Strategy game News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Civilization 6 is the benchmark for expansive, sprawling, and highly detailed strategy sims. You take its in-depth systems and attention to detail and combine them with the survival-based, often grueling aesthetic and style of Frostpunk, then maybe throw in a bit of Cities Skylines 2 and its focus on developing complex urban centers with a real sense of life. If that sounds like a mix for success – and if you want something else to look forward to, as well as Firaxis’ upcoming Civilization 7 – then Synergy, a new strategy-based city builder coming soon to Steam is precisely the game you’re after.

Petroglyph Games have announced the sequel to its 2016 real-time strategy game 8-Bit Armies, 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far. In the sequel, players command military forces across diverse battlefields, waging strategic warfare across land, sea, and air. The game offers a new sort of pixelated pyromania, allowing players to deploy airborne units, demolish bridges, and unleash powerful superweapons.

I'm a known strategy-game turtler, which means that I'll spend as much time shooting arrows off the top of a great big stone wall as games like Age of Empires 4 will let me. That habit made me a big fan of 2017's They Are Billions, which condensed the RTS experience into a huge horde-defense mode, and now it's turned me towards Cataclismo, which might have the most promise of anything I've played so far in Steam Next Fest.

Between Cities Skylines 2, Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and the upcoming Millennia, Paradox has a lot of reasons to be a happy publisher right now. But it’s not all good news. Lamplighters League, the XCOM-style, turn-based strategy game that recently launched on PC and Game Pass, has made a significant loss, with Paradox’s CEO admitting that response to the game has been “a big disappointment.”

The FIFA franchise may have only just been rebranded as EA Sports FC 24 but it's already expanding with a turn-based strategy game coming to mobile called EA Sports FC Tactical.

There are only so many ways you can conquer the ancient world before it gets a bit predictable, but if you’re thinking Total War Pharaoh is just more of the same, Creative Assembly Sofia has a few surprises for you. Sure, it leaves most of the long-running strategy series’ key tenets unchanged. However, it builds on them in smart ways and makes the best use of any Total War game’s historical setting.

Between Ara History Untold, Millennia, Cities Skylines 2, Civilization 7, and Total War Pharaoh, there are a lot of new strategy and management sims on the way. Solium Infernum seems different from all of them. A combination of Civ, Doom, and – according to its developer – a bit of Dark Souls, Solium casts you as one of several archfiends vying for control of the infernal throne after the sudden disappearance of Lucifer. Military might is important, but the key to victory in Solium is bureaucracy, politics, psychology, and manipulation. Imagine navigating the back-biting, gossiping, and fickle cliques of high school, but while simultaneously fighting a blood feud in the lowest reaches of damnation. After a lot of anticipation, we’ve finally had the chance to play Solium. Even better, you can, too, thanks to a huge new demo now available via Steam Next Fest.

The first word I think of, looking back on my first 20 turns of Solium Infernum, is anxiety. With all of Hell laid out before me, and so many ways to seize it for myself, I had to make the most of every turn and those precious two actions I could take. But that’s the appeal of Solium Infernum, a remake of a classic strategy game from Armello creators League of Geeks; it offers a plethora of options but limits their frequency, making each turn a hellish clash of subterfuge, cunning, and two-faced lies.

Many are the horror games that haunt the dark, but it takes a real gift for creepy-crawlies to pull off a horror game that's set in the light. I'm not sure The Fabulous Fear Machine - devised by Fictiorama Studios in partnership with AMC and Shudder - is quite that horrifying, but it's certainly chewing on my nerve endings in an engrossing way.

Blizzard Entertainment's upcoming Warcraft-themed strategy game Warcraft Rumble will be released on iOS and Android on November 3.Warcraft Rumble is a free-to-play mobile strategy game that blends tower defense, RTS, and autobattler elements. The game features a long-form single-player campaign that will take players across the world of Azeroth, as well as opportunities for co-op missions, PvP, guilds, raids, and dungeons. Rumble has also received a preview video, where senior 3D artist Justine Hamer, game producer Elhora Davis, and art director Jeremy Collins talked through their vision for the title in what proved to be a charming seven-minute presentation.     

Nearly 18 months after its initial unveiling, Blizzard's free-to-play strategy game Warcraft Rumble has a release date and will be launching for iOS and Android on 3rd November, its arrival coinciding with the start of this year's BlizzCon.

XCOM 2 is a classic strategy sim for dozens of reasons. It looks great. It sounds great. The story and atmosphere are incredibly strong. But what I love most – and what sets the Firaxis squad shooter apart from the likes of Civilization, Crusader Kings, Total War, and others – is the overwhelming sense of consequences. It’s a game design cliche – ‘every choice matters’ – but in XCOM 2, it’s absolutely true. Combined with how it engineers and facilitates organic stories, XCOM 2 is one of the best strategy sims of all time, and now it’s all yours for little more than $2.

Between the best RTS and strategy games, whether it’s Hearts of Iron, Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, and myriad others, there’s a recurring problem with how you manage your attention. At a certain point, the action gets so big and widespread that you’re torn between the big dramatic battle over here and the big dramatic battle over there, and everything becomes just scale and numbers. It’s still impressive and it can be spectacular but, beyond a certain size, the drama and the emotional connection you have to your soldiers start to go down. Enter The Troop, a WW2 strategy sim that takes the close-quarters, tactics-driven style of XCOM, Company of Heroes, and Commandos to the next level, and which you can try via a free Steam download right now ahead of its full release. PCGamesN speaks exclusively to one of The Troop’s creators.

The Lamplighters League launch is almost upon us, and if you’ve been awaiting the arrival of this stylish ‘30s XCOM rival then there’s some rather good news, as you’ll now be able to play the game yourself ahead of its full release – and, unlike many modern early access offerings, you won’t have to spend a single penny to try it out before launch.

Solium Infernum has a unique twist on basically every strategy sim convention. Where you’d normally focus on construction and building up an army, Solium is about political machinations, double dealing, and bureaucracy. When games like Civilization, Total War, and the upcoming Millennia and Ara History Untold present you myriad decisions, League of Geeks, Solium Infernum’s creator, wants to cut down the number of choices you make, so that every single one is impactful, meaningful, and consequential. With a free Steam download trial coming soon as part of Next Fest, Solium Infernum, where you compete with other demonic archfiends to seize control of Hell, is unlike any of its strategy rivals.

Solium Infernum has the best gimmick I’ve seen in a strategy sim in years. Set in Hell, Satan has suddenly disappeared, leaving the Infernal Throne suddenly vacant. Playing as one of several archfiends, the objective is to marshall the forces of the damned and defeat your rivals to become the new ruler of the underworld. But this isn’t all about military might, building armies, and plundering resources. Facing competition from the likes of Civilization 7, Ara History Untold, Millennia from the publisher behind Cities Skylines 2, and Total War Pharaoh, Solium Infernum has a unique take on videogame strategy – it’s all about politics, charm, manipulation, and psychology. And it’s just revealed its newest playable character.

EVE Online has featured several of the biggest PvP battles in gaming history, but it only lets you fly one ship at a time. Set in the same universe but from a very different perspective, EVE Galaxy Conquest is a multiplayer 4X strategy game that puts you in command of your own outpost and an entire fleet.

Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer C Prompt Games have announced Millennia, a turn-based strategy game in which you will lead a nation of your own design through thousands of years of history. It will launch for PC via Steam in 2024.

Cities Skylines 2 and Crusader Kings publisher Paradox reveals a new, in-depth strategy sim with unique technology, economic, military, and victory mechanics, that’s set to rival the likes of Civilization and Age of Empires. Developed by C Prompt Games, Millenia aims to provide a more flexible, varied, and player-driven long-form strategy experience, where every decision impacts on every other, but you never hit a deadend. Nothing is fixed, everything can be tweaked and customized, and Millenia’s mix of real and alternate history, as well as fantasy and steampunk, means that each game follows a totally different path and style. Speaking exclusively to PCGamesN at Gamescom, C Prompt Games shares all the Millenia details.

If you love Fire Emblem and have been looking for something similar, Dark Deity may be just what you've been waiting for. Between grid-based movement, a battle team largely comprised of fantasy child soldiers with a wide array of hair colors, relationship building, and a 'weapons triangle' type of 'rock/paper/scissors' gameplay, there are lots of familiar elements. And, as luck, would have it, IGN Plus is offering keys for Dark Deity right now.

The developers behind 2D platformer Hardcore Mecha have a new game on the way, and this one is taking a tactical turn. The latest from RocketPunch Games, Anomaly Collapse, is described as a turn-based roguelite strategy game. Following in-progress previews on social media, you can see what that entails below.

Publisher Spiral Up Games and Hardcore Mecha developer RocketPunch Games have announced Anomaly Collapse, a turn-based roguelite strategy game coming to PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

If you love free PC games, and you think you’ve got a cool head under pressure, then 911 Operator is here to test your mettle. The stressful strategy game places you in the shoes of an emergency service operator, tasking you with responding to calls for firefighters, police, and ambulances and dispatching your crews appropriately and efficiently. 911 Operator aims to capture one of the world’s most high-stakes jobs, and it can be yours for free if you’re quick.

Netflix is back at it again at Google Play with a new title. Unlike some previous releases, Vikings: Valhalla is a game that is very much intertwined with the streaming platform, it’s based on one of their hit shows.

In 2016, Paradox released Stellaris, its first space-based 4X grand strategy game. It allowed players to take on the role of an upstart interstellar empire, establish colonies, manage their government, forge alliances, and crush their enemies. The game’s galaxy was vast and robust, but, as Polygon’s own Charlie Hall pointed out in his initial review, it was also fairly generic, a weakness that the modding community has sought to rectify by applying the aesthetics and history of their own favorite space operas overtop of it, such as Star Wars, Mass Effect, and of course, Star Trek. Not to be outdone, Paradox and developer Nimble Giant have been creating an officially licensed Star Trek 4X game, Star Trek: Infinite. Paradox offered me the opportunity to preview the game over Labor Day weekend, and those four days melted away.

Three years after launch - and seven years after it hit Steam in Early Access - hit strategy game Factorio is getting its first expansion, and the designer of a notably similar mod is working on it.

Amplitude Studios’, turn-based 4x strategy game, Humankind , is out on consoles. The game is now out on PlayStation and Xbox consoles and is also on Xbox Gamepass.

Solium Infernum is a name already familiar to many strategy game fans, especially those active in the community back in the earlier 2000s. League of Geeks has been hard at work on a reimagining of the older original Solium Infernum, If you aren’t familiar with the original, the game is set in Hell, and you play as a powerful fallen Archfiend. During Gamescom, we got to sit down with developers Trent Kuster and William Dyce for an exclusive interview about how the strategy system works in Solium Infernum.

Slay the Spire has that honed, intricate deck building that encourages you to experiment with the cards at your disposal. Dorfromantik brings the cozy, comfy city-building that soothes your soul. But smash the pair together, and throw in a cast of adorable animals Animal Crossing style, and you have Wild Country, a new “cozy-competitive” strategy game from indie developer Lost Native. If you’re looking for an experience that both tests and soothes your brain, Wild Country just might be your next favorite game.

Publisher Assemble Entertainment and internal development team Gentlymad Studio have revealed Endzone 2, the post-apocalyptic, survival strategy, colony sim sequel to 2020’s Endzone – A World Apart. 

We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Summit Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of «Playing the Edge.» Apply to speak  here  and learn more about sponsorship opportunities  here . 

Beecarbonize is a free real-time card game that launched  earlier this month with an interesting proposition: Manage industry, ecology, society, and science to take on your ultimate opponent: Climate change. Your ultimate goal is to find any of a number of hypothetical, practical, and fanciful solutions among the cards, and producing such a «golden card» will lead you to victory.

Gord is a grimdark «adventure-strategy» game coming to PS5 on 17th August, and we got a new look at it in motion, thanks to an Xbox-flavoured gameplay trailer. We see the kind of horrors (inspired by Slavic folklore) that will inevitably assail our cheerful townsfolk once the sun goes down.

I finally jumped into Baldur's Gate 3 yesterday and it's kick-started my desire to play through the campaign with multiple characters. The game feels like it's missing one perspective though - what if I don't want to remove the mind flayer parasite? What if I want it to take over from the get-go and start absolute chaos?

Forklift Interactive has launched Stage Games Inc’s production strategy game, Desynced, into Steam Early Access today.

Command and Conquer remains one of the most unique and stylish strategy games ever made. What could be a bland and somber military sim instead celebrates bright colors, inventive and imaginative unit designs, and a wonderfully heightened fictional world. Pair that against Civilization, the sheer scale and ambition of which is almost unmatched in strategy history, and you’ve got something very special. Taking over entire planets. Discovering whole-new worlds. We spend hours poring over our grand tactics and plans. And now, thanks to Cantata, a bold, big, and wonderfully surreal strategy sim just launched on Steam, all our favorite parts of the genre are combined.

Desperados 3 is one of the coolest strategy games in recent years, a Wild West adventure that blends the tactics and stealth of XCOM with the real-time strategy of Commandos and developer Mimimi Games’ own excellent Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun. A prequel to the classic Desperados games, it follows a band of five unique outlaws on their travels across the Old West, getting into all manner of scrapes and shenanigans. If you missed out on Desperados 3 at the time, you’ll definitely want to snap it up quickly in this Steam sale while it’s at a bargain price.

Publisher and developer Alliance Arts, and developers One or EIGHT and WSS playground have announced turn-based strategy game The Great Villainess: Strategy of Lily for PC (Steam). It will launch in January 2024 with English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese language support.

Patapon’s beloved blend of rhythm and strategy has been sadly relegated to PlayStation consoles, but a new spiritual successor is bringing that cutesy charm to PC as long as the game finds success on Kickstarter. Ratatan was announced at this year’s Bitsummit, and it’s coming from developer Ratata Arts who are led by developers who worked on the original Patapon series. The newest trailer (below) shows off the game’s adorable singing soldiers. Take a look.

After more than a year since the base-building strategy game Cantata was released, the sci-fi title is finally coming out of early access with patch 1.0. 

After a year in early access, developer Afterschool Studio have announced that Cantata is fully launching on August 15th. Cantata is a turn-based strategy game with some production chain management thrown in for good measure, alongside the massive maps and base building. Take a look at the candy-coloured Dune-esque world below.

The Cantata release date has been announced, and this phenomenal-looking Steam Early Access strategy game is the perfect blend for fans of StarCraft, Factorio, and Into The Breach, with a style you won’t soon forget. There’s even new footage of Cantata too, so check it out.

Quriocity has piqued my curiosity with its unique space setting and city-building strategy game elements. After taking off for its early access launch back in 2022, Oxeliz Games has been hard at work preparing the sci-fi game for its full release. Quriocity is leaving early access today, with a variety of new features for players to check out such as new areas, upgrades, and more. While it is aesthetically pleasing, the game isn’t always easy, as its extraterrestrial world features a dynamic weather system and other such struggles that you’ll have to overcome.

Fallout is a bleak, brutal world where pockets of survivors scrape together a living in a harsh nuclear wasteland. Cities Skylines, meanwhile, is a pretty optimistic vision of modern life, as you design and cultivate the ideal metropolis and try to make life as perfect as possible for your population. But a new city-builder-themed Steam strategy game successfully manages to push the two together, mixing the dystopian visions of Fallout 4 and New Vegas with cerebral top-down management of Cities Skylines. Welcome to Homeseek: Fallout combined with Frostpunk, Civilization, and the upcoming Cities Skylines 2.