What a year 2024 has been, right? From the ancient and mythological civilizations of the Age of Mythology to the futuristic expanse of Sins of a Solar Empire 2, gamers had a plethora of choices. Historical strategy fans could immerse themselves in the grand-scale battles of Field of Glory: Kingdoms or the tactical nuances of Classified: France ’44. Modern warfare enthusiasts could engage in intense naval battles with Sea Power: Missile Combat In the Missile Age or real-time skirmishes in WARNO. With such a diverse range of titles, 2024 was a year for strategy game lovers to celebrate.
Even the mainstream games line-up is quite impressive: 2024 still saw the release of Black Myth:Wukong, Helldivers 2, Palworld, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Stellar Blade, just to name a few. Recently, Marvel Rivals and Path of Exile have been topping the Steam player charts. It has never been a abetter time to be a gamer.
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to look back and list what were the top 10 best strategy games of 2024. Remember that this is my list, and some of the games you played might not show up because I didn’t, if that’s the case, please write a comment or email me! Also, don’t forget that the Steam Winter Sale is underway and you can get most of the title with some sort of discount!
10 – Armored Brigade 2
I was wondering if Armored Brigade 2 was worthy of being on this list in 2024, or if I should wait until the end of 2025 to give its prize. Since its main competition was Scourge of War: Remastered, a remaster of a game that came out over 10 years ago, I think Armored Brigade 2 deserves to be here. Its move to 3D was a massive improvement on what was, for all intents and purposes, already a fantastic Cold War title. The move to 3D allows for faster decision-making, better unit positioning, more battlefield control and more cinematic engagements. Now, this isn’t to say the game is perfect, it isn’t, not even close. It’s still marred by some of the faults of the original, like a not-stellar AI, the lack of granular controls for infantry, and the ridiculously large order delay for some basic actions (2 minutes to order a unit out of the killing zone?).
9 – Tactical Breach Wizards
Tactical Breach Wizards is a charming, witty and mostly well-designed title that deserves your attention. It’s an interesting mix between puzzle and turn-based strategy that manages to feel mostly balanced throughout the whole campaign, and not overly limit the player in their moves and strategies. The character dialogues in between missions are hilarious, the game is a good looker and it’s so cheap it’s hard not to recommend. The reason it isn’t ranking higher on this list is due to its uninspired unit abilities and the fact that’s a bit too puzzling for my taste. A lot of other gaming websites have given Tactical Breach Wizards their Strategy Game of the Year award, and while I can see its massive mainstream appeal, 2024 was a year of other outstanding titles that went under the radar that I think are far superior to it.
8 – Sea Power: Naval Combat In The Missile Age
When I booted up Sea Power: Naval Combat In The Missile Age I wasn’t expecting it to rank in my top 10 games of the year, just because of how early in its early access life cycle it released: no tutorials, no campaign, very few missions. However, what’s already here in terms of units and weapon systems details, paired up with a simple (but complex) mission editor convinced me that Sea Power: Naval Combat In The Missile Age has enough meat in its bones to be featured here. If you’re someone who loves the Cold War, and the naval scuffles that could have been if it ever went hot, you don’t have a lot of options at the moment. Fortunately, the one you have is Sea Power, and it’s really good.
7 – WARNO
WARNO is a Eugen System’s game through and through, and it’s the most refined version of their formula. Set in 1989, it’s another Cold War gone Hot kind of game, where the forces of the Warsaw Pact fight against NATO for the future of the European continent. If you’re looking for a single-player experience set in the Cold War that’s complex, beautiful to look at, massive in scope and will keep you occupied for hundreds of hours, WARNO Army General might be the fix you’re looking for. Pair that up with the slower unit movement and more focused unit selection decks, and everything is easier to learn, manage and experiment with. The only reason it’s not ranking higher is that I’m just not that much of a fan of Cold War-era titles, but if you’re a lover of this period, I have no doubts that WARNO is one of the best games ever put to code in this era.
6 – Age of Mythology: Retold
I love Age of Mythology: Retold. I was a bit concerned when it was announced, and I doubted that we would get something good, much less something as amazing as this one turned out to be. Age of Mythology: Retold is the definitive way of enjoying this classic entry of gaming memorabilia. If you’re a fan of Ensemble Studios Age of Empires series and never got around to trying out Age of Mythology, you can’t go wrong with Retold, simply because it’s Age of Empires with mythical creatures and heroes. With its astronomical amount of content crammed into an impressive low price, great graphics, and 3 single-player campaigns Age of Mythology: Retold is also one of the best RTS available to play in 2024. Even if you have a passing interest in real-time strategy games, you would be doing a disservice to yourself by missing out on this one.
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