15 – RimWorld
By now, everyone and their grandmother should know about RimWorld. It’s the poster child for sci-fi colony management games where you guide a group of survivors stranded on a remote planet through their often chaotic, and rather unfortunate, misadventures. As the colony’s leader, you’ll manage their needs, assign tasks, and build shelters to protect them from harsh environmental conditions and hostile creatures. The game is centred around the idea that things will inevitably go wrong- much like Dwarf Fortress- and your job is to delay disaster as long as possible before everything falls apart.
RimWorld boasts a thriving modding community, with a huge range of user-generated content available through the Steam Workshop. You can customize your gameplay experience with mods that introduce new features, expand mechanics, or create entirely new scenarios. It’s very much in the vein of Dwarf Fortress, offering endless replayability and the chance to share stories with the community about how everything went horribly wrong.
14 – Cities: Skylines
This list is packed with genre staples! Cities: Skylines is the city-building simulation game to have, especially if you’re into urban planning or nostalgic for the golden days of SimCity 4. The game empowers players to unleash their creativity and build any city, small village, or seaside hamlet they can imagine. With one of the largest modding communities in gaming, all available through the Steam Workshop, the possibilities are nearly limitless.
It also features the most realistic traffic simulation mechanics in any game. If you’re one of those people who don’t see how managing traffic can be engaging, it’s time to give Cities: Skylines a try. Test your planning skills as you watch your vision come to life in this highly acclaimed city-building game. Whether you’re constructing sprawling metropolises or quaint little towns, this game is the ultimate playground for any aspiring urban planner. Cities Skylines 2 is getting better with every update, but this one costs 2 dollars, so…
13 – Phantom Brigade
After quietly making its way to Steam following its brief stint on the Epic Games Store, Phantom Brigade has, for me, earned its place as a must-play turn-based tactics game. More Into the Breach than XCOM, it revolves around a unique premise where your units (massive, building-sized mechs) are equipped with time devices, allowing them to peer five seconds into the future. This gives you the chance to see the enemy’s actions and counter, intercept, or prevent them from achieving their objectives.
Much like other games in the genre, Phantom Brigade is split between two main layers: the world map and the tactical battlefield. The world map offers the usual fare—unit customization, research and development, upgrades, and building new weapons and mechs while hunting for fights. While this part of the game is fairly standard, the mech customization is fantastic. You can swap out arms, legs, and torsos, equip various weapons (each with a specific use and optimal range), and assemble your dream squad. You can even paint your mechs. The game also boasts excellent building destruction, making each tactical battle feel like a true clash between massive, stomping machines.
12 – Battle Brothers
I haven’t heard people talking about Battle Brothers for the longest time, it’s a shame because it’s still an amazing game. Battle Brothers takes place in a gritty, low-fantasy medieval world where you lead a ragtag band of mercenaries through brutal, challenging battles and perilous quests. In this game, you’ll recruit, equip, and manage a diverse roster of warriors, bandits, and other dubious characters, each with their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. What sets Battle Brothers apart from other strategy games is its unforgiving combat system: units can suffer broken bones, deep wounds, head trauma, and more, with each injury affecting their performance and behaviour in different ways. The game sets you free in a world full of “wonderful” opportunities. Battle Brothers is a brutal, yet deeply satisfying strategy experience unlike any other. The team of Battle Brothers is working with Hooded Horse on their upcoming game, MENACE.
11 – Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive
My review of Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive was my first article to reach over 1.000 people. I know that’s not a lot, but we’re currently sitting at over 1 million, and I enjoy looking back at it fondly. So it will always have a special place in my heart. It was also my wargaming darling of 2021, because Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive, is hands down the best operational-level wargame I’ve ever played. It completely redefines the genre by eschewing the abstract mechanics common in other operational-level games and embracing bold, innovative features. This decision not only revitalized the genre but set a new benchmark for what operational wargames can achieve. It’s a textbook example of how a genre, once seen as stale and past its prime, can be elevated to new heights with the right mix of knowledge, passion, and creativity.
For going above and beyond, Decisive Campaigns was awarded the first-ever Golden Strategy and Wargaming Seal of Approval. Trust me, you’ll want to read my full five-star review to understand why it stands out as one of the finest wargames available. If you’re into the genre or want a perfect gateway into wargaming, this one is a must-play. Go check it out!
10 – Total War: Rome 2
Total War: Rome II has come a long way since its disastrous launch. Creative Assembly, despite their earlier failures, has managed to transform what was once a borderline unplayable mess into one of the best entries in the Total War series. While I personally still prefer the original, especially with the remastered edition now available, there’s no denying that Rome II has improved significantly over the years.
After a decade of updates and refinements, Rome II offers a more developed campaign than its predecessor, with enhanced building chains and a “deeper” political system. However, it does have its drawbacks. The battles in Rome II are much faster-paced compared to the original, and the first Rome featured a more nuanced battle system that accounted for unit collision, mass, and experience—simulating these factors independently, rather than relying almost entirely on hard class counters and health bars. Despite these flaws, Rome II is a solid strategy experience, especially for those who enjoy the ongoing updates and improvements and love the spectacle of battle.
9 – Age of Empires IV
Whenever anyone mentions the Real-Time Strategy genre, Age of Empires II is usually the first game that comes to mind. However, the classic RTS from 1999 is very well represented in this day and age by its most recent entry, Age of Empires IV.
I dove into Age of Empires IV suspicious about its quality, after a less-than-stellar demo, but found myself having an absolute blast, particularly enjoying the English and Russian campaigns. While it may never reach the legendary status or cultural impact of its predecessors, Age of Empires IV stands out as a fantastic RTS in its own right. Each faction in Age of Empires IV feels distinct, and the different evolutionary paths as you progress through the ages offer an intriguing and varied gameplay experience.
8 – Darkest Dungeon
The pioneer of the PTSD-RPG genre, Darkest Dungeon emerged as one of the most impressive success cases of an Early Access darling and remains one of the best RPG/turn-based strategy games ever made. This game takes players on a harrowing journey through the darkest corners of twisted caves, sending fragile human heroes deeper into the abyss, each step taking them closer to madness as they face ancient creatures from aeons past. All the while, you’re also trying to piece together the mystery of what led to the ruin of your family estate.
The game’s striking aesthetic, unique character classes, and punishing combat mechanics set it apart from other RPGs. But what truly makes Darkest Dungeon unforgettable is its focus on the mental health of your heroes. These are not invincible warriors; they’re frail-minded humans who, in one moment, can deliver a devastating critical strike to win the day, only to descend into an irreversible mental breakdown during their next dungeon run. This focus on madness and its real, tangible impact on gameplay underscores the game’s theme that madness and death go hand in hand in the darkest of dungeons. It’s a brutal, unforgiving, and deeply immersive experience, unlike anything else out there.
7 – FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL: Faster Than Light, one of the original Kickstarter success stories, offers a thrilling rogue-like experience where players take on the role of a ship captain. You’ll be tasked with overseeing the ship’s crew, managing modules, choosing weapon targets, distributing power, defending against boarding parties, and keeping fires at bay— all while striving to survive at any cost. The game features the best video game soundtrack ever, a masterpiece that’s as exhilarating as it is memorable. I find myself constantly smiling as I listen to it while writing and driving during long voyages.
6 – News Tower
Unfortunately, I never got around to reviewing News Tower, even though it’s easily my favourite strategy-tycoon game to be released in over a decade, and probably ever. With an impressive 97% positive rating on Steam, this game truly captures the inner workings of a newsroom (and I speak from experience, even if I didn’t work during the 1930s). You’ll assign journalists to tasks, optimize the entire building, manage supporting staff, purchase raw materials for your printer, and carefully design cohesive, eye-catching newspaper pages. It’s a labour of love, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a solid management game. What’s more, it avoids the pitfalls of modern-day journalism—there’s no preachy agenda here. Set in an era where managing a publication required much more than simply handling an army of under-educated, ideologically-driven journalists, it offers a refreshing, less politically charged take on the business of news.
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