5 – Terra Nil
I love how Terra Nil describes itself as a reverse strategy game in which you’re not tasked with conquering nature and building a sprawling civilization on it, but instead, its your job to rebuild nature itself, and then, slowly but surely retract your operations and letting it take its natural course, before you move on to other part of the planet that needs mending.
Developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital, Terra Nil offers a unique city-builder experience focused on ecological restoration where players deploy advanced technologies to revitalise barren wastelands. The core gameplay loop involves purifying soil, cleaning oceans, planting forests, and reintroducing wildlife, gradually transforming a desolate environment into a thriving ecosystem. Once the environment is restored to a healthy state, players dismantle their structures, leaving behind only the flourishing nature they helped create. Terra Nil is a refreshing and thought-provoking take on the strategy genre, propelled to new levels with its beautiful art style.
4 – Gary Grigsby’s: War In The East 2
Gary Grigsby’s War in the East 2 delivers the most detailed and historically accurate grand strategy simulation of the Eastern Front during World War II of all time. There’s no other way about it, and it’s one of the best strategy games of all time. And one of the best wargames of all time you can play in 2025. Gary Grigsby’s War in the East 2 is one of those games that distinguishes itself through its unmatched complexity, encompassing every aspect of the conflict from logistics and resource management to detailed unit combat and strategic decision-making. I don’t think there’s any other game out there where players are as immersed in a deeply granular simulation, where meticulous planning and strategic foresight are crucial for winning, other than this one.
3 – Age of Wonders 4
I knew that when I didn’t include Age of Wonders 4 in one of my other lists, some of you would be rightly upset at that. So here I am, trying to make amends! Age of Wonders 4 is a notable entry in the 4x turn-based strategy genre, developed by Triumph Studios and published by Paradox Interactive, and released in 2023. Players delve into a rich high-fantasy universe where they lead customizable factions, choosing their physical forms, societal traits, and magical affinities. The core gameplay involves your typical 4x strategy empire building, exploration, diplomacy, and tactical turn-based combat on hex-based battlefields (imagine Civilization and Endless Legend). What sets Age of Wonders 4 apart from the other titles of the genre is its deep customisation, allowing players to evolve their chosen civilization through research of magical Tomes, leading to unique unit transformations and strategic advantages and disadvantages. With a focus on replayability, Age of Wonders 4 offers procedurally generated realms and a robust event system, ensuring fresh challenges and narratives with each playthrough. This weekend, the game’s 40%, for less than 30 dollars, so there’s no better time to jump into this one if you love Civilization, Endless Legend, and even Dominions.
2 – Tempest Rising
Tempest Rising, a recently released real-time strategy title from Slipgate Ironworks, delivers a classic base-building real-time strategy (RTS) experience with modern-day production values, after years of players pleading with Electronic Arts to do the same with Command and Conquer. Set in an alternate 1997 following a nuclear war, players command either the Global Defence Force (GDF) or the Tempest Dynasty, each with distinct units, economies, and strategic approaches to combat (very similar to the differences between the factions in Red Alert 2). The game features two extensive single-player campaigns-with 11 missions each, skirmish modes, custom games, and a ranked multiplayer system. Drawing inspiration from genre classics of the late 90s and early 2000s, Tempest Rising offers a familiar, yet refined strategic experience that every player should play in 2025.
1 – Distant Worlds 2
If you want a complex, engaging, and absolutely all-encompassing strategy game that’s going to devour hours of your life, look no further than Distant Worlds 2. This is a vast, pausable real-time 4X space strategy game developed by Code Force and published by Slitherine, and the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Distant Worlds: Universe, offering a modern 64-bit engine, enhanced 3D graphics, and a more streamlined interface while retaining the immense depth and complexity that made its predecessor a beloved title in the genre. It’s hard to put into words just how immense this game is. There are thousands of star systems, each filled with planets, moons, asteroid fields, and other celestial phenomena. You can choose from multiple playable factions, each with unique characteristics and playstyles, and embark on a journey of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination, either through peaceful means like mining and diplomacy or through conquest. A key feature of Distant Worlds 2 is its sophisticated automation system, allowing players to delegate tasks they find tedious, such as ship design, research, or even entire sectors of their empire, to the AI, focusing on the aspects they enjoy most.
Check Out The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play In 2025
If you enjoyed this list, then you need to check out my lists about The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play In 2025:
- The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play In 2025 – 100 to 51
- The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play In 2025 – 50 to 26
- The 100 Best Strategy Games To Play In 2025 – 25 to 1
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