Strategy games challenge the mind, presenting deep tactical puzzles, strategic dilemmas and resource management challenges. They’re also a lot of fun. Check out our favorite Android strategy games below.
ANDROID STRATEGY GAMES
In order to achieve what Sun Tzu called “the greatest victory” in “The Art of War“, a strategy must be devised. And with the right planning, you can win a battle without having to fight. Strategy games are more than just fun; they also challenge your brain to solve tactical puzzles. But while you’re busy fighting puzzles, you can also be totally immersed in fantastic environments full of stunning graphics.
THE BEST ANDROID STRATEGY GAMES
Here’s our top 5 Android strategy games:
1. CLASH ROYALE: Supercell’s F2P can be a surprising addition to an old school game list, but Clash Royale features a cool mix of tower defense and lane pushing, all within rushed 3-minute rounds. Players must carefully balance offense and defense, and with fast rounds of play, a single error can balance an entire match. Years don’t weigh on you.
2. POCKET CITY, small in size, captures the magic of an urban planning game like SimCity. As mayor of an incipient city, it’s up to you to take care of the needs of your citizens, while building roads, zones and public services to attract citizens while watching your tax revenues, costs, traffic congestion and other variables. Much information is accessible in easy-to-read infographics and graphics. The game includes a progression system that unlocks new buildings and upgrades as you level up your city, while adding a thin layer of secondary challenges and goals to achieve as your city continues to grow.
3. STRIKE TEAM HYDRA: Wave Light Games moves from the fantastic worlds of their Demon’s Rise games to the distant future with Strike Team Hydra, a tactical RPG that puts players in command of an elite attack team that will face the power of Sethari bioengineering. Players need to take advantage of the special abilities of their characters and the terrain to defeat waves of enemies and achieve their goals. Use an action point system, challenging players to balance movement, attacks and special abilities with a finite number of APs in each turn.
4. EPIC LITTLE WAR GAME, the latest in Rubicon’s series of war games, is a fun game, full of cartoon humor that clearly isn’t taken too seriously. Don’t let the pretty graphics fool you: ELWG offers a lot of hits for your money, with a full campaign mode, skirmish games, cooperative play, a random map generator and online multiplayer battles against other players.
5. BATTLE OF POLYTOPIA takes the 4X genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) from strategy games and divides it into a mobile-compatible format. Players take command of one of the game’s many tribes as they try to achieve the highest possible score in 30 turns by exploring the map, developing their civilization and dealing with their neighbors. It’s a long-time favorite of ours, and the recent addition of asynchronous online multiplayer adds another wonderful layer of playability to an excellent mobile strategy game.
STRATEGY GAMES FOR ANDROID WITHOUT INTERNET
Here is our top 5 off-line Android strategy games, that is, without the Internet:
1. XCOM ENEMY WITHIN: Although it may not be the newest game in the long-running turn-based tactical series, XCOM: Enemy Within is a perfect example of how to port console and PC gameplay to mobile platforms. XCOM has a long reputation for being a fantastic tactical strategy game, known for its difficulty curves and its use of the popular permadeath feature that causes your units to die permanently if you lose on a mission.
2. GALACTICAL IMPERIUM 2: Covers a ton of ground in the genre of strategy all under one roof. Part real time tactics, part real time strategy and part empire building game, Imperium Galactica 2 is comparable to Civilization and Age of Empires for its seemingly infinite playing time.
3. HITMAN GO: Half puzzle game half strategy, Hitman Go is unlike any other mobile game you can find on Android. It’s the first mobile game in the series designed for touch platforms from the ground up.
4. PLAGUE INC: One of the best board games released in the 2000s was Pandemic, a game where you have to work together to cure a disease that causes problems all over the world. Plague Inc lives up to its success. But instead of trying to cure a disease that threatens the world, you control and potencies that disease.
5. AGE OF CIVILIZATIONS: Age of Civilizations is a perfect title for anyone who loves the genre, and we believe that Risk players are the perfect target for AOC. The game is designed to be a hyper-realistic version of the classic board game, and anyone looking for a free single-player advertising version of a Risk style game will fall in love with Age of Civilizations.
DOWNLOAD ANDROID STRATEGY GAMES FOR FREE
Downloading free games at Gums Up is very easy. You just need to download the app (if you don’t already have it) and sign up to download free Android strategy games. Once you’re a member, start gumming to get your Gums by actively participating in the community, download trial apps, answer surveys and play fun games to win thousands of Gums! Gums are redeemable for games from Xbox stores, Play Station, Google Play, Amazon… and for all types of Android devices!
IPHONE STRATEGY GAMES
Download our best strategy games for iOs, thanks to Gums Up. But what is Gums Up? A young and dynamic app that lets you download free games for iOS!
THE BEST IOS STRATEGY GAMES
These are our top picks:
1. ROMA: TOTAL WAR At the opposite end of the spectrum is Rome: Total War, the iPad port of the classic Empire PC construction. As the head of one of Rome’s great noble families, you lead provinces and marches at the head of legions as you guide the Eternal City from darkness to the days of the Republic and the Empire. Rome Total War is an expanding empire simulation game, where you must manage the growth of your noble line, diplomacy and politics, economics and development, and real time battles against rival empires and barbarian hordes. That translates into hours of fun in a high level strategy game.
Previously exclusive to iPad, the game has since received an update to support the smaller screens of iPhones, with a modified interface and control scheme.
2. CLASH ROYALE: Nothing more to add from the Android version, the mythical SuperCell game. Yes, Apple selected it as the top game of 2016. We still venerate it.
3. CHAOS REBORN: A new strategy game from Julian Gollop, the creator of the original X-COM, Chaos Reborn has you at war against your fellow magicians in intense tactical battles as you summon and maneuver your minions or cast devastating spells. Chaos Reborn makes you balance your two roles as war leader and magician as you manage your mana, direct your army and play mind games with the enemy magician through the use of illusion spells.
4. WARBITS: The Risky Labs game is a love letter to the classic series of Advance Wars war games that has players commanding virtual armies to resolve differences between galactic empires. Warbits’ humor and capricious art style blend well with the game’s simple yet challenging gameplay that has players commanding a varied mix of units to face the enemy and capture their HQ.
5. IRON MARINES: Kingdom Rush developers offer Ironhide more mobile strategy madness with Iron Marines. The game merges the Starcraft-style RTS unit and base command with the tower defense management of Kingdom Rush’s signature as you direct your troops and heroes through a 14-mission campaign in which you fight alien threats. Multiple difficulty modes allow for repetition, while special levels provide an additional challenge.
STRATEGY GAMES FOR IPHONE WITHOUT INTERNET
In the era of freemium’s ever-online mobile experience, sometimes it’s good to know that there are quality strategy games that can be played off-line. Maybe Grandma’s wi-fi isn’t up to the job, or maybe you don’t have the Internet. Are you on a bus? A plane? Then read on…
There are a large number of mobile games with great experiences without Internet available for iPhone. Like our top picks:
- BATTLE OF WESNOTH: For a great different experience, an open source project with fifteen years of existence. It is a great strategy game with a fantasy theme Tolkiens style. There are a variety of units in six very different factions, plus different historical ages that change the balance. Their 16 long story-based campaigns will keep you busy for a long time.
- FINAL FANTASY TACTICS: THE WAR OF THE LIONS: Many old console titles have been transferred to mobiles, but not many are worth it. This is no exception. Brought from the great PSP port with improved translation, magnificent scenes cut with shaded cells and a new aspect ratio, the game still has tactics influenced by the RPG of the original PS.
- XCOM: ENEMY WITHIN: The ultimate XCOM experience (not counting a certain PC mod) has officially made the trip to the mobile – and it’s still extremely fantastic. Add some wonderfully ingenious new toys, but turning it into a separate application means that only those who love Enemy Unknown should do it twice.
- ALIENS VS HUMANS: In the year 99, when aliens first invaded the Earth, humans came together and won. We thought we were done. However, they have returned. This game is dedicated to one of the best games of the 1990s: X-COM.
PS4 STRATEGY GAMES
Consoles have long suffered from a lack of high-quality strategy titles, and until recently PlayStation 4 was no exception. The lack of mouse and keyboard were traditionally seen as impediments, and most strategy games did not go beyond a PC version.
Fortunately for fans of the genre, that is beginning to change, with a few really good options now available on the PS4. The graphics, soundtracks and gameplay are at least on par with other platforms, and the games are not diluted or simplified: most will take dozens of hours to complete…!
PS4 REAL-TIME STRATEGY GAMES
This is our top 5 of the best PS4 real-time strategy games:
1. LEAGUE OF WAR: VR ARENA
2. WARHAMMER 40.000
3. SMITE
4. DEFENDER’S QUEST
5. 8-BIT ARMIES
THE BEST PS4 STRATEGY GAMES
We’ve chosen 5 titles worth playing on PS4, which shows that the PC isn’t the only home for strategy games.
1. XCOM 2: The basic structure remains the same, placing you as commander of what remains of the XCOM military organization on a planet that has already lost the fight against an invading alien force. You manage their troops and control the research and development at your base, the battles being tense and turn-based. With additional maps, additional factions and super-soldiers on both sides of the fight, plus new types of aliens, weapons and equipment, the game could almost have been released as XCOM 3 without complaining. The number 1.
2. SMITE: It’s a clever combination of turn-based strategy games and collectible card games. You’ll build a deck of cards and then take them into battle with you. Play a card and you can become a character on the battlefield or trigger a devastating attack.
3. SHADOW TACTICS: BLADES OF SHOTGUN: Set in medieval Japan, it sees you controlling a diverse group of characters charged with protecting the Shotgun and getting rid of his enemies. While completing each of the twelve running missions can be done in many ways, you’ll always benefit from strategy and stealth rather than a brute force approach.
4. TROPICO 5: Have you ever imagined life as the dictator of a small Caribbean island? The long series of Tropico finally made it to the PlayStation in this fifth installment, and it was worth the wait. This open world city builder leaves you on a very touched island, and it’s up to you to build a functioning economy.
5. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA DEADLOCK: It takes place in the First Cylon War, which we assume will mean something to the fanatics of death. You will take over the Colonial Fleet from your bridge, and lead them into battle. This involves designing and building ships, recruiting officers to take care of them, and then commanding them. Battles take place in real time, but you can pause the action to split the orders.
XBOX STRATEGY GAMES
Strategy games are not a genre normally associated with consoles, but the Xbox 360 has had a number of great strategy games represented a few different styles. In real time, turn-based, card-based, and more, all are present in the Xbox 360.
THE BEST STRATEGY GAMES FOR XBOX
Here are our selections for the top 5 Xbox 360 strategy games:
1. HALO WARS: Not the deepest RTS in the system, but its gameplay and simplified controls make it easily the most accessible. Halo fans will love it.
2. COMMAND & CONQUER: RED ALERT 3: With an alternative reality timeline that replaced conventional weapons with unconventional ones (like schoolgirls and bears), the story is crazy and impressive, but the main game is pure C&C.
3. STAR TREK: LEGACY: Star Trek Legacy is the best Star Trek game on Xbox 360. Battles are slow, strategic and quite difficult, but Star Trek fans will have a great time.
4. XCOM ENEMY UNKNOWN: Faithful update of the classic strategy game for PC in which you have to defend the Earth from an alien invasion. Not only do you have to plan strategic defence on a large scale by researching new technologies, but you also have direct control of direct encounters with the enemy on a small scale and in squadron.
5. OPERATION DARKNESS: Imagine an alternative World War II reality where Hitler had armies of werewolves, zombies and other undead at his disposal – this is Operation Darkness.
NINTENDO SWITCH STRATEGY GAMES
Strategy titles require a lot of thinking, planning ahead and overall concentration. That can be difficult for long periods of time – sometimes you just want to take a break… And you can do it on the Nintendo Switch, as well as catch it again no matter where you are. It’s a great console, and there are also some essential high-level strategy titles.
THE BEST STRATEGY GAMES FOR NINTENDO SWITCH
Here’s our ranking of the top 5 strategy games for Switch:
1. MARIO + RABBIDS KINGDOM BATTLE: The mix of the 2 sagas gives a brilliant result. Combining the bright colors of Mario with the stupidity of the Rabbids and a healthy dose of XCOM-style gameplay, this is a really complicated turn-based strategy that will capture your heart and break your brain.
2. INTO THE BREACH: Control powerful mechs of the future to defeat an alien threat. Each attempt to save the world presents a new randomly generated challenge in this turn-based strategy game.
3. DISGAEA 5: Filled with exaggerated action and hilarious writing like never before, the damage numbers in Disgaea 5 are surely heading to the record books.
4. THE BANNER SAGA: An epic role-playing game inspired by Viking legend. Hand-painted landscapes portray an enigmatically suspended world in perpetual twilight.
5. WORMS W.M.D: If you’ve never played a Worms game before, you’re in for a treat – it’s super dumb, turn-based 2D fun with ridiculous weapons like the Super Sheep and Holy Hand Grenade, and if that doesn’t tempt you, I don’t know what will.
PC STRATEGY GAMES
When it comes to the best strategy games, we look for a variety of elements. We like the mix between explosive, large-scale action and more complex games with difficult decisions. In our ranking you will find everything from fast and competitive FPS games to long-lasting 4X games. In the case of multi-participant series, we have chosen what we believe is the best game to play now.
DOWNLOAD PC STRATEGY GAMES FOR FREE
Wondering what’s the best way to download free Pc strategy games? There are certainly several ways to circumvent Steam’s rigorous admins, searching the Internet you can find several direct download sites for the games, but…do they really offer you confidence?
The smartest and fun way is to download Gums Up! Gums Up is a user-friendly application to download free games in an easy and fun way and, above all, for all types of devices.
THE BEST STRATEGY GAMES FOR PC
These are the best Pc strategy games we’ve ever played:
1. STARCRAFT 2
2. HOMEWORLD
3. NEPTUNES’ PRIDE
4. ENDLESS LEGEND
5. STELLARIS
6. CIVILIZATION 6
7. XCOM 2
8. TOTAL WAR WARHAMMER
9. INTO THE BREACH
10. BATTLETECH
ONLINE STRATEGY GAMES PC
Strategy video games have been around for a long time, from the digital chess and risk games of the 1970s and the big strategy games of the 1980s. However, it wasn’t until the 1990s, with the emergence of the Real-Time Strategy subgenre, that strategy had become what we know and love today. This is where Pc online strategy games come into play, like:
- TOTAL DOMINATION: Lead Humanity to salvation in the total domain of your browser with this post-apocalyptic game.
- PIRATES: TIDES OF FORTUNE: A highly competitive MMORTS that pushes you into the uncharted waters of the Seven Seas and immerses you in the treasure-hunting life of a Pirate.
- VIKINGS: WAR OF CLANS: Rule the beautiful Northern Kingdoms.
- SOLDIERS INC: Take control of a war-torn country called Zandia.
- THRONE: KIGDOM AT WAR: Fight for your birthright as the true King or Queen.
ANCIENT PC STRATEGY GAMES
There are a lot of old, or retro strategy games like Age of Mythology, WarCraft 3: Reign of Chaos, HomeWorld – which, when released in 1999, seemed like the dawn of a new era of strategy games because it had absolutely stunning graphics, a story that seemed destined for the big screen, and a gameplay that revolutionized the genre forever…. -Without leaving us the mythical Command & Conquer: Red Alert or Sim City, 2,000… But we were left with one: Age of Empires.
AGE OF EMPIRES can already be considered a classic of strategy games. Ensemble Studios’ first Age of Empires, in 1997, was our first serious addiction to real-time strategy (RTS) games. The mixture of history and war was absolutely fascinating. Whether it was charging into an enemy city with a gang of phalanxes, or ruining a village with an army of War Elephants, Age of Empires hooked us on lifelong strategy games. And it also ensured that we watched each Ensemble Studios game with special reverence.
STRATEGY GAMES PC FEW REQUIREMENTS
Among the strategy games Pc few requirements, we highlight:
- INTO THE BREACH: A phenomenal turn-based strategy game from the creators of FTL, and easily one of the favorite games of the year. It’s incredibly reproducible, with different squads and tactics to master.
- SLAY THE SPIRE: A rogue card combat game instantly addictive, which takes the strategic fun of board games to build a deck of cards and combines it with the sensitivity of games like The Binding of Isaac and Risk of Rain, where finding random “relics” can change the way you play.
- UNEXPLORED: A wonderfully clever roguelike that will run on integrated graphics. Unexplored retains much of the complex interlocking systems that make ASCIIs brilliant and endlessly playable, such as scrolls and magic potions that you have to identify, and that can make you yourself with the right materials.
