10 best turn-based strategy games worth replaying in September 2022 (and 5 best real-time strategy titles)

It's easy to get drawn to a turn-based strategy game. There's no need to stress over actions per minute, push yourself to maintain an unrelenting flurry of button presses, or work up a sweat attempting to memorize your hotkeys.

You have the option to take your time, plan everything out, and weigh your options. The idea of planning the ideal move, pressing the "end turn" button, and then waiting to see how the AI reacts to it can be alluring. Amazing gameplay cycles may be found in the best turn-based games.

Turn-based games on PC encompass every strategic subgenre imaginable. These vary from 4x games, in which you construct a sizable kingdom, to tactical games, in which you manage a close-knit squad.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion.

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10 best Turn-Based Strategy games that is a must play for all

10) Battletech

Control your robot and destroy anyone who comes in your path (Image via Harebrained Schemes)

Battletech lets you command a group of mech-piloting soldiers through a series of massive robot battles while following a model that is pretty close to the traditional tabletop game. Aside from battles, fiddling with your personal set of fully configurable mechs is a terrific way to pass time after you've mastered it.

This isn't the type of turn-based strategy game one can rush through – at least not after the initial missions. Battletech, on the other hand, rewards your patience with a large number of strategic possibilities.

You can disable pilots, remove armor from a distance, engage in close combat with mecha, or simply use flamethrowers to overheat the other side's mechs. It never gets too old to crush weak vehicles or blow the legs off of hostile mecha.

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9) Civilization VI

Create everything from scratch and play god in this universe (Image via Aspyr)

The latest (and possibly greatest) installment in the illustrious Civilization series is Civilization VI.

While it doesn't fully recreate a wheel that is already well-polished, it does move the series in a different direction by introducing a number of tiny but important modifications, including regions, governorships, and an additional involved research tree.

Although not everyone may enjoy Civilization VI's more stylized presentation compared to past games in the series, there are still some fans. If it isn't to your liking, then it's probably a good thing Civilization V is still going strong!

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8) XCOM 2

Defend your self from an extraterrestrial alien invasion (Image via Feral Interactive)

There can be either positive or negative results when remaking an old PC game series, particularly if the gameplay is significantly altered. Firaxis, however, did a fantastic job of reinventing this PC classic in the instance of XCOM.

You're not defending against an extraterrestrial invasion in XCOM 2, rather, the invasion has already occurred, and humanity has been destroyed. As a result, you're heading a ragtag resistance army against an already established extraterrestrial force.

This is small-scale planning at its finest. When a character you've spent hours fighting and steadily improving, and who you've presumably named after your dog, is in danger of being destroyed by one bad move, battles are incredibly tense.

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7) Battle for Wesnoth

Use your army and defeat foes that stand your way (Image via David white)

We don't really have a whole lot of alternatives when it pertains to a free-turn-based strategy game. The genre doesn't simply translate to an F2P business model. Fortunately, Battle for Wesnoth is free to play, which is certainly better than F2P, and it isn't even ad-supported.

Yes, this turn-based fantasy strategy game is completely open source. There are hours of amazing stuff inside, as well as various campaigns to try, and unit types to study.

The best aspect is that your units will reappear across your missions, so even though you'll be fighting large-scale battles with many units dying, you'll still sense progress as the survivors acquire XP and improve.

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6) Dominions 5

Choose from the various nations of whom to serve and conquer (Image via Illwinter Game Design)

Dominion 5 is still one of the greatest turn-based strategy games because of its incredible variety and the enormous scope of its conflicts, despite the fact that it is not a well-known turn-based game. Also, you wouldn't know from its crude graphics that the game was released only five years ago.

Dominion 5 is a massive toybox as well as a turn-based strategy game. There are 80 different nations to choose from, all based on books and mythology, as well as 900 spells and thousands of unique unit types.

It's remarkable to see how a skilled player can use this big toy box successfully in multiplayer. There are numerous possibilities for play and counterplay.

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5) INTO THE BREACH

Each move you make is predictable and has a consequence of your action, Tread lightly (Image via Subset Games)

Try Into The Breach if you're tired of reloading a turn in Wesnoth, or missing 95% of your shots in XCOM due to "unfair" conditions. It's impossible to make a mistake in this turn-based game where you command a group of mech fighters on a time-traveling, bug-splatting mission.

Every move your adversary makes is predictable, and you are well aware of the consequences of every choice you make. You'll quickly realize that Fate's sword cuts both ways.

Into The Breach is a turn-based strategy game that resembles chess and is among the few best suited for quick play sessions. Although it appears straightforward at first glance, there is sufficient tactical nuance to support run after run.

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4) Field of Glory 2: Medieval

Relive the era of war and defeat your enemies (Image via Byzantine Games)

Another board game adaption, this time of the Field of Glory Miniature Wargame, Field of Glory 2: Medieval is a turn-based strategy game set in the Northern sections of Western, Central, and Eastern Europe during the High Middle Ages in which players field vast armies to drive their opponents from the field.

Despite being quite similar to the Second Punic war of Antiquity in the first Field of Glory 2, we chose to include Medieval as the entry due to enhanced graphics, a more sophisticated user interface, and more accessible Feudal European warfare in general.

The campaign structure, which is by far the biggest disappointment in the game, doesn't detract from the fundamental strategic experience, which will offer countless hours of theory-building, experimentation, and thrilling fights.

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3) Darkest Dungeon

Restore the ancestral place to get rid of the undead (Image via Red hook Studios)

Darkest Dungeon, a dungeon crawler with a Lovecraftian-inspired horror theme, is one of the most recent and significantly important strategy games to honor the genre. In it, players will lead a restoration attempt to rid their ancestor's fortress of the evil undead, disfigured, living, and eldritch.

The turn-based strategy game has been so wildly popular and prominent that it has influenced other games—Slay the Spire is a prime example—to use dungeon crawling as a central element in their strategy games.

Given that most campaigns are lengthy and the gameplay cycle rarely changes, it can occasionally become repetitive. Darkest Dungeon, on the other hand, stands out as one of the greatest turn-based strategy games ever created thanks to its enormous variety of character customizations and unique environment.

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2) Total War: Shogun 2

Create Clans, slash enemies, in this turn based strategic game (Image via Creative Assembly)

The series' best Total War title is Shogun 2, which is also one of the finest tactical turn-based strategy games. Players can take on the role of any of the several clans that existed during the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan's late Middle Ages, when feudal lords competed for control to become the country's next Shogun (general military commander).

In Shogun 2, the two gameplay strands of the Total War series—turn-based strategy game and real-time tactical battles—are at their peak. Exciting and intricate, fast-paced samurai fights and methodical strategic decision-making take center stage.

Although Shogun 2 may not have all of the newer Total Wars' enhancements to the quality of life, this does not lessen the richness of the gameplay. For those who are curious about the Total War series or top-notch strategy games in general, Shogun 2 is a fantastic starting place.

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1) Battle Brothers

Immersive yourself in this beautiful game, full of endless possibilities (Image via Overhype Studios)

The low fantastical strategy hybrid Battle Brothers has surpassed that standard by bringing the XCOM gaming concept to a natural culmination. The game's distinctive basic features include endless replayability, gratifying difficulty, and impactful emergent storytelling.

Battle Brothers and Mount & Blade are comparable, despite neither being specifically a strategy game franchise, because both offer the player complete freedom in choosing their actions and paths.

In order to build their own commando company and become the most well-known and recognized mercenary organization, players hire new characters from various walks of life.

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5 Real time strategy games to die for

1) State of Survival

Hold off the horde of Undead and have what it takes to survive (Image via FunPlus)

There are a lot of fantasy and historical games on this list, but it's unusual to see real-time strategy games based on zombie apocalypses in the present day. In the video game State of Survival, you assume the role of a community leader overseeing a group of survivors amidst a swarm of ravenous zombies.

In the majority of battles in the game, you move your soldiers around to position them in the best possible positions to defend against those bothersome brain eaters, much like in a tower defense game.

However, there are other times when you face off against the armies of your rivals, which is a more conventional real-time strategy game-style warfare.

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2) Age of Empires IV

Create your empire, be your own boss, and conquer lands (Image via Relic Entertainment)

Given that Age of Empires IV is essentially a remake of Age of Empires II, it is probably a little unusual to see two games of the same series on a list like this. The latest chapter in the classic Real Time Strategy game series, however, has sprung into Steam and deserves its own mention.

While it has endured and continues to receive support, Age of Empires II is still regarded as a top-notch Real Time Strategy Game title, while its most recent brother is by no means inferior.

Age of Empires IV is a contemporary Age of Empires game with an improved engine, fresh graphics, and a new approach to civilisation design, making it an ideal choice for strategy game buffs.

The missions are also rather enjoyable, although one wonders how the Real Time Strategy gaming community feels about the online and faction balance.

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3) Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun

Best ninja style Real time strategy game (Image via Mimimi Games)

One of the best real-time Strategy video games currently available is Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun. Instead of commanding enormous armies with countless soldiers, you instead manage an elite band of five characters, each of whom has unique abilities.

While it does fall into the Real Time Strategy game category, it also has a connection to stealth games, so you must be very careful while choosing your course of action.

It's an interesting take on real-time strategy, and each campaign level gives you a new stealth challenge to complete with your five very diverse warriors.

Sometimes there is an abundance of options available to you that makes things difficult. Regardless, each victory will make you feel like a clever ninja as your opponents collapse behind you.

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4) Northgard

Find new lands to conquer, expand and keep going forward (Image via Shiro Games)

Each game in Northgard – which is set in a make-believe universe – places you as an immigrant on islands that you must explore and expand in order to create a new lifestyle for your community.

Instead of building structures and hiring units, you must distribute your small population among a variety of "jobs" made possible by structures.

On the island, other people will be looking for new places to live, so you won't be by yourself. Each 'clan' of Vikings has its own mechanics and playstyle; some want to create alliances, while others seek to conquer. Others are only interested in making money and possibly summoning a kraken.

There are various paths to success, and each dynamically generated island contains mysteries and NPC monsters to battle with. The survival component is also evident because you will need to make sure you have enough food and resources to help you get through the winter.

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5) Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation

Destroy and anhilate everyone in your path till you are the last one standing (Image via Oxide Games)

Despite the fact that Ashes of the Singularity had an odd beginning to a campaign that felt a bit characterless and lacking unit options, the game has significantly matured thanks to a protracted period of ongoing development and optimization.

It is currently regarded as one of the most original modern approaches to the large-scale real-time strategy gaming genre. The Singularity Ashes draws inspiration from Total Annihilation-style video games, the company of Heroes' squad-based light duty vehicles, and connected resource nodes that resemble the territories in Relic's ground-breaking World War 2 Real Time Strategy game in many ways.

It employs structure-based support powers akin to those present in Command and Conquer 3, as well as limiting player upgrades and troop counts via the rare Quanta resource.