Have you ever dreamed of building towering cities or leading a conquering military campaign? If you answered “yes”, then strategy games are for you. It's a diverse and immersive genre, packed with games that will keep you hooked for hundreds of hours.
Whether you're a strategy veteran or new to the genre, there are plenty of titles to sink your teeth into. Whether you're looking to get started or looking for your next conquest, read on for our recommendations of the best strategy games to check out.
In the pantheon of grand strategy games, the Civilization series is widely recognized as the pinnacle of the genre. First released on PC in 1991, the game was groundbreaking at the time, allowing players to build civilizations on a macro scale, ranging from prehistoric times to the near future.
In Civilization VI, controlling the seas will help keep your people safe.
© 2K Games
This is how you play StarCraft
© Tomek Gora/Red Bull Content Pool
Age of Empires 2 has become a popular esports game
© Julian Schilase/Red Bull Content Pool
If city building is your thing, check out Cities: Skylines. This simulation game lets you build your dream city down to the last detail, managing zoning, road layout, taxes, public services, and more. Developer Colossal Order has built on the legacy of SimCity to create a stunningly realistic city management simulation that will test your reasoning to the limits. The attention to detail in Cities: Skylines and its sequel is truly amazing.
Cities and skylines in Cities: Skylines
© Colossal Order
Join a ragtag band of heroes as humanity's last hope against an invading alien race in the sequel to Firaxis' seminal turn-based strategy. With its deep and complex combat mechanics, immersive lore, and enigmatic visual style, his 2016 classic has established itself as a must-play game.
The battle lines are drawn
© Creative Assembly
So far we've covered historical epics and sci-fi adventures, but if you prefer Lord of the Rings to Braveheart and Starship Troopers, this is the series for you. The Total War: Warhammer series brings the complex tactics of Creative Assembly's strategy series to the fantastical world of Warhammer, allowing players to engage in dramatic, large-scale battles with Orcs, Dwarves, and High Elves. The latest installment, Warhammer 3, dwarves many of its contemporaries with its sheer scale and sheer number of units on-screen.
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Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
Crusader Kings 3 has all the hallmarks of a great grand strategy game, including expansive maps, detailed combat systems, and immersive visuals, but it's the storytelling that truly shines. Every character players can choose to play has their own unique personality and quirks, which will greatly change the shape of their dynasty. The stories that emerge in Crusader Kings 3 are believable, often funny, and at times moving. Whether you're a hardcore tactician or just want to experience great lore, Crusader Kings 3 is worth a look.
In space, no one can hear your plot. In Sins of a Solar Empire, you take command of an interstellar empire, and your every decision affects the fate of thousands of galactic citizens. Democracy is an option, but most of the time you'll be evaluating your powerful starship fleet and deciding whether you can win skirmishes in space.
Explore a vast fantasy world in Age of Wonders 4, Triamp Studio's best 4X series. City-building, questing, and recruiting monsters are staples of the Age of Wonder series, but this fourth title significantly expands on the society-building element for an even more challenging and engaging experience. Combining different kinds of monsters and Frankensteining your own crazy creations is great fun as you build the most powerful empire in the kingdom.
Total War: Three Kingdoms is all about big characters and big battles
© SEGA
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Total War: Three Kingdoms
If orcs, goblins and dragons aren't your thing, we invite you to dip into the ocean of historical adventure with Total War. Our current favorite is Total War: Three Kingdoms, which depicts the Chinese civil war. Each faction is led by an extraordinary leader, with distinct personality traits, goals, strengths and weaknesses. Discovering the different nuances of these characters is one of the great joys of the game, along with the epic, challenging combat and deep management system.
If you feel the call of the sea, set sail in Sea of Conquest, a strategy RPG where you manage your own pirate fleet. Recruit a crew of pirates and plunder your way to fame and glory, and become the most feared pirate king on the seven seas. Customizing your ship is a ton of fun, and best of all, it's free.
How about this as a genre mash-up? It's a game that mixes strategic battles with cozy city-building. In this immersive simulation, you build your own medieval village and try to survive, stay safe, and fend off enemies that come to plunder your hard-earned resources. The game is currently in Early Access, so some of the systems are still to be polished, but it's sure to be a great strategy game. If the developers of Slavic Magic can tighten up the combat, they could have a modern classic on their hands.
These are just a few of the many great strategy games available today, and with so many subgenres that can be tweaked, combined, or reworked, we think the future of the genre is very bright.
