6 Most Fun Strategy Games, Ranked

Summary

Marvel’s Midnight Suns offers a fun mix of deck-building combat and iconic Marvel characters.
XCOM 2 improves over its predecessor with enhanced combat and engaging mission design.
Crusader Kings 3 provides deep gameplay systems for players to build and maintain a dynasty.

The strategy genre has emerged as one of the most popular types of video games in the world, as the combination of tactical maneuvering and challenging systems has beguiled gamers for decades. Whether it’s a turn-based affair or a real-time experience, the genre of strategic gameplay mixed with compelling systems and stories is one of gaming’s most beloved styles of design, and has produced some truly excellent experiences over the years.

7 Strategy Games That Surpassed Expectations

These strategy games went above and beyond to deliver experiences that players never expected.

The best strategy games often rely on intelligent game design systems mixed with a fun world, and these games have both of those things in abundance. And among all of them, they also explore a wide variety of universes, from full-on science fiction to historical fantasy, showcasing the huge number of diverse experiences to be had. These games have been ranked based on their fun factor and moment-to-moment gameplay.

6

Marvel’s Midnight Suns

Assemble A Team Of Iconic Marvel Characters

Loosely based on the comic book of the same name produced during the 1990s, Midnight Suns is a turn-based strategy game developed by Firaxis, feeling like a mix of the world of Marvel Comics and XCOM. Midnight Suns allows players to build a team comprised of some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, echoing just how much fun it has been to do so in earlier games like Ultimate Alliance and X-Men Legends.

Utilizing a fascinating battle system that relies on deck building and collecting cards to use in combat, Midnight Suns is one of the most fun ways to experience the vast, expansive Marvel Comics world in video game form. The cards don’t weigh down the combat system in the slightest, instead becoming an intuitive method of both team-building and in-game actions. In addition to its excellent combat and mission design, Midnight Suns also features a fabulous story that leans into the absurdity of the comic book world in the best possible ways.

Enemy Unknown Sequel Improves Its Predecessor In Every Way

XCOM 2

9/10

Released: February 5, 2016

After successfully rebooting the classic XCOM franchise with 2012’s Enemy Unknown, Firaxis went to work on a sequel that launched in 2016, improving on every aspect of the first game in some pretty substantial ways. Set fifty years after the events of Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 is set in a world where humanity has lost and lives under a dictatorship ruled by an alien empire, setting the stage for a massive rebellion and one of the franchise’s most engaging narratives.

The Banner Saga, Strike Team Hydra and Warbits+

10 Best Mobile Games Like XCOM

For XCOM players looking for the perfect mobile game, these titles are excellent contenders.

Combat in XCOM 2 is massively improved over Enemy Unknown, utilizing wide-open maps and destructible cover. Mission design is also fantastic, as scurrying through a world under totalitarian control adds a sense of urgency to the whole affair, with each victory feeling special in its own way. XCOM 2 is a huge, outrageously fun experience with incredible map design, addictive combat, and a dystopian world just waiting to be saved from the clutches of tyranny.

4

Star Wars: Empire At War

The Legendary Media Franchise Shines In This Real-Time Strategy Game

Star Wars and video games have been a match made in heaven for decades, as both of them have been at the forefront of cutting-edge technology at the same time. And when it comes to Star Wars video games, one of the most fun titles that fans of the galactic space opera can find is Empire at War, a real-time strategy experience set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that chronicles the ongoing conflict between the Imperials and Rebels.

Empire at War is still a wonderful way to explore the Star Wars universe, as it pays special attention to what makes the franchise so much fun, as its setting allows it to celebrate both the original trilogy and the prequels. Battles feel large and expansive, as the maps range from the jungles of the Wookiee home world, Kashyyyk, all the way to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. It is insanely fun to move iconic units around, as well as take part in huge skirmishes that make one feel like they are living in the Star Wars universe.

3

Europa Universalis 4

Historical Strategy Game Is One Of Paradox Interactive’s Best

Paradox Interactive has become one of the most prominent developers of strategy games in the industry, as their commitment to high-quality titles in the genre cannot be overstated. Focusing mostly on historical settings and real-life scenarios, one of their most celebrated franchises has always been Europa Universalis, which truly reached its zenith with the fourth entry, launched in 2013. And even over a decade later, Europa Universalis 4 is still one of the most fun, endlessly compelling strategy games on the market.

7 Grand Strategy Games With The Most Freedom, Ranked

Grand Strategy games are extremely entertaining and challenging. Here are some great titles in the genre with the most freedom.

Starting in the year 1444, Europa Universalis 4 features over 500 different playable nations and features a hugely addictive set of gameplay systems. Each moment feels important, as every nation operates distinctly from the other at the same time. Keeping one’s nation secure with trade routes, military power, and a huge laundry list of other systems can be intimidating, but finding a groove with the game will lead to one of the most fun, satisfying strategy game experiences one can find today.

2

Civilization 5

One More Turn

It’s safe to say that no statement describes the Civilization franchise quite as well as “just one more turn,” the rallying cry that has identified the series ever since it first debuted in 1991. And with the fifth entry, released in 2010, Firaxis and series creator Sid Meier sought to introduce the franchise to an entirely new audience, crafting what is still one of the finest grand strategy games of all time and a worthy entry point for anyone new to the series.

Civilization 5‘s biggest change was limiting players to one unit per tile, erasing the stacking mechanic from previous games, and altering many aspects of the franchise’s DNA. It created a streamlined, far more efficient Civilization game that focused almost entirely on what makes the series fun, which is maintaining a kingdom and expanding it outwards in whatever way the player sees fit. Whether that’s through military might, science, or any of the game’s other winning conditions, Civilization 5 feels hyper-focused on these systems in a way that makes it the most fun to play out of the entire franchise. Civilization 5 is also well-supported in the modding community even today, meaning that the game is constantly relevant even over a decade later.

1

Crusader Kings 3

Alongside its numerous other strategy franchises, Crusader Kings is some of Paradox Interactive’s best work, as the series combines political intrigue with the quest to build a dynasty that will last for eternity. And with Crusader Kings 3, Paradox continued that tradition, resulting in one of the best strategy games ever made, as its reliance on deep gameplay systems and impeccable design is simply phenomenal. Crusader Kings 3 often feels like a historical novel come to life, as the commitment to a world filled with betrayal, political posturing, and player choice is simply outstanding.

Crusader-Kings-3-19-Best-Total-Conversion-Mods

Crusader Kings 3: Best Total Conversion Mods

Players looking for a completely different experience while playing Crusader Kings 3 will need these total conversion mods in their game.

The quest to maintain a dynasty is reliant on both player choice and the hurdles that the game throws your way, as death results in the player taking control of their heir to continue. Having no heir ends the game, so it’s up to the player to determine how to position their legacy, as Crusader Kings 3 allows for numerous ways to go about it. It’s these systems that make Crusader Kings 3 so much fun, as it allows the player to be exactly the kind of royal family they want to be, for good or ill. It is still updated consistently to this day, as expansions and updates come out rather frequently, offering a ton of content for anyone looking to jump in.