed gaming experience or anyone who struggles to move their hands with the speed required for fast-paced first person shooter (FPS) titles. But with countless sub-genres of strategy games, there is something for everyone. From slow, methodical grand strategy titles to faster-paced real-time strategy (RTS) titles where top players can input hundreds of commands each minute, the variety is astonishing.
What Are Strategy Games?
The strategy genre is about as wide-ranging as it can get, but all strategy games generally share the idea that decision-making is a key feature and usually more important than fast-paced action. You’ll typically have some kind of high-level overview, either literally or metaphorically, and will need to direct the action to win.
While almost every strategy game will have some elements of tactics, just because a game is tactical it does not mean it is a strategy game. Tactics are generally considered to be decisions for short-term gains, while a strategy is a much wider plan which is what strategy games want you to think up. The massive variation in strategy games means they can work in many different ways, but the common theme throughout all of them is that you will need to think up or work towards some larger strategy that will eventually allow you to win the game. Thanks to their complexity, strategy video games are most commonly found on PC, but console and mobile options also exist.
Top Strategy Games
With so much variety in the strategy game genre, there are a lot of contenders for the top strategy games, and there can be a lot of variation between them. But with some series keeping the same basic concept for over 30 years, there are a handful of titles that can be considered genre-defining.
Then there are the new challengers: either newcomers looking to dethrone the well-loved classics, or games that bring completely fresh ideas and even create new sub-genres within the wider strategy sphere. Every few years a new strategy game pops up and becomes the most popular thing in the gaming world for a minute, but to really be considered one of the best a game must have a staying power that promotes re-playability and isn’t just a flash in the pan.
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8. Football Manager
Football Manager might not be the first game that jumps out at you when you think of strategy, but it is one of the most well-rounded and deep strategy games out there. The main difference is that instead of waging some kind of war, you are kicking balls into a net.
With its annual release schedule, you can assume this entry refers to whatever the latest iteration is in the series, with developers Sports Interactive rarely putting out a game worse than the previous year’s. Every year they build slightly on their tried and tested formula to deliver what is without a doubt the best sports management simulation available. Whether you want to take control of one of the biggest teams in the world and implement your own tactics, or start at the bottom of the soccer world and build up a team from nothing, Football Manager is all about having a game plan for the matches and a wider strategy for the club’s growth.
The old joke is that anyone who likes soccer and looking at spreadsheets will love Football Manager, but in reality it is much more than that, with the game allowing you to make your own storylines, experience life in the competitive sporting world, and of course finally allowing you to prove if you are the armchair tactician you always claim to be. To get the full experience you’ll want to play on PC, but slimmed-down mobile and console options are also available.
7. Starcraft II
For years, Starcraft II was the strategy game. Effectively considered a national sport in South Korea, it was the biggest esport in the world after launching in 2010 and has defined the RTS genre. Even today it remains a popular option for PC players, with many claiming it has never been bettered.
Built by Blizzard Entertainment, one of the most beloved game developers in the world, StarCraft II is a sci-fi RTS where two players battle it out on a map to build up their army and take out the opponent. Right from minute one the pressure is on, and at high levels, even the slightest mistake early on can result in a loss. While still requiring a lot of thought around tactics and overall strategy, once you know how you are going to play a certain matchup, StarCraft becomes more about how quickly you can input all your commands and whether your fingers can keep up with your brain.
At 14-years-old, it is starting to show its age, but right now there still isn’t a top contender to dethrone it in the sci-fi RTS space, and these days you can even play the base game for free, making it even easier to see if this is the strategy game for you.
6. Total War: Warhammer III
The Total War series combines real-time battles with a turn-based meta-game in a format that has been perfected over the years. There’s a Total War game for almost every historical period you can think of, but many will tell you it is the fictional Warhammer III that is the best the series has to offer.
Even for people who have no interest in Warhammer, this is the most well-rounded iteration of the Total War formula, so is worth a shot if you have no affiliation to any of the other time periods the series has explored. The double dose of strategy that Total War offers, with tactical real-time battles that require true military strategy and an overall campaign meta-game that requires strategic route planning and political prowess, makes this a game for anyone who wants to strategize on multiple levels.
The real-time battles don’t require rapid actions per minute (APMs), so this is a great option for those who want real-time battles without the fast-paced nature of other games, and the frankly ridiculous simulation levels that allow you to zoom in on single creatures battling it out within an army of thousands makes for entertaining viewing. But because of the processing power needed to make that simulation work, full Total War game are only found on PC.
5. Teamfight Tactics
Teamfight Tactics is the defining game in a relatively new genre of strategy titles: auto battlers. These games see you set down your units on a board and then watch as they fight their opponents with no input from the player. It all comes down to positioning and building an army that can overpower others.
Teamfight Tactics is the League of Legends-themed auto battler, with the genre getting its start as a Dota 2 mod in 2019. Within months Riot Games produced its own version and it has proven to be the one with the most longevity, boasting millions of monthly players. Thanks to your units being champions from League of Legends, who all have synergies with others that you will need to build your team around, the characters and lore are familiar to anyone who has played the MOBA, giving it a big advantage over other titles trying to establish themselves from nothing.
But even if you aren’t a LoL fan, this is by far the best auto battler to try thanks to its general level of polish, and deep strategy options that others are often lacking. It’s perfect for a more laid-back and less micro-intense gaming session, as all you have to do is arrange some pieces on a board, but has enough complexity to keep you entertained. It’s even available on iOS and Android, as well as PC, meaning you can play on the go.
4. Crusader Kings III
If you’ve ever wanted to create a dynasty then Crusader Kings III is the game for you. Developed by Paradox, one of the most successful strategy-focused studios ever, and released in 2020, Crusader Kings III drops you into the Middle Ages and tasks you with guiding your country through more than 500 years of conflict.
As a grand strategy game, you’ll be dealing with high-level conflicts and strategy rather than getting into the weeds of individual unit management in conflicts. But the real magic comes away from the battlefield as you try to politic your way through the world, keeping your leader as safe as possible from plots to overthrow them or remove them from power, as well as striking up relationships with other leaders to create pacts that can last generations. If your leader dies, then you take control of their heir, so making sure you manage to have a family is just as important!
Through modifications (mods), you can even take things into fantasy lands, such as Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, making this the perfect option for anyone wanting to explore the politics of those universes. But the base game, which is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, is the perfect example of grand strategy and is one of the few games that allows you to play through hundreds of years of history.
3. XCOM 2
XCOM 2 is certainly in the conversation for the best strategy game ever made, especially if you add the excellent War of the Chosen DLC, which brings an expansion of your resistance force that makes you feel like a true war commander, introduces a host of new enemies and more.
Developed by Firaxis Games (the same studio responsible for Civ VI) and released in 2016 (with the DLC arriving two years later) XCOM 2 sees you lead a resistance force of humans against the aliens who have invaded and taken over Earth. You’ll send your team out on missions that have key objectives for the wider war, and control each member of your squad in the turn-based gameplay, selecting where they go, what they do and, crucially, what they shoot at.
It's these turn-based combat mechanics that really make XCOM great. Each shot you line up on an alien will have a success percentage shown, and it's up to you if you take the shot. The odds of success on say a 65% hit chance are reasonably high, but if a miss can result in the permanent death of your best soldier is that a risk you are willing to take? That’s the kind of decision you constantly have to make in XCOM 2, so it isn’t one for people who can’t make important decisions! It’s available on pretty much every major platform, including mobile, so there’s little excuse to not give it a try.
2. Age of Empires II: Definite Edition
Age of Empires II was initially released in 1999, but the definitive edition released in 2019 by Forgotten Empires remade it with a more modern skin and reintroduced the world to one of the best RTS games of all time.
You’ll start out with just a couple of humans in the middle ages and will need to build up an army to take down the other players in the game. But as it's an RTS, there are no breaks so you’ll have to continuously think about your next move while not losing track of any of the other things you have going on, from building structures to defend your settlement to training more units or waging war. It’s fast-paced and requires a lot of awareness, often requiring you to monitor and command real-time battles in multiple different locations.
Despite that, it is certainly one of the easier strategy games to get into and is even available on Xbox as well as PC with a controller-enabled control scheme that is a great way to get into strategy games for those who usually play with a controller.
1. Civilization VI
Civilization is perhaps the most iconic strategy game series in the world. With over 30 years of history, it's the series that many people go to for their strategy kick, and while there have been countless imitators, none have come close to topping it.
The most recent iteration in the franchise is Civilization VI. Released in 2016 by Firaxis Games, it was initially a little underwhelming, but years of updates and downloadable content (DLC) have turned it into one of the best strategy games ever made. You start out with a single city, founded in the early days of human civilization and must build yourself, turn by turn, into the most successful empire in the world, be it through military power, scientific advancement, religion or a host of other options.
Civilization is all about executing your chosen strategy and adapting to what your opponents are doing, making it an infinitely replayable strategy game as no two matches are ever the same. A game of Civ is a serious time investment, usually going for at least five hours and isn’t the easiest game to pick up and play. But if you stick with it there’s a lifetime of play for you to enjoy, especially with a new Civ game expected in the next few years. You can pick up Civ VI on PC, iOS and Android, where it plays best, but is also available on Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is The Best Strategy Board Game?
Sometimes the old ones are the best, and Catanis the perfect example of that, as it is the best strategy board game despite being almost 30 years old. It was the game that started the strategy board game craze, and still holds up today, with few modern games coming close to its brilliance.
Players act as settlers on the island of Catan and must build up a civilization, making use of resources on the board and trading with other players to grow their settlements and pick up victory points. The person to reach a set amount of points first wins, so you’ll need to make sure you are doing well ,while also making sure you aren’t helping your opponents beat you to the finish line. With dice rolls dictating some aspects of the game, there’s a randomness that you will need to be constantly adapting to, which keeps Catan feeling fresh despite its age. Anyone who enjoys strategy and can convince some friends to play a 30-year-old board game will love Catan.
What Is The Best Turn-Based Strategy Game?
Turn-based strategy games are perfect for anyone who wants an intense and complex gaming experience without having to worry about clicking fast and being rushed into decisions. Typically nothing will happen until you end your turn and have done all your maneuvers, making games like XCOM 2 all about strategy and tactics.
Set in 2035, aliens have invaded the earth and you must command a squad of soldiers to fight the aliens who have taken over to try and liberate the earth. This will see you go on lots of missions throughout the campaign, each of which has an impact on the overall war you are fighting. On each mission, you’ll direct each squad member, deciding where they go, what abilities they use, and who they shoot at, with each shot having a success percentage you need to consider. The overall strategy of your resistance campaign, combined with the smaller-scale tactics of each mission, make this a deep strategy game, and if you add in some popular mods the experience gets even better.
What Is The Best Real-Time Strategy (RTS) Game?
The real-time strategy genre is truly massive and there’s a game set in almost every time period or fictional universe that you can imagine, so finding the one that gels with you is fairly easy. However, for many the best example of the genre is Age of Empires II.
AoE IIwas initially released in 1999, but the definitive edition (released in 2019) remade it with a more modern skin and reintroduced the world to one of the best RTS games of all time. You’ll start out with just a couple of humans in the middle ages and will need to build up an army to take down the other players in the game. But as it's an RTS, there are no breaks so you’ll have to continuously think about your next move while not losing track of any of the other things you have going on, from building structures to defend your settlement to training more units or waging war.
Unlike a lot of other strategy games, RTS titles like AoE IIdemand being able to manage a lot of things at once and click quickly, as well as mastering the strategic aspect of complex problem-solving. While you don’t need to be able to input a million actions per minute to enjoy AoE II, it certainly makes things a lot easier if you can quickly input a lot of commands, which is why it is best suited to PC play, but can also be found on modern Xbox consoles with a reworked control scheme.
What Is The Best Strategy War Game?
War is a common theme in strategy games, with almost all of them featuring some kind of conflict you need to manage. But when it comes to the more hardcore strategy war games, they are all about commanding forces in a proper war, mostly real-life conflicts from the past.
One of the best strategy war games is Hearts of Iron IV, which calls itself an authentic real-time war simulation set in the WW2 era. If you’ve ever wanted to test your skills in commanding armies, then Hearts of Iron is the perfect opportunity to do so without the risk of real-life consequences. While you won’t be controlling individuals and their actions, you will dictate the strategy of the war, where to move your troops and what battles to take. It’s one of the more complex strategy games out there, and will take a fair bit of learning, but once you have the basics down it is one of the most in-depth war simulations available.
What Is The Best Mobile Strategy Game?
For years strategy games were mostly found on PCs due to the wide variety of inputs they require, but with mobile tech getting better and better, some of the top strategy games like Civ VIand XCOM 2have been ported to mobile. However, some real highlights come from mobile-only strategy games.
The most popular of these is Clash of Clans, which is still one of the best mobile strategy games despite initially launching in 2012. Thanks to its mobile game style, it's a little slower than a lot of the other titles on this list, but it can be one of the most addicting as it is constantly pulling you back every day to further your mission. You’ll need to build up your base over time to constantly become stronger and stronger, while waging war on other player’s bases with your attacking forces. It’s not quite as complex as some other strategy games, but that makes it a great starting place for anyone looking to get into strategy games.
Bottom Line
The genre of strategy games is massive and there is something for everyone if you look closely enough. But these games are the best of the best and if you are looking for a place to start then you can’t go wrong with any of these titles.
